The Penn's Grove record., 1892-09-23
Fans rHREApBARE WORLD.

Without the remotest idea WHO va
the originator of tue term l spl ropri
ate as my title, / do not know-and
indeed. do not very much care-if / an
committing a kind OF heresy when
cay il Is ope which reflects but small
credit on the mind which conceive,
IL
For surely this old world sem,
thresdbare only TO those whose mind
lack the freshness, the obser walton, th,
capacity for enjoying sights, sounds
and the study of human nature IS muci
when standing on the shore Of middle
age As when they first began TO gaily
follow the overwhelming stream o.
youth.
II is, 1 think, Just this sthreadtare'
tendency OF mind, too common, alas
amongst those getting ON in years,
which is at the bottom Of the great
gulf which IL often 6xeo between folks,
say. with thirty years difference be.
tween them.
Now. had We all the freshness Of sym.
pathy. the power-which really perg
few parents possess-of looking back
f~rufhfafty, and seeing that we, too.
we're young and foolish;" we, too,
preferred play to work, or thought
love in . cottage would be an ideal ex-
istence; had We, SO to speak, kept the
warp and wool Of u hearts and minds
intact, and not worn it threadbare with
the rub of worldly feelings. our wis
dom (painfully garnered, rerchance,
from own disappointments and
~heartachesl would have none the less
weight because we 'know Just how 1t
feels" It is hard, too, to understand
Why so few elderly people zen to have
any capacity for the enjoyment of
small pleasures, whether their own OF
those Of others. As regards the latter,
we mustall be aware that In the sublime
egotism Of youta we have but scant
room in our hearts for the Joys and
sorrows of u friends. "a heart at
leisure from itself to soothe and SYM
pathize" is, / take it, but seldom part
of the moral adornment of those in the
full glamour of youths golden dream;
it IS, or should be, one OF the autumnai
charms We may hang around us as we
begin to go down-hiIL
Yesi there are plenty Of threadbare-
minded people in the world, people
who are capable o. travelling from Dan
to Beersheba, aud hnd all barren, who
would indeed be miserable II they
could not prove their doll is stuffed
with sawdust."
One OF this pitiable kind, when asked
s.What struck her mostm Cairo? plant
lively replied ssrhe SMELLS" Thread
bare. indeed, must be the mind which
can ignore tie endless panorama OF
gorgeous sights, OF g~,ol.ous color and
vivid pictnresuueneec-to forget the
joys of q perfect winter climate. and
focus itself on q grievance which, in
spite of costly local boards, ETC., may
still, If . grievance really must be
be INDUCED in without the ex.
pense of going to Egypt
"How fresh and green you are Ia.
this old world" says Shakespeare,
that, even in those distant
DAYS, freshness, Q power to stand out
above the level OF dull commonplace,
vas valued. 1canrot however, at this
moment recall whether the character
apostrophized was elderly or notI
Bnt do wenot all know some men u.
women who could neper seem old, who
could never be wearisome, who can
the glamour Of imagination over
very thing, and whose every word and
Iced ones INTEREST,"
10 such natures, no matter what
heir trials and heartaches may have
been, the worldly which l mean the
est things in it, such as love, sympa-
ny, friendship, faith, hope, and char
twill e seem threadbare, but
ways full of freshness and beauty,
md, above all, Of God-sent chances to
make others happier.
But the charm of never growing olu
selves aver youthful. The sarcastic
ut is strange % do not
ike their ages known; most Of them
re younger than they look" certainly
at a feminine folly. For mem
ully as vain as women, only in another
way = seldom seem to mind their tale
II years being known.
but one does sometimes see foolish
somen clinging wildly with elderly
,ands THAT is, by the way, no possible
or ssmake mp" for hands and
one can always read advancing
Years writ large ON boih) to the rosy
kris Of yonth, Boosting they still
dance everything" and too foolish to
that the partners have become
mere callow fedgelings, while the
best men in the r. ION" delighted to
line with the elderly siren) dance
their daughters. When We are at
the age to think . woman Of thirty
quite DID," and that forty-Hve IL quite
beyond the limit OF conside alton, no
Dne could aver convince us that the
after age, il met as q friend, not
shrnnk from q q foe, yet holds s'the
joy Of living" especially to
those who can live again in their chill
lives, who can be content-hav-
Ing had their day-to "take q back
seat "{only fgurativelyl and let the
.oung folks have their day.
The late Archbishop Thomson, him
self one OF the lovable evergreen ma
lures, nce wrote
But love and purpose as OF yore,
With the worlds throbbing pulses mkt
The world, with Thousands TO fts score,
Il young, though l am sixty-six.
Happy is it then if-while neve
there is another world we
have yet eyes to notice the beauties of
nature, art. and humanity in this one.
There are noble actions we can ali see
and may some day be privileged to
do, il orr own hearts and minds are
not worn too threadbare 10 stand the
aHI