The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-04-13

IMAM hgs Shakespeare
To some vast Intelligence. engage,
IN billionyear tasks Of world buildin,
the most extended human cxistcnc,
must seem like mere flash of time
Even the human philosopher. attack
ing the problems of the infinite with
daring and Unsuitable curiosity, Otter
takes little reck Of time, the call o.
the unknowable excluding the claim.
of everyday life Nevertheless, oul
philosophers and great scientists live
long. 1t would seem that they Gins
to life, not for its own sake, but like
Archimedes, in order to solve Just one
more problem
1t is humiliating fact that reptiles
far exceeded the human race in longe
WITTY turtle has been known tC
live one hundred and fifty years, show
ing tenacity of life inherited from
remote ancestors. The dinosaur, gig
ante lizard Of the Jurassic Period
which has not been seen alive these
six million years, lived much longer
than the turtle or other modern rep.
tiles, judging from the physical struc.
ture of his remains. With a tiny
brain case and enormous body, he
wallowed in the Jurassic shadows and
TOOK in daily an "unearned increment"
of seven hundred pounds of leaves
and twigs by simply stretching out
his long neck or rising on his stu
pendous tail. He was the largest ply
steal expression of the long and simple
life that has ever existed but his life
was narrow.
So far as known to the writer. no
fossil remains of philosophers Tor Su-
preme Court judges) have been found
in the Jurassic; so that contempor-
aneous comparison of gaint lizards
with humans is not possible. Yet
from these animal documents we may
draw the lesson that mere length Of
life is not the summum bonum. Per-
haps some of our famous loafers, who
believe that "to loaf is to live" would
like to bark back to the Jurassic and
leaf eating; but not the average wide
awake American.
1t has been estimated by Professor
Irving Fisher that by reasonable pre-
cautions and the full utilization of the
resources of science, the mean dura-
ton of life could be extended about
fifteen years; and that this slice of
longevity which is now wasted costs
the nation some fifteen hundred mil
lions of dollars annually These fig
ures are, of course, estimates only;
but they serve a useful purpose in
giving concrete expression to the pos
sibilities, however remote, of the fu-
ture, and afford a stimulus to the stu
pendous task of overcoming the in
ertia of prejudice and deep rooted
custom Why take a hundred years
to do what can be done in a genera
ton?
There is a prevalent idea that under
modern conditions the span of life
is lengthening, and that old people live
longer and more effectively than form
erly. 1t is true that all over the
civilized world there has been a steady
fall in the general death rate for
several hundred years; but this i'm
provement IS largely due to the saw
ing of lives in infancy and early adult
life In this country the fall in the
death rate is wholly due to such !
cause, an increased mortality having
been found among the elderly by the !
most recent Investigations. Let us
hope that those who help to mold our
destinies will awaken to the fact that, |
blinded by the success of science in
saving the unfit We have permitted
our people to become weakened by
overrapidity of social Developments
by the extraordinary multiplication of
the sources of nervous strain and the
excessive demand for nervous expen-
diture which is reflected in the in
creaSlng death rate from deSenera-
tive maladieS.
To sum up, we are, temporarily at
least, out of adjustment with our en-
vironment We have outpaced our
adaptability, and must allow it tot
catch up with us.
influence of Heredity.
In planning for a long life, or rather
in planning to live well, the first step
should be an examination of your
ancestry.
We have referred to the inherited
advantages enjoyed by the turtle. I'm
questionably his racial vitality is a
greater protection to him than his
carapace. The man with a sound,
resistant ancestry has head start
in the race. He enjoys greater liberty
of action than his less fortunate
neighbor who comes of weaker stock,
although liberty should not be con-
founded with license.