ANTAEUS THE GIANT. 595 



not to speak of the historical, and extraordinary maximum, 

 of two hundred years? Is man, the giant Antaeus, thus 

 lifted and crushed in the air by the habits and vices of civil- 

 ized life ? Let him touch the earth again, and the dreams 

 of the prophets, the promises of inspired souls, and nature, 

 shall be realized, and the original contract with God upon 

 bones will be kept inviolate. 



On granite in place, then, we walk in demonstrating the 

 interesting problem that great human longevity is within 

 the "province of pure reason," and practically attainable. 

 Refreshing, invigorating, really inspiring, it is to find that 

 there is a possibility and hope, even a critical rendering of 

 feasibility of the undertaking to live to be " as old as Methu- 

 selah" of course, as the story is modernized by accredited 

 theologians. The historical side of the great question clearly 

 makes out the case, which it is enchanting to reflect upon, that 

 a man (why not any man, possibly every man ?) may live to 

 be two hundred years old, the interpreted age of Methuselah 

 and Jared, enjoying all his faculties to the last. 



The physiological and scientific side of the subject give 

 nearly the same cause of jubilation to the mortal who wishes 

 to remain in the prison of the flesh for a few hundred years, 

 by establishing the conclusions, that by demonstrable laws 

 of nature, on the question of the life of bones and their 

 connection with the animal economy, 100 years of ordinary, 

 and 200 of extraordinary life, ought to be enjoyed by every 

 man accepting, under any circumstances, the common boon 

 of existence. 



While history and science stand hand in hand grandly 

 united (a rather rare occurrence on any subject) on this 

 question of human longevity, it becomes imperative to ask 

 for a rendering of the conditions upon which these results 

 are to be achieved. This is justice to both history and sci- 

 ence (a very rare occurrence to either) on one of the most 

 important subjects engaging the mind of man. 



Gratifying, rather beatifying, it is to know, then, the 

 means by which this end or answer to the prayers of all 



