The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1878-11-07
RREEF BlOGEeAPHY OF METHU-
SELAH.

! kf fAk OE' NA
SELAH.
| What tremendous boyhood old
Methuselah hadl He died at the rath.
er advanced age of 96O years, about
| 900 years more than mans span of life
at that rate, when he was 200 years
old he about equa!ed an ordinary lac
of Is. He was 80 or 40 before his
parents bought him a rattle 10 play
with, and he didn't have the measles
and other infantiIe diseases until he
was over 100. He was in no sort @.
hurry about these things, as he had so
far to go. We imagine that he was
rather 8 delicate child to begin with,
great age. We can imagine his moth
er's anxiety with regard to his delicate
constitution, telling Mr.. Brown across
the way, on his Goth birthday, that she
was afraid she "never would be able
to raise that child" Generations of
men lived and passed away while he
w fSS ih bOetiSoatSS ahSt
he was almost centensrlan before he
got into his first boots. His father
used to lick him when he was hun
dred and fifty for robbinga neighbor's
watermelon patch,
Young Methuselah was probably
in the vicinity of 100 years old when
he was first sent to school. We can
imagine him sitting on the low bench,
learning his a-b-abs, among the great
great-grandchildren of people who be-
gan life when he did. He was mis-
chievous, of course-all boys are, no
matter what their age Owe experience
mild friskiness ourself occasionally,
and had to be punished for it.
g William Henry Methuselah. stand
up!' says the teacher, catching him In
the very act of placing bent pin in a
seat where schoolmate was about to
sit down. what do you mean by such
conduct as this? p
Young Methuselah begins to sni fl e
and wipe his eyes with the corner of
his jacket.
sOne would think continues the
teacher, sternly. that you wasn't over
Is or so years old by the way you be-
have. Instead of that you have al
ready celebrated your first centennial
almost young man in fact. You
ought to be ashamed of YOURSELF
Then Methuselah is condemned, as
an expiaticn. to sit among the girls
until recess, and if you think that is not
an agreeable form of punishment you
will have to ask some one older than
Methuselah.
Whenever circus came to town.
with children half-price' on its bills
young Methuselah must have expert.
enced difficulty in making the ticket
seller understand that he was entitled
| TO go in on d haif-price ticket, particu
larly after he got along towards hi!
two hundredth year. But he proba
bly, did it. Boys are enterprising an6
persistent where circus is concerned
And we will bet that Methuselah, iI
his younger dsys, could accumulate a!
much old iron as the next boy. and lay
it by for the coming show.
When this youngster got into hi!
teens-say from 200 to 300 years old
he probably did as other young gen
tlemen of tender age do, went around
with the girls. 1t must have been s
little embarrassing to him, after beau
ing Young lady about spell-takins
her to concerts. parties, balls, etc.-tt
discover that she was great great
great -great-grandchild of some ole
friend of his fathers. but these thing,
were inevitable under the peculiar ant
exceptional character of the circum
stances. They could hardly be other
wise. There is no record to show tina
anv woman lived IN his time TO an ag,
that would begin TO compare with his
And If there had, the world would
never have known it. AT least no
from her. She wouldn't haye &C
knowledged to anything over 40 hat
she lived 10 twice the age OF Methu
selah. That is the kind of hair-p pin .
| woman is,
Employing the proportion of 81 t.
| 10 to Metnuselah's years, we find tha
he was a minor until ne was 270 year!
old. If. the laws regarding minors
were enforced in his day, young Me
thuselah must have been run out o
billiard-rooms and shut out from bar
for over two centuries. And what ;
sensation must have been created
when he stepped up to deposit hi
first vote. OF course lie voted for al
the Presidents, from Washington
(whoIn he remembers shaking hand
| with) down. All old men did that
And when he got to be along i'll year.
say 800 Or such matter, he could 81
and tell the boys about the hard win
ter Of '32, and the panic of '37, and ths
| flood of 80, and the hard cider earn
paign of 40, and all that sort of thing
| This is all we have TO write at presen
of Methuselah, the original oldest in
hsbitant. '[-Cincinnati Saturday Night
OE WHAT rs SALT & XNIBOL.
OF fidelity. A man who has par
taken OF salt with you is bound to yot
by the laws of hospitality, and thu:
bread and salt are eaten at the ratifica
ton OF bargain or treaty, to make il
binding on all parties. Salt is also al
en- btcm OF desolation, conquered cit
les were sown with salt. In Scotland
and Ireland SAL appears to have beer
considered to represent the incorrupt