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Show WE ARE LONGER LIVlfD. Longevity Is the Century's Chief Characteristic Char-acteristic Its Canses. What has been the chief characteristic character-istic of the nineteenth century? No two critics agree, nor can they, because each prefers a different quality. One singles out science, another invention, as the dominant trait. A third, who looks mainly at the political aspect of life, says democracy. Others, again, say pessimism, philanthropy, doubt, or toleration. So many features, so much diversity, argue at least for many-sidedness, many-sidedness, says the Forum. There is one characteristic, however, which distinguishes dis-tinguishes the nineteenth century from all previous centuries a characteristic which has become too common to attract at-tract the attention It deserves, although al-though it really measures all the rest. This is longevity. During the past 100 years the length of life of the average man in the United States and in the more civilized parts of Europe has increased from a little over 30 to 40 years. A multitude of causes, mostly physical, have contributed to this result. Foremost among these should l-e placed (1) whatever man be included under the general term sanitation; sani-tation; (2) the mora regular habits of j living which are the direct outcome of industrial life on a large scale. These are some of the evident means by which life has been lengthened. Inventions, In-ventions, which have made production cheap and the transportation of all products both cheap and easy, have had an influence too great to be computed. com-puted. And no doubt much has been de to a general improvement in methods of government; although in the main there has been much less progress in practical government than is commonly supposed. No great rail-toad rail-toad company or banking house or manufacturing corporation could prosper pros-per if Its officers and employes were chosen and kept in office according to the system by which political offices almost everywhere are filled. "None but experts wanted" is the sign written writ-ten over the entrance to every profession, profes-sion, trade and occupation except government. gov-ernment. Eut, whatever governments have done or left undone, the fact to be ; insisted on here is that the average i man today lives almost ten years long-i long-i er than his grandfather lives. Indis-i Indis-i Putably, therefore, the year 1000 finds conditions more conducive to longevity than existed a century ago. This is true beyond question for the masses, who feel immediately the effects of Plenty, hunger and cold the great ; Physical dispensers of life and death. |