There is no
secret about growing old gracefully. It means self-control, simple
living, work for body and mind, cleanliness of body and mind, and the
most important part of physical cleanliness is a clean colon. It is
necessary to have a tranquil mind most of the time, for anger and worry
are injurious to health.
The average span of life is lengthening. In the sixteenth century the
average European did not live to be twenty years old. Now he lives to be
about forty. The same increase has taken place in America. In India and
China the average of life is still below twenty-four years. As
civilization advances the tendency is for the average of life to
lengthen, provided life does not grow so complex that knowledge is
antidoted by too great artificiality.
However, it is well to note that it is not the last part of life that is
being lengthened. We are allowing less and less infants to die as the
years roll on. The proportion of the adult population that reaches
advanced age is no greater than in the past. Our mode of life is so
wrong that tuberculosis, typhoid fever, cancer, kidney diseases,
pneumonia and circulatory degeneration carry off immense numbers of
those whom we call middle aged, but who are really young people.
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