The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1855-03-05
DAILY DISPATCH
MONDAY MORNING, MANCH 5. 1855.

II q JAIL D10I vi
MONDAY MORNING, MARcH $. 1885.
GRowlSe oLn.-Mrs. Sigourney, the cele-
brats,i American poetess, has some beautiful
and consoliug reflections upon the subject OF
growing old, subject which ID sore one to
people Of ..certain age" We make the fol-
lowing extract:
.I,u, alter all what Il there 90 frghtfui 10 this
lht,e saxon word old This coocasion oil tn.ee
Innocent letters why do they thrtiiths nears ~
many fair women and brave men, WIN 'e'fos "n'
sis everything that 10 old deteriorsteds wnh
A. var think Of old wtues We cannot indeeo' say
ouite e much about that, 10 lnese .e,npe.ssaSe
tlmes, - Americans did. ha. =. ,onic az -.
sfnod vheu physicians recommends ts .ou'c u re-
.soss.;vs nourers Ia medicine IL was the oid, ano
III shs nv AK the epicure to partake oil new
$1,000 saith he not, No; the old - better Does
any question The me- se.s cordial Of
p,sssn,s on his SMILE aud on the hearty grasp OF
81. hand What II he does come, leaning on MS
stsd, There IL no winter In bis heart. ne was
broush, up In times when friendship was "''e
than a name. h. a, Il
.The vine more produces grapes when y
vounU. saws Bacon but better grapes ioI S
when Il 10 old. because lie juices are M. - ~
concocted' Very true, no dooo.. l. not worse
my Lord Bacon. We see evefy'''Ns "
for being old. :, ..,,Lad ~ ,hs
"Js II worth while to be so much snocHeo o. .ne
circums,ance of bee omiug oldf IL mA.A "a GA
communication from our racer os TUG So,ss ~
". have chance of finding some vefS soo1 YUM
psny. ,,ra ,vsn,v wears, each
Nth its four full seasons fairly counted out press
ed together and running over, nave pcen sisen'
will no longer reeist the epiihes Old 10 'o,s so
plexion we have come ct last We WIN nor De
Ashamed of 1t. 1t is better to be Old tnah u oe
wicked"
Nevertheless, this getting old, this beng
called old, is a disagreeable thing 10 De
sure sit is better to be old than to be wicked
but then one can be young and good too. IL
is true the old wine is the best, but the WINE
of life does not improve by age; it does not
warm the blood; one puts down the glass more
willingly than in youth 1t is true ''l"' al,
old friend is better than new, and for ina
very reason; we prefer the days OF youth
Youth was our old friend; that was the hrst
one We ever knew, and we do not take read
lily to the new acquaintance, the gray halrs'
those snow fakes that tell of coming winter
We would rather see the buds and flowers
and hear the voice of birds.
Mrs. Sigourney says truly in another por'
ton of the article from which we have quo
ted, that 'the old owe something to the
Young" as well asthe young to the old. "lf we
fad less courtesy than we wish, let us show
more. 1t becomes us to be very meek and
patient, to make amends for our long enter
tainment at life's board. i had beautiful
dream said bright boy. Il thought we
children were all in heaven, and so happy
BY and by, grandfather came in frowning'
and said, as he always does, Cant these chill
dren stop their noise? So we all run away
All old people, however, are not like that
grandfather That old gentleman was un-
doubtedly very disagreeable person, even
in his youth Nor do we think that the old
should be very meek and patient, on the
grounds suggested by the amiable autho-
ress. Meek and patient they, as well as men
of all ages, should be, because these are Chris
tian virtues as well as true philosophy in all
periods and conditions of life. But not be-
cause they ought "to make amends for long
entertainment at life 8 board" If they have
been entertained at that board, it is not the
young who have been their hosts On the
contrary, it is at their table that the young
have been fed, and they ought to look up
with reverence and gratitude to the aged.
The aged owe nothing for that entertainment,
except to God and their own parents. There
i. no virtue more neglected in these times,
and in this country, than respect for the old
They are regarded as numbering up the field
Of action, and in the way of the young peo-
pie, when they ought to be comfortably sleep
ing under the sod The rich fruits of their
wisdom and experience are derided as old
Fogyism We confess that it gives us a de-
cided chill when We think of becoming old.
Nevertheless, it is true that the old owe
something to the young, as well as the young
to the old And, as general thing, they pay
what they owe. Instances are fresh and brigh,
in our memory Of old persons who seem to
have renewed their own youth in that OF
children. Never does old age appear more
lovely than when it loves the young; when
the waning fires of its dim eyes kindle with a
fresh light at the shrine of childish merriment,
and its patriarchal locks mingle lovingly with
the silken curls of childhood.
oHo COIiloIt tHtTG IL lot the aged which
Mrs. Sigourney has not mentioned. 1t is
that the heart need not grow old. Most old
persons are surprised when, for the first time,
they hear themselves called old. This is be.
cause they had not felt that they were old
and even though often told Oft, they canno,
realize it up to the last hour of existence. The
spirit is ever young; it is immortal; and con
soling thought, when it has laid down its
worn out livery of flesh, it will spring bright
vigorous and buoyant into eternal youth
NoRFoLK.-Upon recent visit to the city
of Norfolk, we were greatly pleased to wit
ness the many evidences of progress and ad
vancement which appear on every side We
cannot say that we saw any Improvement in
the old fashioned Virginia hospitality of the
people from the time when we first visited
Norfolk; for the simple reason, the men of
that day carried that virtue to such an ex.
tent that it is impossible for their successors
to improve upon them. When we saw. how.
ever, that they have preserved unimpaired
the whole soti1ed character of fbo;r ,.-