Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1902-06-04
Bills Wife Has Reached Three Score
Years and Ten.
AND SHE is STILL VERY ACTIVE,
Arp's Birthday Comes in Two Weeks
From Now, and He Thinks lie VIII
Get Nice Present.

millions of them every year and that
means about one hundred and fifty
thousand every lay or six thousand
every hour. Just think of it-every
minute one hundred mortal souls come
into this world-to live and die. for
good or for evil-for happiness or mis-
cry. AS far back as we have any his
tory. sacred or profane, kings all
princes have celebrated their BIRTH days
with feasts and wine and song and
even the humble and the poor take
note of their annual return. Pharaoh
celebrated his in Joseph's day and t
was on Herods birthday that the
daughter of Herodias danced before
him and asked him for the head of
John the Baptist.
/ was ruminating about this because
today is a notable birthday in my fam
lily. The matenial ancestor has at last
reached her three-score years and ten
the allotted age Of man and woman
Kind, and from now on every day she
lives Will be one OF grace. David says
that the days of our years are three
score years and ten, but II by reason
of strength they be four score years yet
is their strength labor and sorrow.
Poor old man, he did have a troubled
life He sinned and he repented in
great anguish. as he exclaimed. My
sin is ever before me-" Solomon saith,
The day Of ones death is better than
the day of his birth" And Job said.
Cursed is the night when | was born"
Jeremiah's life was one Of lamentation.
The maXims and procepts of these old
prophets and preachers are wonderful
| ly beautiful and have never been equal
led. but great men lre not always wise
and even Solomon fell from grace and
died accursed. The man who said. Re
| joice in the wife of thy youth and he
thou always ravishod with her love"
| forsook his own and conSorted with a
| thousand Others of all nations, creeds
and colors He reigned eighty years
and died disappointed. dshonored.
| degraded and miserable old man. But.
old age is not necessarily unhappy.
! The poet speaks OF
AN old age serene and bright.
AS lovely as n Lapland night"
and another poet says The world is
very lovely. Oh, my God. | thank Thee
that live" Our old age is very much
what we choose to make it. 1t is a sad
thing to be weary and tired with the
weight OF years 1t is pitiful to look
upon an old man who never smiles,
who has outlived all social pleasures
and whose company is neither sought
nor desired For the sake of cur neigh
bors and friends it is our duty to be
cheerful in their company. We should
sometimes smile even if we have 10
force it, Let us grow old gracefully.
h
a hale. healthy old time gentleman OF
four score years, whose presence is al
ways welcome and whose children,
grandchildren and neighbors and
friends give him glad greeting when he
comes. He will be missed when he
dies, for the wsrld is better that he
lives in it. His Christian faith his
moral conduct. his good example and
his cheerful disposition are a benedic-
tion to the community
But was thinking about 10y wife >
birthday. There are thirty-seven birth
days in our family. and she knows
them all and never forgets them
They average about three a month. hut
this one of hers is d very noJable one.
for she is the maternal ancestor, and
this day fuflls her years and crosses
the line. Seventy years ago she was
born. and not long rfter that the star.
fell OF course they did. Seventy is Il
numeral of sacred significance. There
were seventy elders of Israel and sev-
cntv wise men complied the O,d Testa-
ment. The Jews were kept in captivity
seventy years. The Lord sent
out seventy of his disciples
to preach and teach the peo-
pie. and seventy years is the allotted
age of mankind. But my wife is not Old.
Time has not written no wrinkles on
her brow nor burrows on her cheek nor
| silvcred her raven hair. If the long war
had not intervened she would not look
more than 30 years now Bu. the wear
and tear of the war and anxiety while
fleeing from the foul invader. with s:X
little hungry children tagging aTtc.
her. made years of months and weeks
OF days. But women. especially moth
crs. can endure more distress and SUI
forinG than men. The maternal instinct
keeps them UP. They can suffer and bt
strong. 1t looks like the motherhood u
ten children would wear a woman ont
but they seem TO thrive on ii, and late
in life they take on lesh and round III
all the corners. But they never ste;
work. My wife has made over five
thousand little garments and is stji
making them, for he little grandchil
dren keep coming IN. Her reputation
! for nice needleWork and making but
tonholes has been long established, an.
she Is proud of ii. She never stons sew
ing until she loses her spectacles, an,
then she borrows mine. No, she is no
J old James Russell lowell said OF Juli