Richland beacon., 1874-11-21
TIE intellectually of Man in
Old Age.

are never SD ID to learn, of whic
we have ..4ndant exempliiicaton
among men in all ages and nations.
Sir Henry Spelman neglected th
sclencess.in his youth, but commence
the study of them when he was be
t tween fifty and sixty years of age
After this time he became mos
learned antiquarian and lawyer
Doccacio was thirty-fve years O
age when be commenced his studio
in polite literature. Yet be becam,
one of the greatest masters Of the Tus
can dialects; Dante and Petrarch be
ing the other two.
Ogilby, the translator Of Homer ant
Virgil, was unacquainted with Latil
and Greek till he was past fifty.
Dryden, in his eixty-eig,h year, com
menced the translation of the Ilad
his most pleasing production.
LudovicO Monaldesco. at the great
age Of one hundred and fifteen, wrote
the memoirs of his own time.
Franklin did not fully commence
his philosophical pursuits till he bad
reached his fflie,h year.
Plutarch, when between seventh
and eighty commenced the study Of
Latin.
Socrates, at an extreme old agd
learned to play on musical instrul
ments.
1t is related of ATnauld the Janse
mist, that he wished his friend Nicold
to assist him in n new work. Nicolt|
replied: 1--WE are now old; is it not
time to rest ?" Rest! exclaimed!
Arnauld; have we not all eternity
to rest in ?"
DR.. Samuel Miller says, There is
no do.bt that the premature dotage Of
many distinguished men has arisen
from their ceasing, in advanced life, to
exert their faculties, under the impres
sion that they were too old to engage
in any new enterprise"
When John Adams was ninety
years of age he was asked how he
kept the vigor of his faculties up to
that great age. He replied: by
constantly employing them the mind
of man is like an old horse if you
want t. gct any work out Of it you
must wprb it all the time"
Age rainrally awakens our respect
hence the divine commnnd-Thou
shalt rise up before the hoary head
and honor the face of the old man.
That beautiful command, which is but
a republication Of the law Of nature.
touches cord in every heart, and
stands in harmony with the best feel
ings of nature ar so Greek histo-
rian tells us bou il the pure and
most virtuous days pf :he republic, if
an old man entered The crowded as
sembly, all rIuk- rosc to give room
and place to niul but when old age
is distinguished for its activity in the
pursuit of knowledge or famous for
its high attainments in knowledge,
theitsE ses become household words
.creFed to us by many sweet as
sociSR: R:ns both Of tLought and senti-
ment. Hence, speak.ng in the Ian
guagc o: loving familiarity, we have
Old Sinonides-old Minermus-old
Theognis-old Solon-old Anacr, on
old Sophocles-old Pindar-old Hes
Homer-and old Methuse,ah
What mean we by the word old p
All these men are old in three lights
they lived to raven age-long,
long ago-and we heard tell of them
in our youth. Their glory dawned
on US in a dream of life's golden prime
and far away seems now that dawn,
as if another world beyond million
seas! In the use of that word "old'
far from us is all thought Of dotage or
decay. Old are those great person
ages as the stars Of old heaven
there is in which is seen shining, for
ever young, all the most spiritual "orbs
Of song" How full of cndearmcnt
"old boy !'-"old girl !"-"old Chris
topher !"-"old Maga!" To our SIM
plest sayings age seems to give con-
which youth reverses.
The personages here introduced to
our notice as experts in varied erudi-
lion, are highly favored with the sub
tie aroma Of genius, are finely arrayed
in the beauteous draperies of fiction
and encircled in the pure rays of
thought We have, therefore, in them
presented to view the mental capabil-
tiles of old age as adequate to under
take any enterprise either in literature
or in science; the mental vigor of old
age as adequate to prosecute any stud