Brownlow's Knoxville Whig, and rebel ventilator. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1863-1866, 1865-09-27
Old Age in the United States.

The following lively but exaggerated description
from the pen Of George Augustus sala has spice
of truth in it, Our readers, we think can easily sep
arste the wheat from the chaff:
The drollest thing is, that when the American
lady TO be about fifty years old she gets over
herleanness and her painness and suddenly becomes
young again. The population Of Broadway seems
to be composed (apart from the midde-aged ladies
who are as a rule heart-rending in appearancel of
pretty young ladies of sixteen, and pretty young la
dies OF sixty. No, sir, l have not tripped in my
speech repeat young ladies Of sixty. 4 juvenile
grandmother is anything but rarely here; gushing
young things of threescore are not uncommon and
| have ventured TO cast more than one humbly ten
der glance at damsel Of seventy. You. very sell
dom meet with an old man IN society. The men
work, fret smoke, speculate, chew, or drink them
selves to death at a comparatively early age. Nor
are old men very popular in the States: they are
passed by, a. "played-out. | have heard more than
one lawgiver and statesman called "worn-out
cuss It was an unfailing topic of sarcasm against
the Hon. Edward Everett that he was SO very old:
and George Bancroft the llustrieus historian of the
United States-a writer who combines the accuracy
of an Alison with the research Of q Pinnock. the
cOpiou5ness of Grimshaw with the vivacity of
Peter Parley-is usually spoken Of by the irrever-
ent young men of Gotham as . old Fuss and Feath-
ers.' The truth is that American men have little
reverence for age among their own sex. Strong
atGlfc euSISeLCJ unSCTupuIOIS' uOlSy, pushing
men, they admire and almost defy; but age gener-
ally brings with it wisdom, experience, calmness
Judgment depreciation of wild enthusiasm dislike to
rash innovation These qualities not to the taste
of Young America. They are not go-ahead. They
do not 60 far towards making up the beau-ideal Of
transatlantic humanity: "A real live man, Sir
- l have heard of venerable partners in mer-
camille firms being superseded and pushed off their
stools, as obsolete and incompetent by their juniors
and an American-mind, an American, not an
English-friend once told me that he saw over a
store-frOnt in Jersey City this announcement
"Tompkins and Father" Therein lay mine of
philosophy Tompkins the elder was evidently
"played-Out; he was "cuss, and of no account
and very small potatoes" He was permitted Just
for charitys sake TO continue in the business mind
the shop dust the counter, and see the shutters put
up by the black porter but the real live man in the
concern was young Tompkins, who, despising and
disparaging his antiquated progenitor, was making
rapid strides no doubt, towards running for Con-
gress taking the presidency of petroleum company,
and putting himself in nomination for the highest
Offices in the State-say the secretaryship of the
treasury, the postermastership of Communipaw or
the lighthouse-keepership of Cape Knob.
An old American gentleman, when you do meet
him, which is but rarely, generally most delight
full companion-very benignant, very tolerant very
free from prejudice, and usually strong friend to
England. The old American lady, whom, fortu-
nately, you very often meet, is the most charming
person it is possible to conceive See her in Broad
way; handsomely, but warmly and sensibly clad
smiling and nodding and joking; with her wrinkled
but rosy little face; in guise something between
waxen peach and well-preserved pippin with the
incest set of artificial teeth that Doctor Zachary
could carve from a rhinoceros tusk; and her own
hair disposed in snowy slvery punches on either side
of her temples