, 1863-03-26
Never too Old 70 Learn.

Socrates at an extreme age learned 70 play on
musical instruments. This would look ridiculous
iSFsomsold Asa'inoardAy but 6Oesatss learned
to play for the purpose Of resisting the wear and
tear Of old age. i-..Is Is .a.a.
Cato, y eighty year. Of ugs; thought proper 70
men, Of thirty and forty, have forgotten even the
alphabet Of Q language, the knowledge Of which
was necessary to enter college, and which made Q
daily exercise through college. u 4. .f,..f 4.
PlutaFch, when between seventyand eighty, com
menced the study Of Latin. Many Of our young
lawyers, il told that q knowledge Of Latin would
make them appear little more fespectablein their
professions. will reply that they are too old 70 think
Of learning Latin.
BOCcacciO was thirty.ave years Of age when be
copmenced his studies in polite literature. Yet
be became one Of the three great masters Of the
Tuscan dialect; Dante and Petrarch being the
other two. There are many among us, ten years
younger thah BOccaccio, who are dying Of 0nnui,
and regret that they were not educated TO taste
for literature; but now they are too old. .,.,
Sir Henry Spelman neglected the sciences in his
youth, but commenced the study Of them when be
was between 6fty and sixty years Of age. After
this time he became most learned antiquarian
and lawyer. Our young men begin To think Of
laying their seniors on the shelf when they have
reached sixty years Of age. How different the
present estimate put upon experience from that
which characterized certain period Of the Gre
clan republic. when man Was not allowed 10 open
bis mouth, In cancusss Of political meetings, who
was under forty years Of agei as'lg ,s-s
Colbert, the famous French Minister, at sixty
years Of age returned to his Latin and law studies
How many Of our collegelearnt men have ever
looked into their studies since their gFadaatiOnl
LndOvico, at the great age Of us, wrote the
memoirs Of bis own times. A singular exeFtiOn,
noticed BY voltaire, who was himself one Of the
most remarkable instances Of the progress Of age
10 new studies. pas - s-A''f llll Z
Ogilby, the translator Of Homer and Virgil,
was unacquainted with Latin and Greek tin be was
past 80.
Franklin did not fuzzy commence bis philosophi-
cal pursuits I'm he had reached his ftieth year.
Ace0Fso, great lawyer, being asked why ho
commenced the study Of law 50 late, answered that
indeed he began Il late, but he should therefore
master Il the sooner. This agrees with the theory
that healthy old age gives man the power Of 40
complaining difficult study In much les time than
would be necessary 70 one Of half his years. .sJ
Dryden, in his sixtyeighth year, commenced the
translation Of the HAD and bis most pleasing pro-
ductiOns were written In bis old age. Il fsaT5
Weconld 60 on and cite thousands Of examples
Of men who commenced q new study and struck
out for On entirely new pursuit, either for hvelL
hood or amusement, at On advanced age. But
every one familiar with the biography Of distin-
guished men will Fecoect individual cases enough
TO convince him that none but the sick and indo-
lent win ever say ! am too old to study"
-H --ii
A lazy boy makes lazy man, just O. sure o. q