Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-10-25
AT FORTY YEAR.
DO NOT THINK, FOR A MOMENT,
IT MEANS "OLD AGE"

The Body Can Be Maintained Long After |
Two Score Is Reached-Julian Haw- |
thorne's Bit of Timely Advice--No Need
Of Growing Old.
The refrain of Thackeray's song used to
awaken solemn speculations in my soul when
was a 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
somber dignity and weight of staid expert
ence might invest this remote epoch Of life;
but it did not occur to me that ones career,
beyond that point, could offer anything
better than "reminiscences and makeshlfts.
And my chief consolation was that forty
year" was so intellectually far of, 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 we
have done after the various dates specified
by the Millerites for the destruction of the
one of his practical jokes upon the boys he
was pleased to dress up bugaboo to 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
at sixty or seventy, for that matter Nay, /
met man the other day who owned to seven
and-seventy years and such was his ooyish-
ness that l 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 humbug, which We who
have existed a certain time impose upon you
with a view TO commanding your respec,
and services.
Some well meaning persons, possibly
being of peculiarly credulous and impres
siohable cast, have been so far prepossesset
| by the insldious assurances of their elders
that when they themselves arrived at forty
year, they took it for granted that they mus
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 tn
physical plane. The plausibility of these in
dications may be admitted; but they reall'
amount to nothing. The mind is the man
the body is but Ga instrument. You woul
not call a carpenter old because his turnin
lathe has begun to wear out. Besides, wit
proper attention, this bodily instrument ca
be maintained in an active condition lon
after forty year DR. Hammond, indeed. an
several other sages of repute, have mali
tanned the theory that the decay of tt
bodily powers, and death itself, can be il
definitely postponed by proper regimen.
But leaving all extreme views aside, Il
man of 10 makes great mistake if he allow
his bodily health and strength to deteriorat
under the impression that they have see
their best days On the contrary, the pc
fectioa Of physical well beng may be ar
ought to be enjoyed between the 10th ar
50th year. When We were boys in college v
. exercised at the gymnasium and on the riv,
and the ball ground For ten years aft
graduating We Kept up our practice more
less-we did not altogether lose the custom
it, From so TO 40 the business of making
living became so absorbing that we suffer-
gymnastics to fall into desuetude, which
not absolutely innocuous, probably had
very serious consequences. But at 40
| thereabouis a certain Incidence begins
superyene; We tell ourselves that we ha
done enough and deserve little rest, and
we listen 10 this self indulgent whisper it
apt to be the worse for US
Do not listen to 1t, fellow travellers Of for
year! Take up once more that old habit
exercise that has fallen into abeyance, a
you viii find your account in it. Not th
J. you are to carry anything to extremes
labor two hours daily in a gymnasium, or
train for race. You did that when V
were in your teens, and once is enough. WI
is necessary is easily done When you are
the open air-and be in it as much as pos
bic, either on foot or on horse back-breat
4 deeply and regularly, and breathe throu
your nose. Eat no trash, and eat too lit
rather tnan too much OF anything In su
mer, play lawn tennis, or row boat.
autumn ard winter, walk at round On
for at least one continuous hour day.
g one means or another, contrive to get int
visible perspiration once every twenty-fc
hours, and rub dry with towel afterwa
So will your wrinkles disappear, and "
gait lose its heaviness And after all, a be
is but body; and even if it be paralyzed,
disabled by a railroad accident, you m
+ not let it bully you into fancying that fo
year spells old age.-Julian Hawthorne
Once Week.