The Kosciusko star. (Kosciusko, Miss.) 18??-1898, 1895-04-05
FOURSCORE and HEARTY
BiSEMarCkS Advent Among
the Worlds Great 0CtO-
genarians.
Grand Old Man Gladstone and
the Pope and Verdi.
Still Busy Reading Classics,
Writing Latin Poetry and
Composing Wonder
ful Music.

octogenarianS tomorrow and a
world will shout its tributes..as he
crosses this rarely reached mile
stone of time.
Bismarck will find himself in ex-
cellent and brainy company on the
other side of his S0th birthday
anniversary. He will find the
schoolyard full of old boys and
girls. lie will find Pope LEO at
S., writing Latin sonnets just as in
the olden days, when as lad he
surprised the Pecci family by his
plecociousness. He will find the
English statesman, William E.
Gladstone, discussing Greek prose
and writing critical essays on
religion and philosophy, He will
be surprised to find Verdi, at so,
planning a new opera for the great
singer Maurel, seeking his inspira-
lion from no less pleasant theme
thaa Shakspeare's "Tempest."
Here is Prof. Hama at 81, fresh
from Hawaii, giving the world a
mass Of new facts in geology.
Bessemer is still bright in his
panoply Of inventive thought, and
Sir Henry Parkes is just entering
the realm OF octogenarians, with
new educational project for New
South Wales. Couldock comes
gayly into the ranks Of rare old
men, still treading the boards and
giving the world delightful touches
Of mimicry. Few have fathomed
life as deeply as he. Few know
how to interpret it better
But the list of famous old men
and women is a long one, and
darkened here and there by the
touch Of mental blight or great
physical weakness. As a rule,
these old men and women are
extremely active. They seem to
drop out of the ranks very quietly,
and then it takes long stretch of
memory to find where history con.
meets the links of their past active
careers with their more recent
works. So Rawlinson has Just died
and his first great volumes Of his
tory look old and musty on our
shelves, like the records of past
century. So with Prof. Black.
Old Marshal Canrobert has Just
died, at s., and the third Ma
poleon's Italian campaign rises like
the shadow of the past, blending
it's color with the light of the
present.
But it is with TIE living we have
to do, and the laurels VIC can place
upon their wrinkled brows and
silvery locks are t2rdy tributes to
repay in some degree for human
jty's past ingratitude.
Bessemer, who enriched the
world as no man living or dead in
the past, stood biting his lips with
rage at the sarcasm and ridicule
heaped upon him for declaring that
he had discovered a cheap process
for quickly changing pig-lron into
steel. The bronzcd face, the
burned hands, the empty purse
attesteC to the labor he had de-
voted to his idea. Then came his
greatest battle. He had to force the
-ts%orld to accept his idea. When
nngineers finally appreciated his
inliscovery they found him dis
haeartened, discouraged and ready
ho turn against the world. Then
ecame honors thick and fast. lie
was knighted. Sorercians We'd in
doing him honor. Great societies
elected hlm to honorary Offices.
Medals we've voted to him, and he
is to-day among the happiestof the
"old masters" Of England.
IN HAPPY OLD HGE.
50 is William. i. Gladstone. So
is Sir James Bacon, who at the age
Of 81, lives II happy life Of retired
case, Until 1886 this great Eng
fish .jurist sat upon the bench, and
the clearest decision ever rendered
by him was that i'll case tried two
months before he retired from the
vice ehancellorship of England. 1t
was hewho said that his life proved
the reverse Of Bowden's famous
aphorism: THE first twenty-five