New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-09-25
As COMMON NORTILS.

Four Of the most eminent and most useiul
men In Europe ut the present time suffer-
ing from partial blindness. In all cases III"
nature OF the ailment is the same. namely
cataract and all the illusrlous patients are
hopefully seeking relief in the resources or sur
gical science. Mr.. Gladstone has had several
operations performed upon one Of his eyes. the
result II which. II is believed. will be almost
fully to restore It's vision: while th" other eye
Is slll sound enough 10 enable him 10 read ana
write Sir William Harcourt's eyes are both
much obscured. and must soon have relief or
BE- altogether darl<eHod. lie will presently plae"
himself in surgeons hands. NJ jules simon
Is IN a Ike plight. but hopes To- have the Opaque
veil entirely removed. And Sgnor Crispi. in
whose case the ailment has not proceeded quite
80 far az in the others has already sought the
services Of a skilled ocuiist.
While all four II these gentlemen are In The
declining years Of hfe two Of them have at
tanned 50 venerable age 10 MAKE their
vitality-we might almost say their rejuyenes-
e. nce-scerl little short OF marvellous Mr.
Gladstone is cighty-nye. anC NJ. Simon is eighty.
Yet both physically strong and active.
while mentally there seems to be Yet not the
least waning NJ their extraordinary powers
They present a spectacle FOR the admiration Of
the world. II IL not. however. a unique spec'a
Gle Grand old men Their" have been in every
land and ag. since Moses died at siXscore
years "anl his eye not 1m nor his natural
force abated" The eyes u many DO grow dim.
But blind old Dandoo' at far past ninety
s,orrned Constantinople. Mchelangeio Buona
rotu dld some " his best work when an octo-
genarian. Titan still welding his magic
brush when IN" plague slew him in his hun
dredih year. Sir Isaac Newton was President Of
the Royal Society at eighty-three. Lander fin
ished his Imaginary Conversations at eighty
nine. Brougham was strong debater at eighty.
Ivndhurst had a cataract taken from his eye
when ne ninety. and after that spoke In
the House Of Lords Izaak Walton lived e. be
ninety Horrick Wordsworth. and Tennysou
wer. oriogenarians and Charles Mackln died
at a hundred and seven Nor are equal exam
pIes lacking in American history. FOR they begin
with Franklin AZ Governor Of Pennsylvania at
cighiy-two and by no means end with Morrill,
still in the Senate at eighty four and Holmes
still sparkling with youthful vvacity at eighty
five.
To moralizc upon these instances would be of
doubtful service. They show neither that the
average III. Of man il frightening nor shorten
Ing Nor. it must De confessed. do they show
that. literally speaking. the days of the good
are always longer than those or the evil Many
If the best die young In years. and the
lives Of many evil-doers are prolonged beyond
the Psalmist's utmost limit II Is perhaps hu-
initiating to think that al the much-vaunted
achievements II science have done apparently
nothing 10 make life longer We are, ii IL true.
free from some Ills that our fathers had 10
bear; but We also have some that they knew
not And II. with our modern knowledge. We
achieve moro I'm tho same time than did they Il
IS probable that We also suffer more. When the
whole case IL summed up we are the same that
our fathers have been" and the grand old men
Of to-day like those who have gone before. are
only rare exceptions from the common lot OF