The Washington herald., 1916-08-18
The Spirit Of Youth.
BY oRIsoN SWEET MAnDEN

The recent death of the great scientist-apos-
tie of longevity, Professor Metchnikof, at the
age OF seventy-one, just one year beyond the
Psamists allotted span, does not affect the valid
ity OF his claim that the life of man may be pro-
longed to twice its present average
While Mctchnkoff did not find the tabled
fountain OF youth or "the elixir Of life" his
valuable scientific discoveries and his researches
into the causes OF senile decay, or old-age proc
esses, have done much to undermine the popular
belief that one must begin to grow old and must
die at certain fixed age.
In his researches he found every indication
that the human mechanism was calculated to last
far longer than it actually does. He found that
even among those whose sufferings were terrible
there were few who wanted to be put out Of
their agony by death. They all wanted to live.
This he said, Shows that death between the
ages Of sixty and eighty is not natural 1t
should not occur soon. There is cause
for it which should be discovered and remedied."
Eminent Psychologists tell US that there is
not single cell in the body that possibly
be old. They say that these cells being re-
newed perpctually, and that they are renewed
in proportion to their activity
If the brain, for example, is very active, the
brain cells may be entirely renewed every year.
of muscles that in constant use are renewed
every few months
Now, if there is not single cell in the body
that can possibly remain with us many years; if
every cell is comparatively young, what is it
that makes them appear old and what is it makes
most people feel old at sixty?
1t is the old age conviction the old race be-
lief which has persisted from the dawn of Gre
alton that man is of few years and full of trou-
Bile. The thrcescore-years-and-ten idea OF the
Bible has cut short the lives Of millions Of peo-
pie who, but for this conviction would undoubt-
edly have lived very much longer Yet there is
every probability that the Psalmst's threescore-
and-ten limit not intended to be taken literal
ly but was merely figure of speech to indicate
the brevity of human life.
There is no scientific reason whatever for our
dying at threcscore years and ten fourscore
years According TO the analogy of all other
living creatures, ought to live FIVE and six
times as long it takes his body to reach its
complete maturity, which is about twenty-eight
years Normal people should live at least one
hundred and fifty years and still retain their
youthful powers, as birds do.
| believe the time will come when man will
look young at a hundred. We are beginning to
realize the truth that God is our health and
that the God principle, which is the source of all
lite and strength, cannot age. Our false ideas
OF death at certain time and our convictions
OF the decrepitudc and helplessness of old ago
have been responsible for our life limitations
We are beginning to understand the tremen-
dous force OF our thoughts and convictions in
materlallzing the thing which we concentrate.
1t the moment you see few gray hairs you be-
gin to let old age ideas and convictions creep
into your head, and take possession of you; if
you begin to watch yourself to see if you are
failing mentally, and when you happen to have
usual when you cannot seem to focus your
thought or grasp ideas with your former vigor,
you Jump to the conclusion that your powers are
declining and hold to that conviction of course
you will begin to fall off all along the line
We cannot get away from the fact that we
are not very different from our convictions. 1t
is hard for a physician to keep a patient alive
who believes he is going to die and that nothing
can save him. His bodily condition follows his
conviction.
When we learn to think of ourselves as al
ways young when dwell upon the eternal
youth prlnclpe, and declare that the truth of our
Delng, the divinity Of us cannot age we shall not
age IN appearance. When we learn the great truth
that no power can separate from the God
Prlnciplc-when we understand the real truth
OF our being, that life and health and i'm
mortality arc in the God principle within us, we
snail be able to resist the ravages of age which
follow the old age conviction
Copyright. 1851