Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-12-21
Biciseer4uss, NotIo61n9 619l OF 7Giraaa4dafaiIIsr4s.

~
I often wish that Shakespeare had not
put that speech-plcsure of life in the mouth
Of JACQUES. iJacques has dao melancholy
view Of THINGS II he had not been a missr
anthrope. baby might have presented it,,
self tn his mind as chucklihk and Growing
in the nurses arms, and not az muling and
puking.ii In like manner ihe;migbt have
drawn a pleasant picture of a green, hap
py old age, instead ofinsisting so much, on
leanness and slippers andshrunken shanks.
The seven ages as jacques depicts them
may be In accordance with certain rulept
life; but, for my part, have met with'many'
very beautiful exceptions, aud Il love TO
dwell upon them,o It has been my sgopdy
fortune to know many old men, who, after
the toll and strife Of life. retained all the
original Innocence and simplicity of their
earliest childhood. b,I,,,. t..,,., ,,,l,,, ,,.,,
l have seen them-and can see them now,
sitting in their easy chairs, their gums as
innocent of teeth, and their heads as inno-
cent Of hair, as when they lay. on their
mothers laps-sitting there biding the
Lords good time patiently and cheerfully,
while sons and daughters and grand-sops
and granddaughter lowered about them,
and patted them, and smoothed their pill
lows, and spoke to them in those simpled
words which seem as well adapted to the
old man as the child. There is purifying
infnehce'in old age which we all recOg-
nize. We may know that the old man has,
led a wicked life, but when old age comes 4
upon him, wrinkling his brow. ,blanching !,
his hair and bowling him TO the earth, 1t
seems as if he had been redeemed and puri!.
| fled by time.
i can understand why the patriarchs
prayed so frequently and earnestly for
length of, days prayed for life. until the
passions and the vanities of human nature
should have passed over like cloud, leav-
ing the heart to beat it's last throb on the
peaceful shores Of eternity. 1t always
seems to me that at four-score a man is
neither in this world or in the next, but
that he Is in position between thetwo, and
can look calmly upon both. 1i U-'9 i'rob
| / think it must be pleasant to sit upon
the last shores thus and wait for the boat
not impatient for, neither dreading its COM
ing-pleasant to hear the splash Ofthe oars
and the distant song of the rowers as they
come to bear you away to that golden lan,l
where youth is eternal. l should find it
difficult to talk of old grandfathers other
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 1t also eXpunges the
traces of the passions. The film that comes
over the eye is veil to hide the glare of
anger; the wrinkles that score the brow are
strokes of times pen designed to obliterate
the trOwn and the scowl that passion has
written there so boldly. can recall lmany
grandtathers who were a practical testi-
mony to the soundness Of the theory which
l have Just br6ached with regard to the
purifying influence of age. 1 Iremember
one, a little, feeble, CHEEKY, merryhearted
old fellow, who had been terrible Turk In
his young days. He had beed passionate.
imperious, violent constant source of
trouble to his wife, and terror to his
children. When he became an old grand
father he was transformed into the most
docile creature imaginable. His own little
grand children couldfrule him and make
him do just as they pleased, l7g .d,ia lItl
do you remember, grandfather" one of
them would say, "when you used to give l.
to your boys all round with the horse
whip?p5 l'i g3Hi, uulrfda4V iaIi.if ra,
mo, no, my dear" he would answer, 81
hope never did that" ..!. ,.,.
""But you did, grandfather, and grand
mother says you used to get drunk, aud
break the chimney Ornaments."iqs1 hnE q
"Oh, fie, tie, no., my DEAR says the old,
man, "it couldn't have been me, it must
have been somebody else." And granny
strikes in and affiFms that he did the deed,
completely smashing two china shepherd
esses that had been in the family for cen-7
tury. Which relation sends the old man
into fit of laughter, so hearty and good
humOred that you cannot conceive he
could ever have been capable of the violent
conduct imputed to him, ~ i dare say, he
can scarcely believe iG himself now, when
age has cast the devil out Of him. .--Alt he
Year ROHnd!5T hns E9ljhnGi od1 jhs q