Pueblo chieftain., 1921-11-28
BY Frederic ]. Haskin

Washington, d. C.. Nov. 25.-A sta
tistical study OF persons who nave
lived for a hundred years or more ia
10 be one of the undertakings this year
OF the Census bureau which is pre-
pairing a report on the ages OF persons
now living in the United States.
1t may be hazarded that this will be
one of the most popular reports ever
put out by the bureau. for men have
always shown an almost morbid inter
est in the problem of prolonging life.
They used to believe that by the dis
covery of some wonderful elixir or
spring they might cheat death forever.
Science has abolished that hope. Men
know now that they must die. but
they seem -the-lcss to be eager
sible Every lot of evidence that aver
age life is being prolonged is read with
eager interest.
There is manifestly something un-
sound in this attitude. The average
human life has been lcngthened since
the Middle Ages. but largely by re-
ducing infant mortality ana prolonging
the period of senile decay. What We
actually get out OF life is not measured
by the average number of years men
live. but by the length OF the active
period and still more by what they
do with II. More encouraging than
the lengthening OF the average eNpcc-
tati0n OF human lls Is Ins met ic-
ported by the Census bureau, that
persona of middle ago and past show
n constantly increasing range OF nc
tivity More and more achievement IL
put down every year 10 the credit or
meyand women who are old In years.
but apparently not in vitality. More
and more old persons marry. too. and
the Census bureau Is especially inter-
ested in these. The active creative
period OF life for men Is apt TO cor
respond to tho duration of their viril-
Ity.
AGED WRITERS
Literature has shown some striking
in old men. Joseph Friend DE Nor
gan. the novelist. who recently died.
began his writing career after 60 and
wrote n series OF novels of nigh merit.
Thomas Hardy. at 81. is lyric poet
who produces steadily. He wrote AL
.of his novels before he was 20. and
then turned to poetry and made n
great reputation in that branch OF Ut
erature. George Brandes. the Danish
critic. and the most famous Of all
Danes. IS 30 and still an active writer
and n man of world influence.
A study of the ages OF men who are
attending the Washington conference
would be interesting. 1t would GER
tainly show that men OF from 20 TO 20
years OF age are guiding the political
dcstInics OF the world. OF course
statesmen have generally been elderly
men. Nor are there any statistics to
prove that old men achieve more now
than in former years, but there is n
general impression abroad that they
do so.
Furthermore. this impression concurs
with scientific opinion. which holds
that man should normally live. not the
three score and ten .r the Rtblc, but
h.1,. hat 1,,0 7tNsrt flan nElf
to have been first advanced by Mctch-
nikor. II is the Underlying idea OF
Bernard Shaw's latest play Back 10
Mcthuselah,' which pictures the human
race as Shaw believes II will be In tho
distant future. II shows a rarc OF
have attained to great serenity and
wisdom and freedom from passion, but
still retain their health.
That is what Metchnikoff believed
men will become. In an acute study
of "the Nature OF Man" he showed that
tho human body contains many dis
hnrmonies.' as ho called them. That
IL. as n machine II d--s not work per-
fectly. with the result that II breaks
down from internal friction and dis
turbanacc before it shoIld. The di-
ge-tive tract IL always poisoning his
whole body, he pointed out. because II
| is not suited to digest the food Of civil
| llization. But Il Is perfectly possible
for both the food and the digestive
tract to bo adjusted sv tnat this pois-
onlng may be overcome. Metchnlltpff
devoted most of his life to this prob
lem. and these researches arc still be-
| ing carried on by his associates In the
Pastcur institute.
| IMPROVING THE HUMAN
| MACHINE
| Meantime. science has discovered
more aud more ways In which Il mai
perfect the human body as n working
l ma achlne. Ii hns hnnn fnnnd Ihat th.