The Cecil Whig., 1882-06-03
ILLUSIONS OF OLD AGE.
BY BISHOP CLARK. OF RHODE ISLAND.

1t is melancholy thing for man to
outlive himself, and to keep on breath
ing and talking and walking about among
his fellows after his mental powers are
gone. The more sturdy and vigorous he
was in his prime the sadder is the sight
when lie sinks into his dotage. There is
something very impressive in the ruins
of a splendid palace and in the wreck of
a mighty ship, and in the breaking down
of strong man. The wooden shanty
may fall, the frail skif' go to pieces on the
rocks, the man of inferior parts pass into
second childhood without awakening in
us any special emotion, but when one
who has stood among his companions as
a giant begins = to die at the top" and
the mouth that spoke such mighty words
begins to drivel, and the reason that
shone SO clear begins to be clouded, and
he who once ruled must be led about
like child, it is sadder to look upon
than death.
This, however, is not the subject of
which | intended to write. | have few
words to say in regard to those illusions
which are in measure common to old age,
and are shared by those who have retained
in good degree their mental as we'll as
their physical powers. Here and there
we may find an exception. There are
people who never seem to grow old. They
are as buoyant at eighty as they were at
thirty; as clear-sighted and free from
illusions: just as ready to enter upon new
projects and entertain new ideas. They
keep on working and thinking, and read
ing and talking to the very end, and then
fall with all their armor on. John q.
Adams was man of this sort, and on
the other side of the water Lord Chan
cellor Lyndhurst and Lord Brougham
keep the light burning brightly until the
last inch of the candle was consumed.
But this is not the general rule. With
most people, after a certain term of years
is accomplished, the spring of the mind
becomes weakened, and all the faculties
move sluggishly.
Old people are apt to imagine that
every thing in the world is retrograding;
that there are comparatively few men of
real talent coming upon the stage; that
the race of statesmen has about died out
that the preachers have fallen off very
much in their sermons; that the general
standard of character is lower than it
was, and the tone of religious feeling
less fervent and true; that social vices of
all sorts are more rampant than ever;
that men and women are more extrava-
giant and fond of display; that the style
of manners as well as mortals has dete-
riorated: that there is not the same rev.
erence for wisdom and authority, and
more particularly general falling off in
the respect paid to the aged.
Old people are also apt to complain of
the innovations which they see going on
around them; the new way of doing
things, the new ideas that are preached,
the new habits of thought, the manifold
contrivances and inventions, which, in
their view, indicate a restless. discon-
tented spirit that is not satisfied to walk
in the old paths, simply because they are
old. They forget that there can be no
improvement without innovation, and
they also forget how many new things
they have accepted with gadness in the
course of their lives.
Some old people are not willing to be
regarded as old, and they tlatter them
selves with the illusion that "they do
not show their age" and that there is
nothing in their appearance to indicate
that they have more than filled up their
three-score years and ten. They tell you
that they are conscious of no decay either
of body or mind, that they can do as
much work as ever, and endure as much
fatigue. There is no harm in trying to
keep young as long as we can. if we do
not resort to artificial aids for keeping up
the appearance of youth; and it is never
in good taste to re mind a person of adj
vanced years, who aspires after perpetual
youth, that the crows s-feet under his
eyes, and the scattered locks over his
ears, and the little bend in his back, and