American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1865-10-11
Old Age in the United States

ig ne following lively but exaggerated
description from the pen of George An
gustus salah has aspice Of truth in it
Our readers, we think, can easily sepa.
rate the wheat from the chaff
The drollest thing is, that when the
american lady comes to be about fifty
years old, she gets over her leanncss and
her pialnness, and suddenly becomes
young again. The population of Broad
way seems to be composed (apart from
the middle aged ladies, who are as rule
heart-rending in appearance) of pretty
young ladies ofsixteen, and pretty young
ladies of sixty No, sir, have not trim
pea IN my speech; Irepeat, young ladies
OF sixty. A juvenile grandmother is
anything bat a rarety here gushing
young things of three score are not un.
common; and | have ventured to cast
more than one hambly tender glance at a
damsel OF seventy. You very seldom
meet with an old man in society The
men work, fret, smoke, speculate, chew,
or drink themselves to death at compar-
a'ively early age Nor are old men very
popular in the States; they are passed
by as 'played out" have heard more
than one lawgiver and statesman called
worn out cuss." 1t was an unfaiiing
|
topic OF sarcasm against the Hon. Ed.
ward Everett that he was so very old
and George Bancroft, the illustrious his
torian Of the United States-a writer
who combines the accuracy of an Alison
with the research of a Piunock, the CO.
piousness of a Grimshaw with the Vi
yacity of Peter Parley--is usually spo-
ken of By the irreyerent young men of
Gotham as "old Fuss and Feathers. -
The truth is that American men have
little reverence for age among their own
sex, Strong, active, energetic, unscrupu-
lous, noisy, pushing men, they admire
and almost deify butage generally brings
with it wisdom, experience, calmness,
judgement, depreciation of wild enthusi-
asm, dislike to rash innovation. These
qualities are not to the taste of Young
America. They are not go-ahead. They
do not go Tar towards making up the
beau-ldeal OF translantic humanity: " A
real live man, Sir, p | have heard
OF venerable partners in mercantile firms
being superseded and pushed off their
stools, as obsolete and incompetent by
their Juniors; and an Ameriean-mind,
an American, not an English friend
\ once, told me that he saw over store
front in jersey City this announcement
u" Tompkins Il Father Therein lay
mine of philosophy. Tompkins the eld-
or was evidently "played out !" he was
cuss' and of ''no account" and !" very
small potatoes" He was permitted Just
for chariy's sake, to continue in the bu-
siness, mind the shop, dust the counter,
and sec the shutters put up b. the black
| porter but the real live man in the con-
cern wus young Tompkins, who, despising
and disparaging his antiquidated progen-
itor was making rapid strides, no doubt
towards running for Congress, taking the
presidency of a petroleum company, aud
putting himself in nomination for the
highest Offices in the State-say the sec
retaryship Of the treasury, the postermas-
tership of Communipaw, or the light
house. kecpship Of Cape Knob.
An old american gentleman, when
you do meet him, which is but rarely, is
generally a most delightful companion
very bcnignan, very tolerant, very free
from prejudice, and usually strong
friend to England. The old American
lady, whom, fortunately, you often meet,
is the most charming person it is possible
to conceive. See her in Broadway !;
handsomely, but warmly and sensibly
clad; smiling and nodding and joking !;
witk her wrinkled but rosy little face in
guise something between waxen peach
and a well-preserved pipin; with the
incest set Of artificial teeth that Doctor
Zachary could carve from a rhinoeeros'
tusk; and her own hair disposed in snowy
silvory lunches on either Of her temples.
/
Spring Brook, the splendid mane
sion Of Geo. III. Stuart near Phila-
delphia, was sold at auction yesterday
! to Edwin Forrest, the actor for S7o,-
1000.
Hon. Ezra Cornell was yester-
day unanimously nominated by the
Union Convention as State Senator
from the 0swego {21st) District.
The Provost Marshal General IS
Office at St. Louis is closed, and all
its documents and archives have been
packed up for transportation to Wash.