Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1892-06-16

'SO
higher value on the mental onjoy-
ment of advancing life, we have a
natural antipathy to relinquishing
any pleasure. A man who values
his collection of books will still re-
greet the barrenness of a favorite
applestree. With book in hand, we
lounge before the fire in winter and
our bones gratefully welcome its
comforting warmth, and if our
young friend bonnces in, booted
and a~ccoutred, with the glow on
his cheek and the sparkle in his
eye, we envy the exuberance ofhis
youth and vigor, and regret that he
has something which we have lost.
Apart, then, from the contrast be~
tween the pleasures of middle life
and the pleasures of youth, the
perception of the loss OF certain
powers insensibly leads US to per-
suade ourselves that we are not yet
fossils without activity, and even a
year or two taken from the re-
corded age brings us in imagina-
ton nearer to the time of physical
energy. We think OF our own
youth, with it's efforts, triumphs,
and endurance-of that long days
skating, of that mountain climb,
Of that wonderful thing we did be-
fore breakfast, and our spirit is
raised, our vigor renewed, and we
think that we cannot be so. Thus,
whether we are reminded of the
beginning or ending of life, an un-
conscious influence tends to the
wish or the hope that we are
younger than our years record.
Although we may account for
the tendency, it is nevertheless a
weakness, a finching from the
truth, and when consciously as
serted, is a wretched sham. What
an execraEle creature is the old
buck who connterfeits the present
ment of ,aping all it's manners,
its dress, its language, its disposie
ton, made up with padded chest,
false hair and cosmetics. His life
is a living lie. Follow the degraded
old humbug to the privacy of his
room, and see him unbosom hime
self, take himself to pieces, and
look at his shrievled mp yellow
face in the glass. What a life of
unreality, endurance and deceit!
:. The honest curse is to face the
fact and accept the consequences.
Be it SO, 60 or 20, casuistry will
not lessen the age, nor wishing
bring back the years. A wise man
will look to the compensations. In
losing the activity of youth we have
lost also the itchings of the mus
cles for action. We may envy our
young friend in his efforts to cheat
the record",but we care not to imi>
tate him. Moreover, we a draw
from the storage of memory the
very feasts which he is but now
accommodating. Comfortably seated
, in our arm chair we can compla-
Gently fight our battles over again.
dllate on our proves, and perhaps
increase the effect with little EN-.
bellishments, for distance and rep
etition do not lessen our youthful
, achievements. There is also the
compensation of mental vigor. Il
, we have treated our minds fairly
our thoughts at so give more pleas.
ure than our thoughts at 80; a
wider range, a maturer Judgment.
a ripper experience, adeeper insight.
give a rich return to declining
. years. Instead of repining and
growing old because we are leav-
ing freshness and approaching va.
, Guilty, we should rather accept the
, position, draw on the past fol-
, vigor. and utilize the advantages
of the present.
Even when the mind begins to
/, wane and the senses to fail. the