Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1889-06-22
KEEPING THE HEART YOUNG.
Old People Who Are Young In Thel
Ways, and Those Who Are Not.

Old People Who Are Young In Their
Ways. and Those Who Are Not.
Dickens says: IF all had hearts like
those which beat so lightly in the bo-
som of the young and beautiful, what
a heaven this earth would bel If,
while our bodies grow old and with
cred, our hearts could but retain their
youth and freshness, of what avail
would be our sorrows and sufferings2
But the faint image of Eden, which is
stamped upon them in childhood,
chafes and rubs in our rough struggle
with the world, and soon wears away;
too often to leave nothing but a
mournful blank remaining"
How true and beautiful this senti-
ment is; but is it always the contact
with the rough side of the world that
leaves the heart hard and blank9 Is
it not too often the indulgence or Bit
ter feelings of envy and discomfort
that sours and turns to NORWOOD and
gall many of the sweets of life2 Be
cause we do not prosper as well as our
neighbor, we fret and imagine our lot
harder than any one else, and look
upon it as luck" and are therefore
bitter in feeling against those who are
more fortunate than ourselves. 1t is
the yielding to evil passions and tenn
pers that makes the heart grow old;
the inclination to look on the dark
and gloomy side of everything, or to
use a familiar adage, crossing the
bridge before we get to it" This
seems to be the nature of some people,
and consequently they grow old be-
fore their time, and the heart is scared
and hard and nothing truly but a
'mournful blank remains"
Why not keep the heart young2
Why not have the earth a heaven,
and keep childhood's faith and happi-
ness in our hearts, even though the
bodies will grow old and withered?
1t is a fact worth record that when
you meet genial, happy old person
you find they have youthful heart
a heart of love and good will; heart
that sympathizes and enters into the
pleasures and every day enjoyments
of the young and are willing to make
any sacrifices that the young people
may enjoy life; such old people al
ways have pleasant faces, placid ex-
pressions, and a light in the eye that
reflects the emotions of the heart.
One is involuntarily drawn to such
people. But there is another class of
old people (alas, too numerous), whose
faces are as sour and Grabbed as posi-
BILE; they never see any good in any
one; the young never do right, every
thing has degensrated since their
young days, and the whole world
moves different; is it any wonder that
the hearts of such people arc as with
cred and bitter as their faces indicate?
The face is the true index of the
heart, mirror in which its emotions
are truly pictured; the face may grow
old, and time may leave its impress in
heavy lines and wrinkles, but from
beneath them all there beams light
that is reflection from heart kept
young and fresh, while the body has
grown old beneath the weight of
years-a heart that has cherished none
but love, peace and contentment, and
has gathered only the sunshine of life,
keeping "the faint image of Eden,
which was stamped upon it in child
hood" even down unto old age.-At-
lanta Constitution.