Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1876-02-17
Collapsed Hen and Women.

What apity that, with advancing yeal. >,
life SO oflen loses its xest and freshness
As the dew Of youth exhales, away goes
the bounding Joy and the young cnthu-
si:sm, and the path grows dry and dusty.
As when the brook in midsummer sinks
among the sedges, no more tho silvery
glee and bubbling laughter of girlhood
and boyhood, the shine and sparkle of the
merry eye gone out, the spirits dull and
tagging, existence tapering down, in
stead OF the more Astounding life. The
fAcial lines grow hard, the lips are set,
the motions nervous, hurried, Poor Rich.
ards maxims written out large on the
whole demeanor, the Dutchman's motto:
May pc ii you have no pisness here,
etc." placarded on every tone and &C.
ton. And when the days cares on the
street or farm are finished, the leaden,
moping, silent atmosphere which the faith
er OF the family creates, when he bangs to
the door and hangs up his hat, and shoves
his toes, with . gruff thank YOU" into
his slippers, and buries his nose In his
newspaper. Ii not exactly cantahkerous,
yet moody, soggy, bunchy, irresponsible,
like fowl IN molting time, Alas! for
old age when collapse begins In middle
life. II is like crossing the Alps in octo-
Der the wrong way, going from Italian
vineyards into Switzer snow drifts.
IL need not. ought not so to be. Life il
indeed battle, responsibilities multiply,
work presses on every true man and
woman, and hard work, too; but Ii need
not take out Of life its keenness and Its
relish. nor need that dull, mali gnant devil,
care, dog us all the way, to whip us on
like horses in . trcadmill. The hardest
workers and the best are they who set their
anvil blows TO songs. Collapse never
comes legitimately from the piing up OF
work, responsibility or care, but from
working from low aims, ignoble motives,
ffctfui dispositions, depressed faculties,
and but one set OF faculties, I'M
relieved, untouched by finer issues.
There is but one room TO live in, and that
the dingy work-room of the basement
The upper floors, with nobler prospects,
fitted up by the great builder who designed
MAN for his own temple, are all locked up
and the shutters closed The best facul.
ties have been unused, the inner and
deeper sources OF strength and Joy have
never been discovered The man OF tho
woman has learned how to make money or
10 keep house In the same unvarying rou.
tine OF daily treadmill work, but never
learned how to read to think, TO observe,
TO love- TO store the various apartments OF
the soul with precious things, to be rich In
good works. But, instead, personal talk
10 feed the craving after knowledge, fri
volity and mental incidence. tor reading
whist, for conversation, gossip, and worst
of all and nearest 10 collapse, moral indo.
lence, the utter narrowness and seltishness
OF the life that by saving itself Is sure to
lose itself ... . .-.r-.- ..
The late Rev. f. H. Sears, In one OF his
discourses entitled Everlasting Youth"
suggests, among others, two simple con-
diiions Of keeping advancing life elastic,
fresh and green; A!teays 10 b. learning
something that lies ou. IF tie routiae Of
daily nork; always 10 be doing somethiag
cut Of and beyond As circle Of pr,rdte and
personal interest. Let us always be learn. |
ing something above our daily work, |
which shall subordinate and gloriiy IT, |
Keep clear OF the ruis. Don't grow into
the machinery of your profession TO be
whirled around as one OF the spokes OF
the driving. wheel. And, above all, don't
live 10 yourself, so as while alive to die
spiritually, and become q withered limb
OF society, good for nothing but to be cut
off and burned in the contempt of social
oblivion Springfield (Hass.) Republican.