Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1890-01-01
GRACEFUL OLD AGE.
1t Has It's Silent Joys and Memories Both
Mournful aud Delightful.


It Has It's Silent joys and Memories Both
NIournful aud Delightful.
The wise and brave man will not
contentedly idle his latter days away,
but will find some task suitable to his
powers, and which may bring him in
creased respect. He will try to main
tain his interest in current questions,
growing sounder in judgment since the
passions of youth and manhood are
past striving to see more clearly and
without prejudice Experience will
have taught him, cares and sorrows
will have chastened him, and defeats
and failures will have cautioned the
wise old man; yet he will not be de-
pressed, neither pessimistic or COM
planning. but rather calm. patient full
of fortitude and rich ia sympathy,
courage and self-restraint. Old age
like this is an object of reverence-a
crown of glory, as the Scriptures will
say.
But old age without any wise lessons
learned from the accumulated expert
ences of many years, garrulous, rem
niscent. aud still sinful, is a shame of
itself and an offense to all others. The
sight is far too common. We are all
of us familiar with men and women
whose virtues seem TO have declined
with increasing years, but whose vices
and weaknesses, daily growing more
intolerabfe, are the only qualities
which have any possibility of being
immortal. The certain and the just
fate of such is to find friendship chang
ing into detestation, love into hatred,
and reverence into contempt. Some
source of power like wealth may Sc
cure them semblance Of Difference
and esteem. but there are certain to be
the cringing offerings of self-interest;
they can not be the real language of
any heart. Vices never look SO con-
temptible as when we see them stand
ing on the edge of the grave.
For the aged miser. tyrant, mis-
anthrope or blasphemer it is difficult
even to feel pity. Against other vices
nature has herself drawn the line, lest
tasting into the period of old age they
should become too hideous to be seen,
and the drunkard and the violent are
not allowed to live out half their days.
On the other hand. for those aged
people whose faults and weaknesses of
character have grown less marked as
age come upon them, and whose Writ
ues have become fixed and strength
ened, no one can avoid feeling affec-
ton and reverence. Their part in
LIES battle played, and their power,
either to struggle longer or even to
protect themselves, gone forever, they
become part of that which the young
er generation is appointed to con-
serve. To them belongs the safe and
quiet retreat in the old home, while
sons and daughters toll. To the
noblest OF them who have been eminent
in the State or in literature Or science
come increasing tributes of respect, as
men enter into and appreciate their
labors.
Still others have reared children,
training them wisely for successful
careers in business, in the professions.
or in public life, and these live again
in their sons and daughters successes,
deriving higher happiness therefrom
than youthful pleasures ever gave.
Graceful old age has, therefore, it's
silent joys, mute satisfaction over a
life well spent. memories both mourn
full and delightful, treasures of wisdom
gathered during the flying years, and
growing anticipations, prophetic init
nations of an immortal career soon to
be entered upon. These are the priv
ileges ard satisfactions OF healthful old
age Youth and manhood are, per-
haps, ready to protest that there is no
beauty In them. But Nature knows
what is best for her children, and when
our restless energies shall have been
spent we shall probably find that the
quieter joys which come to us then are
as sweet as any that we have ever
known. At least Il may be, and Is un-
doubtedly designed to be. Providence
Journal.