The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-05-03

floats OFF to the center. is water soaked, and
sinh s. The refuse of light stuffs goes Dwn-
ward with the current, much mixed aud
dis urbed. Here you have life in times of
adversely.
Al fiood.tide the young and theughtless,
the prosperous and the hopeful, go floating
down In mid.stream, shouting. aud careless
OF the old who have hoated as drift 10 the
shore. The old see them 60 by. uDsble TO
follow or take part and must look forward
to realities and not TO romance. When the
tide begins to fall the old are sometimes car
Ils q TO mid.stream by force OF the outh oat-
ing and struggling young who have been
stranded, and often go down to the bottom,
or lodge in the drifts to 60 out no more.
AS We grow old day by day imsgi nation
ard romance fade and realities are TO be
dealt with. The road grows rougher
and is more INSTRUCTED, while our
ability and inclination to over
come and remove the distractions grow
les. New generations grow up aud strangers
come. Those We knew move away or 90 to
their long home one by one, and we become
Almost strangers Ia the place where we once
kDew everybody and have always lived.
The young have nothing in common with
ne. The social circles become fewer and
narrower. No matter what our
bone may be, the world slowly
slides away from us-the world we knew
natural scenery that we saw as children.
II We have children OF our own who are
settled In life, ard between us there has
been harmony and love, where wa are well
come and feel at home. the days may be
sonbre, bat they are not cherries. There
is nothing beautiful In seeing the hair
whiteD, the wrinkles gather tue old friends
one by one go rast in the hea-se aud
think cur turn will soon cone, and we viii
be as soon forgotten as If we had not been
known. We still feel young. We do not
fe' old. When we see old people We DO not
feel as il we belonged with them. As long
as We are able 10 move about with ressons-
bic activity we can not realize that Others
look at ar speak of Us as bsiog old. A I'D yet
1t IS thrust upon US very often in thousand
sliehts-Sights TO Us though not intended ss
such-and as the door slowly closes that
cuts us Oft from the world Of life about Us,
and leaves US to our own thoughts while We
wait for the grim messenger, where is the
beautiful in IL 10 us or TO those blut as?
And If We are alone, with or without
weaitb-ard tbs great mass are without
what is there IN IL that is even cheerful?
Though We nil the store house as We 60
sleng with pleasant memories born OF love
and cod deeds. as we lcok back those mem.
Dries bring with them thrills of pain. as
visible in The far axsy.
But If we live, old age must come, with or
without intrmity- As / write another sld
DeiRhbor comes in. We call her grandma.
She is over eightysix and is quite feeble.
Jack is very kind, and she is pleased with
his reverential attention. She does not hear
readily. He talks of various things. Her
memory Is good, and for a little while she
lights up with some of the interest she felt
In former years; but she soon goes away
back to her home to think over the short
walk, the little sunshine she saw, the cheer
fulness of JACK. and what q desclation will
come TO him when he reaches her age, and
how he will wonder he could ever feel that
"old age is beautiful"
The most We can do for ourselves is as We
pass along to see that We make no uncanny
skeletons to fall In behind rs and follow Us
to gibber at rs IS We look back In old age for
pleasant thoughts Of scenes long gone"