How To Live One Hundred Years

After reading the title, "How to Live One Hundred Years," you may feel a mental urge to ask the author if he expects to live that long.

I am going to reply candidly that I do not.

I will qualify this reply, however, with this statement, that had my parents and my teachers understood this problem of health as I now do, and taught me what I now know and have put in this book, I would then be reasonably certain, barring accident, that I would pass the one-hundred-mile post. The physical machine that I am now running had some very rough usage before I got sense enough to take care of it properly, and before I could have taken care of it, during the period of infancy it was probably injured even more.

Just recently on a warm and very pleasant day in mid October I was riding on a street-car. A young mother was on that car with her baby, perhaps two months old. She had the poor little fellow all wrapped up in a heavy woolen shawl which was drawn over its face and the corners carefully tucked in so that not one bit of fresh air could reach her precious darling. Every once in a while she would take a peep inside to see if it was alive - a very wise precaution, for I dare say that had she not done this, allowing a little fresh air to enter occasionally, that baby would have been smothered. I don't expect that child to live one hundred years, in fact, it will be a miracle if he passes thirty-five.

What I personally contend in this matter is this, that because of my present knowledge of how to live right I will be able to live many, many years longer than I otherwise would live had this knowledge not come to me - and this is all that I can offer to you. But we can make it possible for our children and our children's children to live their full allotted life, live it in possession of vigorous manhood and womanhood, live it in the joy that comes from health alone, which is more desirable than rubies and diamonds and fine gold.

G. H. Lockwood.

Eat, Drink, And Be Merry-And Die Tomorrow!