The Indianapolis daily herald., 1865-11-03


often wish that Shakespeare had not put that
speech picture OF life into the mouth of Jacques
Jacques was a melancholy man, and took a mel
ancholy view OF things. II he bad lot been
misanthrope baby might have presented itself
10 his mind chuckling and Growing I'm The
nurses arms, and not as muling and pukng Ia
like manner he might have drawn pleasant
picture of green and happy old age, instead OF
insisting 40 mneh on leanness aud slippers and
shrunken shsnkk The seven ages, as Jacques
dapicts them, may be in accordance with a GER
lain rule OF life; but, for my part. have met
with very mary beautiful exceptions, and love
10 dwell upon them. II has been my good for
tune to know many old men, who, after the toll
and strife of life, retained all the original inno-
cenee and simplicity Of their earliest childhood
| have seen them-and can see them now-sit-
ting in their easy chairs, their gums az limo.
cent vi teeth and their heads a. innocent OF
hair az when they lay in their mothers laps-sit-
ting there hiding the Lords good time pa
tenty and cheerfully. while sons and daughters
and gTandsons and granddaug ghters hoyered about
them, and pstted them and smoolhed their pill.
lows aud spoke 10 them In those simple words
which seem as we'll adapted 20 the old man 10
the Child. There is purifying Influence 10 old
age. which We all recognize. We may know
that the Old man has led wicked life but when
old age comes upon him. wrnkling his brow,
blsnching his hair. and bowing him 20 the earth.
it seems as il be had been redeemed and purified
by time | can understand why the palIiarchs
pray ed so lerventy and so earnestly lor ene,h OF
days; prayed for life until the passions aud van-
ties OF human nature should have passed over
like cloud. leaving the heart TO beat its last
throb On the peaceful shore ot eternity Ii al
ways seems TO me that a! forescore man is
neither in this world nor ia the next, but that he
IS IN position between the two. aud can look
calmly upon both
! think il must be pleasant 20 sit upon tue last
shore thus and wait for the boat. not impatient
for, neither dreadns its coming, pleasant to hear
the splash OF the oars and the distant song of the
rowers as they come 10 bear you away TO that
golden land where youth is eternal. should
find il difficult 70 talk OF old grandfathers other
wse than in this strain, Tor have never known
an old grandfather who, whatever his previous.
life, did not wear All aspec; OF innocence Age
is not altogether unkiud While il withers the
beauty il also expunges the traces OF the evil pas
sions. The film that comes over the eye Is
veil TO hlde the glare OF anger: the wrinkle that
score the brow are strokes Of times pen design
ed to oblitera,e the irown and the scowl that
Passion has written there 80 boldly. can re-
call many grandfathers who were practical tes-
timony to the soundness Of the theory which |
have just broached with regard 10 the purifying
influence OF age i remember one, a little feeble,
CHEEKY, merry hearted old fellyw. who had been
4 terrible Turk in bis young days. He had been
passionate. imperious, violent. a constant source
OF trouble to bis wife. and terror TO his child
rem When he became an old grandfather he
transferred into the most docile creature i'm
aginable HIS own little grandchildren coue
rule him and make him do Just as they liked.
do you remember, grandfather" /" one of them
would say. when you used TO give II to your
boys all round with the horsewhpl' mo, no.
my dear" be would snswer, 81 hope never did
that" "0h, but you did. grandfather, and grand
mother says you used to get drunk and break the
chimney ornaments I" "0h, fe, 6c, no, my dear"
says the old man. "it couldn't have been me, It
must have been somebody else" And granny
strikes In and sfirms that he did the deed, com.
pletely smashing two china shepherdesses. that
had been In the family for a century Which re.
ation sends the old man into fii OF laughter 20
hearty and good humored that you cannot son.
ceiye he could ever have been capable OF the yio-
lent conduct imputed TO him dare say he can
scarcely believe IL himself now. whom age has
cast the devil out OF him.-All the Year Round