Litchfield enquirer., 1855-12-06
NEVER roo LATE TO LEARN.

The following well authenticated facts
will illustrate the principle that man il
never too old TO learn:
Secra,es. at an extreme old age, learned
to play on musical instruments, This
would look ridiculous for some of the rich
Old men In our city, especially if they
| should take II into their heads 10 thrum a
guitar under a lady's window, which Soc.
rates did not do, but only learned upon
some instrument of his time, no, guitar,
Tor the purpose Of resting the wear and teal
Of old age
Cato. at eighty years Of age thought pro.
per to learn the Greek language. Many Of
our young men at thirty and forty have for
gotten even the alphabet Of the language
the knowledge Of which was necessary 10
enter college. and which was daily exer.
cised through The college. fine Comment
upon the love OF letters, truly!
Piutarch, when between seventy and
eighty, commenced the study of Latin
Many OF our young lawyers, not thirty years
oil age. think tina, ms, priusy fera facias, etc.
are English expressions and if you tell
them that knowledge of Latin would
make them appear little more respectable
In their proies sion they would reply that
they are too old TO think of learning Latin.
baccaelo was thirty FIVE years Of age
when he commenced his studies in polite
literature. Yet he became one Of the three
great masters of the Tuscan dialect, Dante
and Pe,rach being the other two.
Sir Henry Spelman neglected the scien-
ces IN his youth, but commenced the study
VI them when he was between fifty and six
~ years of age. After this time he became
he most celebrated antiquarian and lawyer.
Our young men begin to think Of having
their seniors on the shelf. when they have
reached sixty Years Of age. How different
the estimate put upon experience from that
which characterised certain period of the
Grecian republics. v hen a man was not al.
lowed to open his mouth in case of political
meetings, who was under forty years
DIR. Johnson applied himself 10 the Dutch
language but few years before his death.
Most of our merchants aud law yers of TWEEN.
iy-ive, thirty and forty years Of age are
obliged to apply to a ,eache: to translate a
business letter written in the Frehch lam
guage. which might be learned in the tenth
part Of the time required for the study Of
the Ouch; and all because they are too
old to learn.
Ludovice Mouldesco. at the great age of
one hundred and fifteen. wrote the memo.
ries of his own times a singular exertion.
noticed by Voltair who was himself one If
the most remarkable instances of the pro-
gress OF the age in new studies
Ogilhy, the translator Of II omer and Vir-
gil, vas unacQuainted with Latin and Greek
until he was passed fifty.
franklin did not fully comprehend his
philosophical pursuits till he had reached
his 6ttrth year How many among US Of
thirty. forty and fifty who read nothing but
newspapers. for The want Of taste for nat
ural philosophy But they are too old TO
learn.
Accorso. great lawyer. being asked why
he began the study Of law so late answered
that indeed he began the study Of law late,
but that he should. therefore. master it
quicker. This agrees with our theory, that
healthy old age gives man the power Of
accomplishing difficult study in mach less
tune than would be necessary to one half of
his year.
Colbert the famous French Minister at
sixty years Of age. returned to his Latin and
Law studies. How many Of our college.
learned men have not looked into their cias-
sizes since their graduation.
We could go and cite thousands Of ex-
amples Of men who commenced a new stu
ty and struck out into an entirely new pur-
suit, either for a livelihood or amusement
at an advanced age. Blu, every one famil-
lar with biography of distinguished men
will recollect individual cases enough to
convince him tina, none but the sick and in
dolent will say, am too old to learn.