The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1891-12-17
THE HOME CORNER.

has mastered all the empty airs ana
graccs Of an old coquette. The coun-
try has urgent need Of more tomboys
and Tower little women, trained in hy-
pocrisy, rosebuds with worm at the
heart. Wherefore the Home Corner
believes that every girl in the land
should have bicycle.
NJ
There IL such thing as beautiful
old age. When the rosy color is all
gone, when the pretty dimples have
become wrinkles and youths charm
ing graces have disappeared ben"nth
the gnawing tooth Of time, then les
the period that tries Of what ma. al
the man or woman Is made. Alas for
the old age that has nothing left it
but wrinkles and gray hairs. Nature
takes horrible revenge upon the life
that has been given over to selfish
pleasure seeking first and selfish re-
pining afterward. There are few OBJ
iects more pitiful than an old, peev-
ish, disconnected man or woman, with
life steadily going out, like the flame
of a dying candle, and with nothing
pleasant to dwell upon in the past,
nothing hopeful to look forward to in
the future.
~
But lovely old age! Draw up the
arm chair, place the footstool before
it, and bring the young people to
look upon this perfect beauty that
comes when the year has been
PROSPEROUS one and the shock is fully
ripe for the garner. There is no other
beauty like 1.-THE beauty of matur-
ed well rounded, harmonious life,
ready and waiting for the change that
will come as softly as the closing in
of a summer evening.
~
Blessed is the household that has
an arm chair in it, where the closing
in of life is filled with submission and
hope, with resignation and peace and
trust. \ figure is in my mind while
| write-the figure of an old lady
whose hair is as white as a snowdrift.
What storms have passed over that
whitened head, l wonder Along
what thorny paths has she been called
to 90? Doubtless troubles have closed
around her many time, until 1t
seemed that there was no way OF es-
cane: but she was led on step by
} step, and there was always the pillar
of cloud by day, of fire by night. She
had come past all the thOrny ways at
last. and rests on the shores of the
placid river. "What lovely taceo'
is the cry of everyone who sees her,
and people turn and look after her
, lingeringly. "What a lovely facet"
~
Blessed is the household that has
an arm chair in it! Put the arm chair
in the cheeriest corner. Let light and
pleasant laughter and genial CONVEX
sation be about it. If you have cares,
keep them to yourself. The trembling
form that sits in the arm chair has
borne the burden for long time, and
now has right to lay it down. Some
day there will be no more use for the
old chair. The snowy hair will be
smoothed down for the last time; the
wrinkled face will settle down into
profound repose. Keep smiles and
sunny warmth for trembling old age
, while it is here.
, ~
When we come to occupy the old
arm chair how will it be with us, |
wonder? Perhaps we, too, will find
that the tears come easily, for so many
who started through life with us will
; have grown weary and fallen by the
wayside; perhaps we will find that
we did not fight our battles as earn
estly or unselfshly as we might have
done; perhaps feeble age and its en-
= forced inactivity will stir up all that
is bitter and rebellious in our nature.
But, all, let us hope not. Let us live
so truly and nobly that when Eat the
e last shall come Old Age it shall
crown us with the placid restfuiness
that should come at the close of every
well spent life: and may all our doubts
. and struggles be answered when we
, journey down to the door of the tomb
, and find the stone rolled away.
JULIA TRUITT BISHOP.