Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-11-29
THE PLEASURESOF AGE
ELIZABETH cAOY STANTON DIS
CUSSSS THEM AT SEVENTY.
fifty. not Fifteen. the He.dsy Of Life
\" J"yie~s Old Age for Intel
lectusl Woman-The B-aut,
of Having . Parpo>e
rSpsc al Corr.,sp rnde &c. I

.
relAilS promise to dc, fell lg my-ef pc
culiarlv fi'tci TO laui that peri. d Of our
mortal eNls nee, bang then on the very
tlre'h II of my 10-h year. BI bstote
vi iiE GU. Of IN own experisnca tn ,ught
1 would bear ~hat Others who ha pa >ed
their thrrs &C IRE and ten had 70 saE
tel At the breakfast table ons morn
in With four ladie a,i g.ntlem N circing
'ruun the seventies All ei. b les III 4 man
son up town, l lac 1ch. ID my qu' ton,
'Wha, are the pleasures of ag The
&C o-enarian at the h'ai of tns table az .er
a few moments tnou, ht, said il a sa tone,
'lh Te / no pl asure in 1t.
= " nat vPr TO'I orator or sags
May say of II, old age is san old aga
1t = the waning. n OF the or rsCrsut moon,
The dark OF ev.ling, not the blaze u
noon
As my friend lie had bean one of great
u.s. u ness and hs had njJved good heal b
anl all the ordinary comfor OF wealt b
and p stion l was rather surp.i ei at this
melancholy vie Of his d &C inI * years
Another said Vel, there nay be some
pleasure IN lei IL deaf. as you th,n escap,
the fociishneS, o. ordinary tax" Another
sd LED, ''BlIuGnes', too, may have its ad-
vautages as then your eyes are d SD to
many sp eta le; YOU fain would never sea"
Another sad. There Is comfort even In
be ng crippled. as chen. IKE n, tirei oil
woman IN the soag. one neei do nothing
bat rest forever and ever
Most dl. c uraging RESPONSE were these
from a group Of eiucst ted S.soi,ie. In COM
Portable surroundings, from which to
elaborate NV proposed article However,
! cen inuei TO propound the gus ton to
the aged N different walxs o, life to SEE
If any actually i'll the tolls Of crow5 feet.
wdi;e hair spec acles ear trump pets, stiff
joints and 'rralgic twIn,eS did, like nv
sci take cheerful view of The situation.
But 4 iid not find one that seemei to re
gard age a a b.eSSed and beautiful unfod-
ing of all that is nob!eSt ami best in human
life. A Il ~ from nv calendar of OF. s,
from Harriet Martinsau who struggled
through much OF her life with deifn ,ss and
partial blind .ss with SOCIAL anita cousins
and reug Gus doubts and fears breathei
the first word OF calm con .ent l have
found.
.Unier the eternal laws Of the universe
came into Icing, and under them l have
equivalent TO length There ha' BEEN m uch
in my life that am glad TO nave enj ryed;
and much that generates a moo of content
ment at the c.ole. never dream OF wish.n .ng
that an tn NJ were other wise than as II Is;
am frank satisfied to havedon- with this
lie lhaye had a noble share of IT, and
iesr. no more l reither wish TO live
longer here, nor To d Ind life again else
where"
As Miss Martineau lived to he over 20
an / had la orei assiduously with her pen
for a | the popular reforms Of her day, her
willingness TO rest through eternity Is not
surprising.
piers in general speak 10 'ouSly of age, l
mu;t depend on my own experience AMI
OTIS ,rvation to show that it is the most
pleasant perioi of ii g. provided ths indi-
vidual is well organize AMI has made the
best use of her early years IL We enalSEs
the measures OF youth, of middl, Ii hfe an
age We find that ali alike depend on the
capacity of tn, indivi iual for enjoy ment
One child will amuss hsrs,lf all day with
out a change or variety Of toy and scenes;
ano DER is peevish and restless with all the
al zen ion tnat love and affection can give.
with all the wired book AMI toys that
Yaukee Inve ton has taXsi itself TO
p-oduc. III. one, grown to sweet II,
Is ike leam of sunshin, wherever
she ~oel Her reports of balls and
PARTIES, ef sleigh rides and ska'ing
rink. ths school. The teacher. the home,
bro her. and sisters are all gi.dsd with
her own glad outlook, refect!ng like
the pr ism, the brightest colors of light.
The peevish, restless baby Is the joyiesi
g.rl OF IL She is in the same atmos
phere with our sunbeam. hut reflects
only the pae white light She has all the
appl ances Of happiness that health, posi-
tion. beauty anti lent can give, but TO her
there rs no music in life, to her unskillful
toucl discoris only answ wer baci.
And now in middle age, our gir.s As wives
Of snstors in Washin ,ton. manifest the
same u dlAe dN III lie oh7 III NohA-
for able surroun iings outside tn whirl Of
fashion, erforms thu social duties incum-
bent on her position with becoming moder-
Atom, d ding n o more than the strictest rules
OF e:Iquatte require She read' c, me-
Buc lie, Darwin Spencer, John Stuart Mill,
and The Congres ,ional r cord. keeping
pace with the debates on all gu ,stions OF
- ,,,,a -, L.
forms OF the day act ually attends tn,
woman suffrage conventions, and through
her inf ence her husband is the champion in
the sena e of all bills for Just an I prosres-
sive Ie ,islat on. Good men visit her to have
their m raj purposes streng henei 10 new
endeavor. Her ambition for her husband
children and herself is TO Leaf a pure,
grani lie. With her. like Nj zzini the
great apostle of Liberty. her interest is first
in truth and justice; second her country
third. her ly and fourth. herself In
her estimation the universe was not built
for the Z o. hut the E 20 was the outgrowth
o. the universe.
And how fares our other matron in her
palatial home, spacious richly furnished.
adorned with pictures, statuary, brilliant
with gala day rec ,ptions, the scene is
worthy the ie es in the palace of the Cesars
in their palmie I days al Romei But in the
wife of the senator. the highest position
our republic can give, rich in diamonds,
velvets and laces, the one peculiar star.
envIed by all her class, the restless child,
the peevish girl are tut reproduced in the
selfish, fashionable woman Her ambition
was for wealth, position, a magnificent
establishment, the capacity to give bril-
liant balls and parties And she has At
tained all this. but has no; found hapoi-
ness. Her notes are still notes Of Disco =
in the great psalm Of lie
Cd age. to tseie must be as different as