Northern Ohio journal. [volume] (Painesville, Ohio) 1872-1896, 1873-07-26
GRANDFATHERS,

/ often wish that Shakespeare had not
put that speech-pieture of life into the
mouth of Jacques. jacques was mel
anchoiy, man and took a melancholy
view OF things. If he had not been a
misanthrope q baby might have pre-
sented itself TO his mind as chuckling
and Growing ia the nurses arms, and
fiot as muling and puking. In; lie
manner he might have drawn, a pleasant
picture ofa green and happy old age in
stead of Insisting so much on leanness
and slippers, and shrut.ken shanks.
The seven ages, as Jacques depicts them,
may be in accordance with a certain
rule of life; but, for my part, l have met
with very many beautiful exceptions,
and L love to dwell upon them. 1t has
been my good fortune to know many
oldmen, who, after the toll and stI ife
of life, retained all the original ,inno-
cence and simplicity of their earliest
childhood. 1 have seen then-and can
see 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 cheerful y, while sons and
daughters, and grand-sons and grand
daughters lowered about them, and pat
ted them, and smoothed their pillows,
and spoke to them iii those simple words
which seem SO we'll adapted to the old
man as to the child. There is q, purify
ing influence in old age which We all
recognize. We may know that the old
man has led a wicked life, but when old
age comes upon, him, -Wrinkliag his
brow, .blanching his hair, and bowins
him to the earth, lit seems as if lac had
been redeemed and purified by time
can understand why the patriarchs
prayed SO frequently; aud so earnestly
for length of days; prayed for lite until
the passions and the sYanities Of ofhuman
nature should have passed over like "a
cloud, leaving the heart to beat its last
throb on the peaceful shore of eternity.
1t always seems to me that at foprscore
a man is neither ia this world nor III the
next, but that he is i'm a position between
the two, and can look. calmly upon both
think it must be plea SAINT to sit upon
the last shore thus and wait for the boat
not impatient for. neither dreading its
.coming--pleasant to hear the plash oi
the oars and the distant song of the row
ers as they come to bear you away te
that golden land where youth is eternal
should find it difficult to talk to grand.
fathers otherwise than in this strain.
father, who, whatever his previous life
did not wear an aspect of innocence
Age is not altogether pnkind. Whileii
withers the beauty, it also expunges the
traces of the evil passions. The film
that comes over the eyes is veil to hide
the glare of anger;, the wrinkles; thai
score the brow are strokes Of times pen
designed to obliterate the frown and TIT
scowl that passion, has written there ST
boldly. L can recall many grandfathers
who were practical testimony to tht
soundness of the theory which 7 have
just broached with regard to the purify
ing influence Of age, | remember one
a little, Feeble, cherry, merry-heartet
old fellow, who had been terrible Tarl
in his young days. He had been pas
sionate, imperious, violent, a constan
source of tronble to his wife, and ter
lor to his children. When he became 81
| old grandfather, he was, transforme,
| into the most docife creature imagina
| ble. His own little grandchildren coul'
| liked. ...--
"Do you remember. grandfather,
one OF them would say, sW hen you use
to give it to your boys all around wit
the horsewhip?" GO No, no, my dear,
he would answer, 8. hope / never di
tllat'' "oh, but you did, grandfather
and grandmother says you used TO &c
drunk and break the chimney orna
ments." Oh, fie. fie! no. my dear,
says the old man, ''it coul,-n't t have bee
me, it must have been somebody else.
And granny strikes in and .affirms tn;
he did the deed, completely smashin
away china shepherdesses that had bee
in the family for century. Which n
lation sends the old man into fit {
laughter so hearty and good humore
that you cannot conceive he could eve
have BEEN capable Ethe violent condu,
Imputed to him. ,iare say lie ca
hardly believe it himselfnow, when oil
age has east the devil out OF him.