Des Arc weekly citizen., 1868-11-17
oar Jos rrin,ing Department,
Retiring from Active I.abour


 contempt I lack upon men that seek [, draw themselves from tho active spher of life. have right te exercise con tempt upon other men, for exercise 1 primarily upon myself. Now and then when am tired, when have worked long and wearily and have had som, experience of the attritions Of mai with man, and have gained some new light respecting the moral condition o imperfect and unsanctified men. I sa, to myself: Well, you have worked more than the ordinary allotted period Of Man's life, and would it not be bet ter for you to withdraw and give place to younger men, and spend in an elc. gant leisure the declining period oi your life r It is a temptation of the devil. And when get rested, when get one sound nights sleep, and my nervous energy is recovered again, and my system is reinvigourated, am amazed st myself; and in the morning fayellate the man that l knew last night.
 Retire from life? I observe that the trees keep all their beauty to .he clos ing periods. How beautiful is the tree when it comes out of winter. and puts on all its delicate tints and shades of green! We then look upon the tree asthough it were new creation, and IL anything so beautiful as these trees ;'' and yet, when summer deepens their hues, and they have become more TO- bust, and we see what vigour and fresh- ness and succulency there is in them. we say: "After all, give me the sum- mer tints. They are far better than the spring delicacies." And yet, when the October days have come and the best part of the tree life for the year is en- acted, and we see the gorgeous yellows. the rich browns. and the magnificent scar-lets, we say: There, the last is the best" And might we not take patron from the trees? Might we not follow up our youth and manhood with fair colours and delicate tints to the end of life?
 do not think a man ought to want to rest in this world. He may desire to achieve the means of setting himself free from physical taxation. He may say: "I will rclinquish, in measure. this, that may transfer my activity to other spheres" That, it is proper for man to do. But for a man to retire from life and society after he has been an active force therein and filled his sphere with usefulness, and seen the fruits of his lsbour multiplied in his hand. and known the satisfaction of welI-spent years--nature itself rebukes it.
 But many a man, at tho age of forty five or fifty years. says to himself: l am worth five hundred thousand dol ] lars, and what feel I am to work any longer! am going to buy me an estate ipythe country, and be gentle man." He buys him an estate, and un- d .rtai es to be a gentleman but man who has nothing to do isno gentleman, He goes into the country. and learns how 10 gape, and learns how to wish he knew what 10 do. He goes into the country in order to take the cars every morning and come to the city every day to see what is going on. And he soon discovers that he has made mis- take. and says: What fool was l thought was unhappy, but l see that Twas not" And he becomes discou- tented, and before two years have gone he sells his country place for fifty per cent. less than he gave and goes back to the city and enters new partnership and says: Il have learned that man had better not give up business so long as he is able to attend to it." He could I think. have learned it without going through tho practice. A man ought not to be obliged to stumble upon every evil of life in order to find it out Something ought to be learned from other peoples blunders. There are enough of them.
 The same is true in regard to aged persons. No mistake, l think, can DC oreater than that which unclasps tht harness and takes off the occupations of men when they come to be old. D' not ever sell your home and go to nv. with your children. Take my advice DO not suffer yourself. ifyou have beer in a primary situation to go mo secondary one. or all things in thi' world. do not, when vou get to De SIX ty years of age. give mp regular occu patton. Do not permit yourself to b' cheated out of it. Hold to your bns ness. That has definite aim. and VII tax vour hope and fear, and VIII ia' responsibilities on you, and you VII he better off for it. Ifany part or li' needs labour, il is the latest. Nothins wears man who has been active siNt' years like nothing to do. It sconr i;te emery. It may polish, but 1t take offthe substance, and will wear thFous' soon. Itis no good fortune to be SC free from industry in the latter year of life. No man should abandon m r,sition and throw off his responsiblii tv. and seek happiness in release ron ac,ivitv and industry. And no ma' .,o,Id believe one word of that poeir, which talks about the rosy bowers O ra,;rement. about elegant leisure, ant about a man standing, in serene o'' age, as the sun on the hof'zoii c"s''n'