The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1873-06-06
HOW TO GROW OLD
From The Springfield Republican

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1t is difficult to evolve out OF
ones own interior consciousness
the fact that he is growing old.
The period of middle life, or ones
prime, is very indefinite. Luckily
it cannot be defined by figures, for
one man is older at forty than an
other at sixty. The mild sugges-
ton that we are getting older than
we were may be facetiously per
mitted, but the plain, unvarnished
statement that we have actually got
there, and are really an "elderly
person." commonly comes home
like shock. 1t is new sensa-
ton, making one feel queerly all
over. 1t would be a nice game
for several old parties to play ut
while the youngsters have adjourn
ed for the german or blind man S
buff, to tell around when and how
it was that they first discovered
that they were old folks. We have
venerable and grizzly looking
friend somewhere about sixty, who
looks ten years older than he is,
but who is fifteen or twenty years
younger than the family Bible rec
ord signifies, who had been preach
ing all day in the pulpit of stran'
ger congregation with venerable
pastor Emeritus sitting behind
him. When the social evening
came, our friend, whose every fiber
tingles with perpetual youth, gay
as q lark and frisky IS a colt, anG
who never dreamed but that his
feelings correspondent with reality
entered most devoutly and rever.
emily into the petitions ola worthy
deacon for s'the aged servant who
had SO long labored in the vine
yard" ("Blessed old man. our
friends heart whispering while his
spectacles were growing misty,
''and who has so faithfully dispens,
ed to us the word, to-day" The
new sensation had arrived. Ii
struck our yenerated friend from
crown to toe like shower bath
Warm chills crept through him
.fCan it be-" he groaned, SIS this
the aged servantF'
It may lessen the shock to note
the symptoms of growing old-we
mean of beginning to grow old.
A silver hair is nothing, nor doz-
en-, nor three dozen, for that may
be hereditary--probably is-but, if
you are an old fogy enough to use
a quill pen, see if You can mend
it satisfactorily without going TO
the window. Examine yourself
candidIy as to whether You spring
over a buggy-wheel exactly as you
did. Don't you hold your paper q
little further off?
Brother Coffin" said Daniel
Webster to the spruce and would.
be Youthful Rhode Island dandy
lawyer, as he was 4stutely straight,
ening himself back at arms-length
over document, "You will have to
get a pair of specs, or a pair OF
longs" We say nothing about
threading needles or new teeth, foI
we would not have our feminine
readers suppose that we are giving
them any impertinent advice on the
subject. But, as a manly accom-
plishment, the knowing how tC
grow old is of great value, and if We
mistake not, somewhat rare. The
beautiful old age that Cicero wrote
i of in his De .Senectute is not behelC
every day. The hoary head /:
crown of glory, is what we reaC
4 about oftener than we see. Their
is an engraved portrait of Thor
waIdsen which might well hans
on every household wall, to shoV
the royal type of beautiful
old age. The mellow Indial
summer ripeness, sweetness ant
brightness of that serene and nobl
face is benediction.
There was an old Hamden coun
yman, who died in Oberlin no
long ago, who knew how II
grow old. At fonr- score he was tn
youngest man in any company; $
E bright, genial, cheerful, hopefu
: even radical, was he. He neye
, croaked nor laAented. He enjoy
2 ed the present hour and expecete
Y good times coming. His eye i
: up every other eye, and his speee
D rang with lofty cheer. His eye