Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-01-05
Nearing His End.

row that the venerable Peter Cooper.
whose many benefactions in their be-
half have enleared him to the masses
of workingmen and women in this
country, is rapidly failing in general
strength and faculty. On the ninety
second anniversary of his birth. which
was celebrated q few months AGO with
a reception at his residence ON Iexinp-
ton avenue, to which only a few old
friends and relatives were invited. he
was able to attend to his business as
usual, and had that very day spent a
couple of hours at his Office superin
tending affairs, signing leases, etc. He
remarked with smile to all acouaint
ance who questioned him as to the
habits and modes of life that had COM
bined to preserve his physical constitu
ton and mental faculties unimpaired
comparatively at such an advanced age:
IS l always find something to keep me
busy, and to be doing something for
the good of man, or to keep the wheels
in motion, is the best medicine one can
take. 1 run up and down stairs here
almost as easily as l did years ago.
when l never expected that nv term
would run on into the nineties. 1 have
occasional twinge' from the nervous
shock and physical injury sustained
from an explosion that occurred while
L was conducting some experiments
with nitrogen gas years ago. In other
respects my days pass as painlessly as
they did when was boy carrying a
grocer basket about the streets. 1t is
very curious, added the aged phi
lanthropist, muSingly, "but somehow,
though L have none of the pains and
troubles that old men talk about, have
not the same luxury of life-the same
relish in the mere act of living-that
had then. Age is like babyhood come
back again in a certain way. Even the
memories of baby-life come back-the
tricks, the prankS, the boyish dreams,
and things that l did not remember at
forty or nifty years old recolect vivid
ly now. But boy of ninety and boy
OF nine are very different things, none
the less. never felt better in my life,
G cept for twinges occas;oned by nv
nitrogen experiment. said the old
man, as he took the fir ends hand at
parting. But still hear voice call
ing to me, as my mother often did when
L was boy: Peter, Peter, it is about
bedtime and | have an old mans
presentiment that l shall be taken
soon"
If there had been second sight in
the old man'S words he could scarcely
have spoken more prophetically; for,
although extended over several months
and marked by no visible symbols OF
disease, almost from that dav the de-
cline of senility commenced. and dav by
day veil has stolen over his once ale. t
senses. His memory of events has
grown misty. AS he expressed it with
graphic brevity the other day, he seems
to see things in a fog that happened
years ago, and to notice things going ON
around him as if he was dreaming At
times his sight appears to be almost
completely eXtin3u shed, and he peers
into the familiar faces of old friends
with the sad apology: You must ex-
cuse me, but L can't see you His
hearing is equally impaired but a
strange phenomenOn-due probably to
irritation of the auditory nerve-occa-
sionally develops itself. He hears sounds
a great way off, and complains of the
rumbling of vehicles and the confusion
OF voices on Union Square. But this
extraordinary sensitiveneSS only troubles
him occasiOnally-generally at night,
after he lays his head upon his pillow
thus evincing a fact often noticed by
physicians having the care OF nervous
invalids, namely, the extent to which
the vibrations OF sound are transmitted
by the upper stratum of the ground, and
particularly by rocks and paved sur
faces. Save the one darling idea, the
last philanthropic project of his life,
that of adding completely equipped
workshop to the existing educat onal
appliances OF Coorer institute, Mr.
Cooper has parted with all interest in
human affairs, and has ceased active
participant on i'll the management of the
vast and varied interests over which he
exercised such a minute superyis on
only few months ago. His principal
pastime consists in tossing rubber balls,
a basket of which stands in the room
fitted uD as his study; but his sight is so
feeble that. If he loses one he cannot find
1t again. and they are accordingly pro-
vided with little elastic strings of rub
Der that he holds between his fingers,
so that the pretty little bauble comes
back to him on the rebound. He amuses
himself for hours in this way, stopping
occasionally to see visitor, but reply
ing to all propositions to enter upon
new pro. ects: Il am too old for any
thing new, and only living out my few
last hours till God calls me-"
In collision with this general deca-
dence of the senses has come CORE
spending loss of faculty-a loss that.
with the luc:dneSs OF perception rare in
the experience of the aged. he fully un-
derstands and frankly acknowledges as
the precursor of the final dropping
away. Il am dying" he said TO a
friend one day. Il may be several
months about it, possibly several years,
merely waking and sleeping. and lead
ing sort of vegetable existence. But
death has already extingushed my in
terest in human affairs. lam dead in
all that makes man living and ener-
getic reality in the world" He saws
these things with strange dreaminess
in his aged eyes, which. since the loss
of sight set in, have acqui ed the far. of,
musing expression that one notices so
often in the eyes of very old persons.
He walks with an uncertain, hesitating.
siding movement very different from
the elasticity of ga't that he still re-