Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1865-10-26
GrandEafhers and GrandInoth.
erS.

Grandfafhers and GrandInOth.
ers.
To my thinking, the most interesting pc
RODS Of human life, are the two extremes
infancy and old age. There is nothing on
earth, so pure, so beautiful so innocent, so
kissable as a bright-eyed, laughing, dimpled
baby; nothing except very old man, sans
eyes, sans teeth, sans taste, sans everything
but sound conscience and good heart.
I often wish that Shakspeare had not put
that speech-picture of life into the mouth of
Jacques. Jacques was melancholy man,
aud took melancholy view Of things. If
he had not been a misanthrope, baby
might have presented itself in his mind as
chuckling and growing in it's nurses arms,
instead ofmewling and puking. In like man
ner he might have drawn pleasant picture
of green ana happy old age, instead of in
sisting go much upon leanness and slippers
and shrunken shanks. The seven ages, as
Jacques depicts them, may be in accordance
with certain rule Of life; but, for my part
have met with many beautiful exception,
and love to dwell on them. 1t has been
my good fortune to know many old men,
who, after the toll and strife of life, re-
tanned all the innocence and simplicity of
their early childhood. / have seen them
and l can sec them now-sitting in their
easy chairs, their gums as innocent of teeth
and their heads as innocent of hair as when
they lay in their mothers laps-sitting there
biding the Lords good time patiently and
cheerfully, while sons and daughters and
grandsons and granddaughters lowered
about them and patted them and smoothed
their pillows, and spoke to them in those
81 1fnhe oil do faH 10
the old man as to the child. There Is puri-
flying influence in old age which we all re-
cognize. Ne know that the old man has led
a sinful life, but when old age comes upon
him, wrinkling his brow, blanching his hair
and bowling him to the earth, it seems as if
he had been purified by time. | can under
stand why the patrarchs prayed so fire.
sauently and earnestly for length of days;
prayed for life until the passions and tho
vaniries of human nature should have raised
over like cloud, leaving the heart to beat
its last throb on the peaceful shore of eter-
nifty. 1t always seems to me that at four
score a man is neither in this world nor the
next but that he is in a position between the
two, and can look calmly upon both
wonder if | en- light in my impression
shat very old men are generally cheerful. l
aope am FOR love to think so. 1t is
pleasant to believe that human nature can
work cut its own publication on earth, and
return to its original innocence, with only
such sins on Its head as it cannot help, and
is not accountable for. Right or wrong it is
the impression that most of us have of per-
sons in extreme old age. We fondle them
as we fondle children, we talk to them as we
lead them about by the hand as their parents
talked TO them when they we're first learning
to walk. They need help and care now just
as they needed them then. There is grand
father sitting in his chair by the fire, seeing
things dimly, hearing things vaguely, as he
saw and heard from his mothers knee, And
as we sit by and talk OF him as if he did not
hear US and understand what we say.
'toor old grandfather" we say, looking to-
wards him. she is failing very much He
can't see TO read now, even with his specs
and that is a great deprivation to him. But
: he is cheerful for al that. Amt you, grand
father dear y
And the dear Old baby knows by the sound
Of your voice and the look you direct toward
him, that You are addressing him. And he
endeavors to -uess your meaning, and says
something in reply, accompanying it with
pleasant chuckle to signify that he is quite
happy.
He drops his handkerchief or his specta-
Scles, just as bapy drops its spoon or its
ivory ring, and you go and pick them up
and put them back into his old hand patting
him on his bald head, and making him com
Portable in his chair. As he sits there numb
ling and gazing with his viewless eyes lrto
the fire, You wonder if that feeble old man
could ever have been the restless, fdgety
madcap schoolhoy, the rdent lover signing
like a furnace, the fierce soldier, bearded like
pard, full of strange oaths, seeking the
bubble reputation at the lannon's mouth !?
Where be his pranks now, where his signs,
his big, loud voice? All these things have
passed away like dream, and in old age,
he awakes again infancy?
/ think 1t must be pleasant to sit on the
shore thus and wait for the boat, not impa-
tient for, neither dreading its coming pleas
ant to hear the plash of the oars and the
distant song of tn 2 rowers, as they come to
bear you away to that golden land where
youth is eternal. l should find it difficult to
talk of old grandfathers otherwise than in
this strain, for have never known an old
grandfather, who, whatever his previous life,
did not wear an aspect of innocence Age
is not altogether unkind While it withers
the beauty, it also expunges the traces of
evil passions. The film that comes over the
eye, is veil to hide the glare of anger; the
wrinkles that score the brow are the strokes
of times pen, designed to obliterate he
frown and the seowl that passion had written
there so boldly. can recall many grand
fathers that were practical testimony to the
soundness of the theory which | have just
preached with regard to the purifying infiu-
enee of age / remember one, little, fee
BILE, merry hearted old fellow, who had been
terrible TX in his young days. He had
been passionate, imperious, violent, con-
slant source of trouble to his wife, and q
terror TO his children. When he became an
old grandfather, he was transformed into
the most docile creature imaginable. His
own little grandchildren could rule him and
make him do just as they liked.
s'Do you remember, grandfather" one Of
them would say, "when you used to give II
TO your boys all round with the horsewhips'
mo, no, my dear" he would answer, q
hope l never did that"
sOh, but you did, grandfather. and grand
mother says you usedto get drunk and break
the chimney ornaments"
.Oh, fe, no my DEAR" says the old man ;
sit couldn't have been me, it must have been
somebody else"
And granny strikes in and afirms that he
did the deed, completely smashing two china