Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1890-04-11
THOUGHTS ON OLD ACE.
Worn Out Men and Women Passing Away
More Comfortably Than Formerly.


rather dull business in the time of
and friend, BarZilai, who, poor man,
could not have told teal from a can
vas-back, nor enjoyed symphony con-
cert, if they had had those luxuries in
his day. There were no pleasant fire.
sides, for there were no chimneys.
There were no daily newspapers for
the old man to read, and he could not
read them if there were, with his dim
eyes, nor hear them read, very proba-
bly,, with his dulled ears. There was
no tobacco, soothing drug, which in
its various forms is a great solace to
many old men and to some old women
Carlyle and his mother used to
smoke their pipes together, you remem-
Der.
Old age is infinitely more cheerful
for intelligent people, at least, than 1T
was two or three thousand years ago.
1t is our duty, so far as we can, to keep
it so. There will always be enough
about it that is solemn, and more than
enough alas! that is saddening. But
how much there is in our times to
tighten its burdens! If they that look
out at the windows be darkened, the
optician is happy to supply them with
eyeglasses for use before the public,
and spectacles for their hours of priva-
CIV. If the grinders cease because they
arc few, they can be made again by
third dentition, which brings no tooth
ache in its train. BY temperance and
good habits of life, proper clothing,
well-warmed, well-drained and we'll
ventilated dwellings, and sufficient
(not too much) exercise, the old man
of our time may keep his muscular
strength in very good condition. L
doubt if Mr.. Gladstone, who is fast
nearing his eightieth birthday, would
boast, in the style of Caleb. that he was
as good man with his AK as he was
when he was 40, but would back him
If the match were possible-for 100
shekels against that over-confdent old
Israelte to cut down and chop up a
cedar of Lebanon. know most eX-
celent clergyman, not far from my
own time of life, whom l would pit
against any old Hebrew rabbi or Greek
philosopher of his years and weight,.if
they could return to the flesh, to run a
quarter of a mile on 4 good, level
track.
We must not make too much of such
exceptional cases of prolonged activity.
often reproached my dear friend and
cassmate, james Freeman Clarke, that
his ceaseless labors made it impossible
for his coevals to enjoy the luxury of
that repose which their years demand
ed. A wise old man, the late DR..
James Walker. president of Harvard
university. said that the great privilege
of old age was the getting rid Of re-
sponsi6ilitieS. These Woodworking
veterans will not let one get rid of
them until he drops in his harness, and
so gets rid of them and his life togeth-
er. How often has many a tired old
man envied the superannuated family
cat, stretched upon the rug before the
fire, letting the genial warmth tram
gully ditfuse Itself through all her in
ternal arrangements! No more watch
ing for mice in dark, damp cellars; no
more awaiting the savage gray rat at
mouth oil his den; no more scurrying
up trees and lamp-posts TO avoid the
neighbours cur who wishes to make her
acquaintance! 1t is very grand TO Idle
in harness." but it is very pleasant to
have the tight straps unbuckled and the
heavy collar lifted from the neck and
shoulders.
The feeling must of necessity come
to many aged persons that they have
outlived their usefulness; that they are
no longer wanted, but rather in the
way, dragS on the wheels rather than
helping them forward. But let them
remember the oft-quoted line of Milton:
''They also serve who only stand and wait"
This is peculiarly true to them. They
are helping others without always be-
ing aware of it. They are the shields,
the break waters of those who come
after them. Every decade is defense
OF the one next behind it. At 80 the
youth has sobered into manhood. but
the strong men of 40 rise in almost I'M
broken rank between him and the 9p-
proaches of old age as they show in
the men of so. At 40 he looks with
sense of security at the strong men of
80, and sees behind them the row of
sturdy sexagenarians. When so is
reached, somehow 60 does not look so
old as it once used to, and 20 is still
affair off. At 60 the stern sentence of
the burial service seems to have a
meaning that one did not notice in
former years. There begins to be
something personal about it. But if
one lives to 20 lie soon gets used to the
text with the threescore years and ten
in it, and begins to count himself
among those who by reason of strength
are destined to reach fourscore. of
whom he can see number still in
reasonably good condition. The
octogenarian loves to read about peo-
pie of 80 and over. He peers among
the asserisks of the triennial catalogue
of the university for the names of
graduates who have been seventy years
out of college and remain still unstar-
red. He is curious about the biogra-
phies of centenarians. Such escapades
as those of that terrible old sinner and
ancestor of great men, the Rev. Stephen
Bachelor, interest him as they never
did before. But he can not deceive !
himself much longer. See him walk
ing on a level surface and he steps of |
almost as we'll as ever; but watch him
coming down a flight of stairs and the
family record could not tell his years
more faithfully. He cut you dead. you