The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1862-06-25
Growing Old.

Henry Ward Beecher recently uttered the
following reflections, which expresses the expe-
rience Of many Who have passed the "turrins
point Of life:
There is period at which men come to be
strangely impressed With the thought II an
gro~ing old" | suppose there is q year or tee
in which all have the feeling. (it may no, be q
painful one, but il is a sad one it is . tender.
minor feeling. IL have passed nv youth;
am never TO be a boy again l Am never TO be
young any more; not only an l nan, but as
q man have signs and tokens OF the failure OF
some parts OF nv organization.
IL is said OF athletes, boxers asd wrestlers.
that they have a second breath. After they
have gone through whs, nav be said be their
first srrength, there il rallying Of the system
and ther they are said 10 have come TO their
second breath, When thet are on their second
breath they hold out great while. So it is
With our thoughts in respect TO growing old
We have sad feeling 10 get over which ariscs
from the concioasness that We are becomin Z
aged, but SIT r men have got over that feeling
they never feel old though they are eighty
years OF age. They come TO their second breath
in that regard. Nov, do YOU begin 20 have q
co1ciousness that you are falling? do you 6ad
that yoGr feet are heavier than they used to be
Are there not persons here that have had some
difficulty about the ear? Have you never
thongh, ths; people did not pronounce their
words as plainly as you were taught to pronounce
yours in the school that you attended, Does i,
not seem 10 you that the spectacle makers are
growing slacks Are there no times when you
feel that the shadow is turneds All day long
the sun goes up, and up till at last it stands q,
fusn MONDAY and then, when it slsnts even
one degree, you see that the shadow creeps down
I'll.
ii goes down. There are many OF you thai
have seen the shadow run on the wrong side
and it is growing longer and longer Your sur
is going down toward the western horizon
II man has been accustomed to think OF hii
life mainly As centered or fixed here, it il no,
possible that be should not feel sadness at the
indications of decsying powers, Of limited &C
complshments Of being compelled to lay dowr
his part of the duties Of active life. But If hs
feels that these things are working out for hin
"a Ear more eternal weight OF glory in the lii,
that is 10 come, he can look upon them viii
conposure, if not with cheerfUlness.
We do not know what mountains. rich viii
gold worth until ws hevn tn die and 81,
more We dig, the more We become Impressed o
| i,s great value. 50 long the gold is covare,
up and locked in the hard quartz. it is worthless
| IL s by blasting. by rending, by destroying. tha
!
ceable. Now We carry in Us that which is NOR
precious than the ore, TO obtain what We blas
aud rend and DESTROY the rock 1t is just thi
that the apostle tbiuk. of when he says, "W
have this treasure in esrthen vessels" We ar
like casket made Of earth, inside OF which
prcciousuess, it may be OF ointment or jewels, o
| something else The real value consists in ths
which the ca-ket contains. This body may b
shattered, the casket NAV be destroyed, aud We
all that il valuable may remain.
Who cares. then, whether the hair be whit
or black? Who cares whether the eye be fat
sighted or uearsighted? Who cares whethe
the hearing be poor or good? Who cares whs
becomes of the senses? This is not my Who'll
life. This body is not my only heritage. l g
to that fright land where the immortal pa
shines up and on for ever and ever. And tn
consideration takes away the sadness occasione
bv the conciousness of the failure Of the earth
faculties