The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1902-06-10


this suhiunary world Ihcro arc siNtE
millions of them tvg-f ycar ana that
means about one hundred ana ftty thou
sand every day or s.x thousand ,yery
hour Just THINK Or it-oypry mluut, one
hundred mortal sous come into ta.s
world 10 llve and dis. fer good or far
cyil-for happiness or msetr ~ far
back as We have any history. sacred
or profanc. kings and princess haze cslt-
brated their birthdays With fyasis ana
wine and song ana even the humble and
the poor take note Of their annual re-
turn Pharaoh celebrated his in JosHrh
day and ii was on Herod's birthday that
the daughter or Hcrodias danced before
him ard asked him 70. the head OF John
the BAPTIST.
| was Illuminating about this because
today is a notable birthday il my fam
ily. The maternal ancestor has ~ last
reached her three-score years and ton
the allotted age OF man and woman kind.
and from now on every day she lives
will be one Of grace David saws MAT
the DAYS of our years are three score
years and ten, but if by reason Of
strength they be four score years yet IS
| their strength, labor and sorrow. Poor
old man he did have Il troubled life lie
sinned and he repented in great anguish
as he exclaimed My sin is ever before
me- solomon saith, THE day or 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 or
/ lamcntation. The max;ms and precepts
CT these old prophets and preachers arc
Wonderfully beautiful and have never
been equalled. but great men are not al
ways wise. and even solomon fell from
+ y
said, ,Rejoice in the wife of thy youth
and be thou always rayished with her
love" forsook his own and consorted
with a thousand others of all nations
creeds and colors. He reigned eighty
years and died a disappointed, dishonored,
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 a Lapland night
and another poet SAYS: The world is
very lovely. Oh my God, | thank Three 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 ptiful to look upon an old
man who never smiles. VINO has out
lived all social pleasures and whose com
pany is neither sought nor desired. For
the sake Of our nciEhbors and friends
it is our duty to be cheerful in their
company We should sometimes smile
even il wo have to force it. Let us grow
cid gracefully. | have now in mind just
such an one-a hale, healthy old time
gentleman Of four score years, whose
/ presence is always welcome and whose
children grandchildren and ncighbors
and friends give him glad greeting when
,r-J,a. :,
dies. for the world is better that he lives
IN it. His Christian faith, his moral
conduct. his good example ANA his cheer
full disposition are a bencdiction TO the
community
But ! was thinking about my wife 5
birthday There arc thirty-sevcn birth
days in our family, and she knows them
all and never forgets them. They aver
about three q month but this one Of
hers is very notable one for she IS the
maternal ancestor, and this day fHliills
Ter years and crosses tho line. Seventy
years ago she was horn. and not long
after that the stars fell Or course they
did. Seventy IS q numeral Of sacred
significance. There were seventy elders
of Israel ard seventy wise men compiled
the Old Testament. The jews were kept
in captivity seventy years. The Lord
preach ana teach the people and seventy
years IS the allotted age Of mankind
But nv wife IS not old. Time has not
written wrinkles on her broH nor fun
rows on hcr check nor siIvored her raven
hair. If the long war had not inter
yened she would not look more than 80
years now. But the wear and tear OF tho
war and anxiety while fleeing from th"
foul inavder. with six Iitt!o hungry chill
drcn tagging after her, made years u
months and wncFs CT days. But women
especially mothers can endure more dis
tress and suffering than men. The ma
ternal instinct keeps them UP. They
can suffer and be strong it looks like
the motherhood Of tea children would
wear woman ont. bat they seem 10
thrive on it. ard late in life thoy take
on flesh and round I'D all thc corners. But
they mover. stop work. Nv wife has
made over five thousand little garments
and is still making them, for the liJtlc
grandchildren keep coming on. Her repg-
taticn fer nice needlework ard making
buttonholcs has been long established.
ard she is proud OF it, She never STOPS
sewing until she lescs her spectacles. and
then she borroWs miro. 10, shc is not
old. James PusseH Lowell said Of julia
W@rd Howe en- Ter sevcnticth birthday
that II H5s better 10 b. ~ ycals young
than 10 years Old. L is this endurance
this cheorfuIncs= .a adyarsl,y that makes
tho women ou;Iirc tn. men. There Or
three fiiacs IS many wiIoEs il th!s com
muritv a. ~:dovor, There are seven
tocn in our little Presbyterian church and
orly four widorcTa. and ttc war WIS
not the cause Of it. Maternal love is
prcscryativc Of health. ! is 4 tonic.
promoter of digestion, a panacca, where
as 4 man Will pursue money until he
loses his digestion. ST. Pau said that
The love Of money IS the root Of all
evil. but he had no thought Of apply
ing it to wcmcn, for she has no love for
money. If she gets any she is not happy
Until she alend5 IT, Tho gills said their