The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-12-26
HOW TO GROW OLD GRACEFULLY.
A Former indianapolis Citizen Used
aS an Illustration.


A Former Indianapolis Citizen Used
as am Illustration.
Prof. T. A. Bland, in Health Culture.
TO grow in grace one must grow In the
| knowledge of the truth, that is, in a knowl-
edge of the purpose OF being. ana the laws
be. Those laws are the expression of per
feet wisdom, hence conformity to them Is
sacred duty while to be out of harmony
with them is a sin which cannot be remit
ted but which inevitably brings It's penalty.
But through the telepathic telephone
comes a protest from a read i!, VINO with II,
that so please tell US something new. But,
do you are free from sin and suffering and
are growing old gracefully. Again | hear
do" l beg your pardon, you do not. Every
one does just as we'll as he knows how to
do TO know the truth Is to De iree e from m
to be guided by it, TO live in It,
Ignorance is the only. evil thing in this
the ills that flesh is heir to. None Of us
are perfect in knowledge, hence none are
Wholly Tree from earor or OF e fro he s os
of our ancestors, the errors OF our contem-
poraries, and from our own ignorant blum
ity of working out our own redemption,
through the knowledge Of the laws of our
being. The first thing to do is to learn what
these laws are. We cannot put ourselves in
line with those laws until we know what
they are; but when we get this knowledge
we will not rebel against them, for we Will
then know that to do so would be to DELHI
erately choose disease and death instead or
health and life-a folly which is unthink-
able.
Every sane man pursues that course OF
action which he thinks will bring him the
greatest happiness possible for him to at
tain He could not pursue any other course
Brutes are guided by instinct, which IS un-
erring. They are perfect after their kind
Man is given reason as his guide. He is
imperfect. Yet man is a far nobler being
than the brute, and reason much better
gel1e e st IMAM ene iportance than the fa
bled riddle of the sphinx, and 1t is mucn
harder to solve.
the science of evolution, the philosophy OF
progress. Man begins life at zero. He is
the most helpless. because the most lgnor-
ton is included powers and possibilities
which, when fully evoked, will lift him to
a plane of being but remove from our
highest possible conception of Deity, lacking
but the attribute of infinity. But l Will
quit phlosophizblg and do some preaching.
lest my essay occupy more space than 1t Is
The late Professor r. T. Brown, A. NJ.
M. D., of Indiana, in an essay on the SUD-
ject l am now discussing. said "A happy
old age is simply the sequel OF Weli-spent
life" Again he said: THE symmetrical de-
velopment of all the physical organs is the
first and indispensable condition of long
life. And mental activity, moral docility
and cheerful disposition are the he, essentials
He further held that diversity of culture
and employment were essential to full or.
dered physical and mental development and
health.
Professor Brown was an illustrious exam
pie of his own teaching. He was puny
vigorous man, especially after his thirtieth
year. / knew him personally from his fif-
tieth year until his Death at f egh hiy
lips He was born and bred on a farm,
became a surveyor and civil engineer, then
IL ffnra of a
was forty, graduating with high honors,
then studied theology, and during the re-
mainder of his life he was college profes-
sor. a physician, preacher, popular lee
turer upon various subjects and a voluml-
nous writer. He was one of the busiest
men ever knew, yet he never seemed in a
hurry He was a wholesome man, physi-
cally, mentally and morally, genial, COM
psniopaole an man ana 1byacan be beeved
far more in hygiene than in drugs, and as a
preacher he placed more stress upon moral
ethics than upon theologic dogma, and as
a teacher he strove to draw out rather than
cram his pupils. He attributed his vigorous
old age to his knowledge of an obedience
sition, and to diversified and constant em-
ployment Of all his powers in use
d9l tiass Fight pt ACTIVITY IN this NY oWn
experience as well as wide observation,
confirms me in this view. Like Prof. Brown,
1 was born and bred on farm. Like him.
/ was a youth of delicate physique; like
him. 1 reached manhoods estate with small
promise OF long IICs anu ike IhIl, was
saved from the misfortune of an early death
by the earnest study of the laws of life and
obedience to those laws so far as | under
stood them. Like him, / have lived a life
of diversified activity as a physician, lee
turer, editor, publisher, author, ETC. / have
enjoyed my work; hence my life has been
a happy life, and happiness is essential to
health and longevity. l learned in my boy
hood that FORK is better than play, that 1t
is more -. oyable, hence more conducive to
health and to physical and mental develop
ment. YOU don't believe it? That is be-
philosophy of work. Work is simply utiliz-
ing the law of activity in a practical and
profitable Play is utilizing the law OF
activity 4nprofitable way. That is the
sole diff ce between work and play
Work is lays enjoyable when performed
Work and labor is not the same. Labor is
work carried to excess; work performed by
a weary person, or by one who is driven to
it by cruel necessity or by the lash of
master.
One of the problems of social science is to
that belong to labor. Society is in an abnor-
NAL state when any of its members are idle.
or take exercise in the form of play, and
other members are forced to labor for the
support of the idlers well for their
own support. The idle rich and the toiling
suner from disease and die prematurely.
Neither those who live in idle luxury and
devote their energies to vicious or vain
amusements, nor those who toll from to
sun for a meagre subsistence can grow old
gracefully, because neither of them fulfill
fully, or to grow old at ALL one must live
harmoniousy active, virtuous, useful
life and he alone who lives that sort Of life
enjoys life man should enjoy life.