Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1891-12-02
BEAUTIFUL OLD WOMEN.

Pretty as sweet young girls or bloom
ing matrons may be, they cannot bear
away the palm for beauty from old Ia
dies who have kept youthful affections
in their hearts, and have not allowed
their minds to stagnate for want of
use.
No one will doubt our assertion who
will be at the pains of considering the
matter. Every one can remember in
stances; some will be able to recall the
brilliant eyes and animated expression
of Mrs. DIR. Dor mus, and the dazzling
complexion and superb carriage of
Mrs. David Codwise, as the two ap-
peared at more than seventy years of
age, when they championed f'the wo-
mans friend" DR.. Marion Sims, i'll his
noble efforts to establish the now so
well known Woman's Hospital of New
York.
These two grand women we're not of
the sort known as "welI-preserved."
They bad never BEEN at any pains to
preserve" their beauty. They lived
out their lives heartily and warmly,
sparing themselves not at all, and
keeping their intellects ever in use for
their own pleasure and the good of
others. Mental activity and a lively,
energetic benevolence spoke in every
Iineament. Beautiful both must have
been even In youth, but each coming
year had brought to both an added
charm. 1t could not have been said
of either that she was "beautiful for
her age" Their beauty was absolute
and brilliant as they presided over
stormy meetings with stately presence;
or, with glowing cheeks, flashing eyes
and persuasive eloquence, addressed
large gatherings of women, or smaller
ones of influential men, in advocacy Of
their benevolent design. No one to-
day denies to DR.. Sims the credit o!
being a benefactor and a surgeon of
skill and originality; yet
no progressive physician was ever more
violently opposed. ITO these two old
ladies, says DR.. Sims in his biogra-
ply, "who brought their beauty as
well as their eloquence to bear in my
favor, L owed the possibility of sue
cess." "By the power of their elo-
quence, enforced by their beauty, they
all before them" said DIR. John
Francis.
We mention these tive women not
because they were singular instances,
but because they were SO we'll knowD
in their day that even now, after their
bright spirits have SO many years been
gone from among us, there are some |
who will remember them, and know |
that even their own young selves could |
not have rivalled the etherealized |
beauty of their aged selves.
The love of beauty is a divine attri- |
butte. With what loving touch does
the Creator fashion flower and cloud, |
river and wood, mountain and lakel |
BY this we are taught that the love of |
beauty is in itself good and holy |
thing, aud that the desire to be beau |
,iful for beauty's sake, and not for any |
selfish use, is divinely implanted, and |
should not be crushed, but cherished. |
without doubt youth has its own |
beauty, a freshness, an unsullied |
sweetness, a purity of outline and Of |
,oior, that make us love to look upon |
it. But with the cares, chickering's.
ealousles, sorrows, pains, and strug- |
giles OF life this lovelipess of mere |
youth passeth away.
The beauty of age is of an IDEAL, q |
spiritual kind, and no imagination of |
'he beauty of an angel can equal that
which we have seen growing day by |
lay In the strong and gentle face of q /
rail woman of eighty years, whose
'heek still fushes and pales to every |
emotion, who laughs with the hearty |
ing of girlhood, whose sympsthIes are
Keen and active, and from whose dark |
md radiant eyes there look out the |
'pirits of Courage, Love and Peace.
They who would not merely "show |
he remains of beauty when they are
I'D, but be really beautiful in age,
must begin early. They must love
warmly and wisely; they must live
,lrely and unseIfshly; they must be
ull of mental and beneficient activity.
10 petty DISCUSSES Of color or skilful
levices of dress can do aught but re-
eveal more pitiably the secret they
eek to hide. Features and complex
on are but the "windows" through
which "they'-the spirits within
look out" Upon the nature of these
pirits, not upon that of the windows,
epends the beauty of age.-Harper's
3dzdr.