St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1875-09-17
The Old Folks.

The following from an article in the
Near York Tribune on '-Old folks is too
true. and contains suggestions. the adop-
ton of which 10y the Young people would
make many an old heart Young again.
The "old man on the farm watches
Bob come dow, in hi. Sunday in"rN
and set of across the fields in the late
sunset To The lI,.lic. OF to take Dolly to
singing school and is content to >nnkc
his pipe and 90 off to bed before the
sun is fairly down. When the smart
Young women in the quiet back streets
of inland towns put on their cvcmIu"
muslin and tie pink rihonS IN their haIr
and sit down to play watIcs on the
rattling new piano until .'tlr hcauN'
come. their father and mother hurry
ont OF the paIlor. and Stitlc III the ~Itfy
little dining room until bedtime. 1t
never occurs to them or to their daugh
tiers that the best room and the cheer
fumrSs and light and glNrty should not
belong to Ia the Young people is Il mat .
ter of course. They 'havc had their
turn" is the argument which settles the
Whole matter.
What WAS it they had their turn of I!
Love. pleasure. some daily hIightcnIm"
of the dull mechanical round of duty :,
l. the old man dead now to all these !!
Did his heart harden and grow callou>
a> his hair whitehead and his cNc>ight
failed Is not his feeling more tender
the sense of loneliness more profound.
the ycarning for companinmship stronger
with every year thai PASSES? Try him
with little sympathy the experiment
is Il curious one. and Iarcr than Won
think. Take him into Your confidence
some day, instead of the da>hing Young
fellow whom Nou met last week and
recognized a> a cungcnial soul. Share
the fun with him some time. the Joke
the little scheme which YOU think 50
important. Test the question whether
this queer work -a-day old gentleman
whom you are ashamed to remember
Nuu know be> bv his oddities and differ
ences from yourself. although he gave
you life and all that has sustained life
and made you the Admirable Crichton
that You are. has really any human
nature akin to Your own in the finer and
SWeeter sense.
1t really seems as if there might he
some vein of sympathy between the
Young man and the old. even on such
matters as amusement and love-makinw
provided one knew what Witcl-haZ,l
rod to list To find it. Old StorrS. who
comes back to the shop every Monday
and leaves Phil to dance and tlirt with
the girls. or who sends the Young fellow
To Europe for year is regarded 10y that
gallant youth simply as a banker. In
deed. he talks of him sometimes us ..mv
cXchequer." When Phil WAS Il baby
StorrS began that system of strict per
>onal economy and rigid devotion to
business. for which the Younger man
now brands him as of lower nature than
his own. 1t WAS all done for Phil. He
had the money laid 10y for that Journey
to France and Rome which he and his
wife had planned 81 long: it went into
Il life Insurance for Phil'> benefit: the
old people will die without seeing the
countries of which the boy talks 81
ghblN-talkS III fact to others. for he
has the notion that it would he throw
ing pearls before Il very inferior sort of
animal To speak of art to them. So the
old man stands i'll the doorway and
looks i'll at this man-child he has given
TO the world. and feels that he has no
part III HIM, except one akin to that oi
his caterer or tailor. Old Storr>' story
is repeated Il million times. in all class
e. and ranks. When Bob at the farm
goes counting he knows we'll enough that
the snug little sum on which he caI
marry was saved 10y that old coupl,
browsing over the fire by hard Labor
and ceaseles> >elf-denials for long years