Wichita eagle., 1888-11-13
AT FORTY YEAR
DO NOT THINK, FOR A MOMENT,
IT MEANS HOLD AGE.n

The Body Can BE Maintained Long After
Two Score Is Reachetl-Julsan Ha.v.
thorne's Bit of Timely Advice--No Need
of Growing Old.
The refrain of Thackeroy's song used to
awaken solemn speculations in my soul when
| was boy Forty year" meant, not
middle life simply, but old age-the period
when freshness and buoyancy vanished,
when the apogee of existence was over, and
what remained of the terrestrial journey
went down hill | thought that certain
sorlber dignity and weight of staid expert
ence might invest this remote epoch of life:
but 1t did not occur to me that ones career,
beyond that point, could offer ANYTHING
better than "reminiscences and makeshifrs
And my chief consolation was that forty
year" was intellectually far off, that, like
the deluge one might indefinitely postpone
any serious consideration of it The dreaded
date came, however, and is now passed, to-
gether with one or two Of its immediate kin
dred; and the world and | still go on. as wa
have done after the various dates specified
by the Millerites for the destruction of the
world Thackeray's warning was evidently
one of his practical jokes upon the boys. He
was t1AestSeI 10 CiGSo up q scare
the younger generation withal
The truth is, of course. that boys do not
cease to be boys at forty; and now that this
bubble is pricked, have my doubts whether
their boyish state ceases at fifty either, or
ct sixty or seventy, for that matter Nay,
Elet man the other day who owned to seven
and-seventy years, and such was bis coyish-
hess that was almost surprised into feeling
Old. myself, In comparison with him In
short, my young friends, this whole affair of
Old age, about which you hear so much talk.
Is a canard and q humbug, which we who
have existed a certain time impose upon you.
with view to commanding your respect
and services
Some well meaning persons, possibly,
being of peculiarly credulous and impress
sionable cast, have been SO far preoossessed
by the insidious assurances OF their elders.
that when they themselves arrived a. forty
year, they took IL for granted that they must
be old, and being themselves thus deceived.
innocently carried on the deception. Others.
again, may have been mlsled by certain
symptoms OF infirmity occurring on the
physical plane. The plausibilIty OF these in
dications may be admitted; but they really
amount to nothing. The mind is the man;
the body is but an instrument You would
not call a carpenter old because his turning
lathe has begun to wear out. Besides, with
proper attention, this bodily Instrument can
be maintained in an active condition LONG
after forty year. DR.. Hammond, indeed and
several other sageS OF repute, have main
tanned the theory that the decay of the
bodily powers and death itself, can be in
definitely postponed by proper regimen.
But leaving al extreme views aside, the
man OF 40 makes great mistake if lie allows
his bodily health and strength to deteriorate
under the impression that they have seen
tier best days On the contrary the per-
lection OF physical well beng may be and
ought to be enjoyed between the 10th and
5Oth year. When we were boys in college we
exercised at the gymnasium and on the river
and the ball ground. For ten years after
graduating we kept up our practice more or
less-we did not altogether lose tho custom of
it. From so to 40 the business of making a
living became so absorbing that we suffered
gymnastics to fall into desuetude, which. if
not absolutely innocuous, probably had no
very serious consequences. But at 40 or
Whereabouts a certain Incidence begins to
supervene; we tell ourselves that we have
done enough and deserve a Little rest, and if
we listen TO this self indulgent whisper it Is
apt TO be the worse for US
Do not listen TO it, fellow travellers of forty
yearl Take Up once more that old habit OF
exercise that Las fallen into allegiance, and
You viii find your account in it. Not that
you are to carry anything to cxtremes-to
labor two hours daily in gymnasium, or to
train for race. You did that when YOU
were Ia your teens, and once is enough What
is necessary is easily done. When YOU are in
the open air-and be in it as much as posi-
bic, either on foot or on horse back-breathe
deeply and regularly, and breathe through
your nose. Eat no trash, and eat too little
rather than too much of anything In sum-
ner, play lawn tennis, or row boat In
autumn and winter, walk ct a round pace
for at least one continuous hour q day By
one means or another, contrive TO get into
visible peIspiration once every twenty-four
hours, and rub dry with q towel afterward.
So viii your wrinkles disappear, and your
gait lose Its heavineSS. And after all, a body
is but body; and even if it be paralyzed, or
disabled by a railroad accident, you must
not let it bully you into fancying that forty
year spells old age.-Julian Hawthorne in
Once q Week.