The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1885-09-03
CONCERNING GID AGE.
Everybody Ought to Liva \ Century and
Enjoy l..

The skeptical views of such critics as
the late Sir O. c. Lewis and Mr.. ". j.
Thoms. IS to the possibility and proba-
bility of centenarians. have been pretty
thoroughly discredited by vital statis-
sics. Leaving out Of consideration the
old famous specimens of longevity and
all doubtful modern instances of men
and women living 10 be 100 years old
or more, there remain enough of CEN
tenarians the date of whose birth is re-
corded, and the fact of whose living
| century or more is beyond dispute. In
deed, such cases seem to be growing
more and more common, and attract
no great attention. Yet there are lew
| spectacles more profoundly interesting
| than that OF 4 life pTotracted beyond
| the ordinary limit OF old age. To have
| survived all, or almost all, of ones
! generation, IS IN itself n proof OF some
| sort of superiority of tissue or habit or
| environment. 1t is 10 have held out
| longest in the hopeless fight of all
| things living against death, and per-
| haps to have shown that most men die
before their time.
| Let men affect what pretense OF pes
| simism and disgust with life they will,
| they cannot help loving life and cling
! ing 10 it. Religious enthusiasm may
| regard it as but passage the sooner
| crossed the better TO higher form of
existence; and inability 10 perform its
| duties or incapacity for its oniOyments
may lead weak unfortunate natures to
throw it blindly away; but to men
thoroughly sane, organization and ener-
| gies evenly developed, life is something
| to be loved for Itself, and all means
and instances OF its prolOngati0n are
| worthy to be studied. Men whom life
| disgusts or bores are deprived OF the
faculty of Judging it properly. Life is
not for them, but for those who know
| how TO use il; and to those who know,
| and are SO fortunate in mind and cir
| cQmStance as to eApend anG not con-
| tract their sympathlcS, II must be as
desirable, as interesting, rs well worth
living at 50 or 80 rs at % Nor need
the strength even Of iiye-sc0re years be
labor and sorrow il the faculties bc, as
some times they are, uuimpaircd.
1t IS sometimes said that the men
who really live wear ont early, and that
! people live to be old by creeping slug
! gishly along, burning lies candle to
the socket by ni-gardy husbandry of
| its light But aside from the fact that
the names of some Of the greatest
thinkers and scholars OF the past are TO
be found in the lists Of the octogena-
rians and nonagenarians, is it not true
that it is this intellectual sIuggishuess,
this want of iiexibiiity to meet the
changing conditions which the change
OF years brings, this want of interest
III contemporary life, that prevents
| many men from attaining TO fortunate
! old age? SO long as 4 mau keeps his
faculties employed and Interested, SO
long as he is alert to all the move
ments OF the world about him, SO long
he remains young, and so much the
greater are his chances of coming to
what is called old age. That torpid
powers have feebly survived the decay
OF the intellectual is but death devoid
OF its peace and dignity; but what time
of mans years IS more splendid and
imposing than the tranquil old age of a
life which has Widened as it lengthen-
ed, the majestic age OF Plato, Michael
Angelo, and Goethe?
The ordinary life of man seems to be
deprived and detrauded, compared with
| these lives to which wisdom and length
! of days were given. The full century
of existence Witch Sir Moses Monte
fore filled with beneiceut activities is
not too long to live. Indeed, instead
of regarding lives 50 long as something
abnormal and extraordinary, they
ought. perhaps, to be regarded as com
ing nearer to the full measure and best
rule of existence, while the lives of
most men are shortened and cut off be-
fore their real maturity. Old age has
, been, and is too much regarded as but
the lees OF life unlovable, squalid, aud
pitiable, as the Greeks were always be-
waiIing it 10 be. Men want TO live
long, but hate old age. The grand
secular life which ended at Ramsgate
the other day should serve to teach the
thoughtless and the foolish how noble
, and desirable IS an old age Of activity
and wisdom. Men at the longest dc
not get so much OF life that they can
I, afford TO neglect even the smallest part
of it. And in view OF such lives as
that of the Hebrew philanthropist {
, well-conditioned Old age seems only s
= continuing and ripper youth.
The best IS yet 70 be:
Tie Iast.oi life, for which the first was made
-CbUrlcS Il. Dana ia IGlU York Sun.