The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1903-12-22
VIII.
OLD AGE HUMBUGS AND THE
GRANGE.
VIII.
CONTINUED.


(Continued,)
We had Just finished supper. and seated
ourselves In front of the fireplace, father
and /. while the girls were awashing up
the dishes. and Jonathan was at the barn
adoin' the chores. i tried to introduce the
subject TO federation OF the Grange meet
in that was goin' to be held down at
Howards Valley the next week, when
some important matters were To be con-
sidered in which he and all OF the farmers
were specially interested. But somehow
he seemed 10 be in IA different turn of
mind. and not ready TO talk on that line.
for he broke right out with something
that seemed TO have been Weighing on his
mind about growing old" And It seemed
TO be a great relief TO unload his mind,
so that he might git a little sympathy
along his line of thought. But precious
little sympathy did he git, for l don't be-
heve in such nonsense. But he kept right
on and says, says he:
Yes Mother, we are growing older and
older every day We live, and begin 10
feel il as the years go by with my rheu-
matiz and one thing and another
Then he went in tn say, We'll, we can't
everybody when they must give up the
frivolity OF youth and take on the frost
OF the winter OF our existence, when
things begin 20 grow faded and dim.
Yes" says /, you've lived sixty years
of the millions and millions OF years that
your soul has got TO live In. and now you
are beginning to complain about old age
You ought to be ashamed OF yourself
OF course you can't jump the farmyard
fence as spry as you used To when you
was a boy but land of goodness / don't
see why your soul should git shr1veled
up and infirm just because there's rheu-
matiz in your bones. Conscience just stop
and think OF IL! The idea OF a human be-
ing's soul getting bald headed and paIsted
at sixty It's nonsense! My notion is
that nobodys any right TO grow old In
the spirit, but 30 keep toreverlasnngly
young. Don't our church song book say:
when we've been there ten thousand
years
Bright shining as the sun,
We've no less days 10 sing Gods praise
than
When we fust besun2'
well now it amt at all likely that
we'll shine very bright In our natures
after ten thousand years. IL we are agoln
TO git so crippled in our makeup at the
age Of sixty that We want TO cheat our
children and the young folks out OF all
the pleasures OF life that we've grown out
OF and don't care anything about any
longer That sort OF nature would spire
our voices for singing praises long enough
before ten thousand years go by. / should
say:
They'd be better tuned to sing harsh
tones in criticising rhyme,
Attaining everybody else for the sins Of
our time"
'"The body will grow infirm, OF course,
but there aln't any more sense OF the
soul growing inirm than there is or the
stars growing infirm and losing thir lus-
tire Keep as young In your spirit as your
children keep young I'm their bodies ana
vou'u never grumble OF the creeping on
OF old age.
Well. federation says that I'm always
sheading him of whenever he has any
thing in his mind that borders on senu-
ment and that I'm always trying 10 make
him out a disconsolate mortal without any
sunshine I'm his nature. But there's more
truth than poetry in what told him.
He amt the worst husband that ever
was but he's dreadfully given to being
of a shifting kind OF mind; sort OF pes
simistic when things don't go 20 suit him
in every way. But II there's dollar In
sight he's wonderfully fond OF figuring
how TO get it, which seems TO be his be-
Getting sin.
ast week he was reading Swift & Com
pany's annual report and when he came
to the place where they slaughtered al
most 10 900 hogs I'm single day, federation
he figured out how the farmers or the
United States could control the hog busi-
ness OF the country by subscribing two
dollars a piece. buy out the hog depart
nents of all the big slaughter houses of
the country and make millions OF dol
lars He figured that 81 was enough sight
better than farming. and believed he'd try
TO start the syndicate.
Then / says To him, why under the
sun is Il that men are foreverlastinxly
trying TO form syndicates to make more
money by. but when IL comes to church
work they haven't got ambition enough
70 ask for n single donationl
Then | SAYS, "Why don't you men folks
try TO form n syndicate for the purpose
OF trying to cave mems souls from eternal
damnationi why don't you do thatp
well" says liberation. II suppose It's
because mankind in general think more OF
n mans soul''
II he ever told the truth he told It then.
''Man as a rule" says /. thinks about
as much OF human beings as he does OF
animals, as you say, for l remember how
tho man down at Naples in the state OF
Maine. after he'd found a woman who
Thought she could endure him for the re-
rnainder OF her life, after the marriage
ceremony had been performed by the
Justice OF the peace. he took the justice
one side and said 10 him, i amt got any
money. squire. but Two got pig over TO
the house that ! paid four dollars for,
and II you'll take that as pay. how
much'n YOU give me ter boot7 "
well" says federation. "that'll do for
yarn"
'There ain't no yarn about It," says I,
.'for the Justice that married them told
me about II himself
WANTED to say something probably"
says he.
"Yes. and think he did, says i. "and
ne said something that was awful close Ia
the truth. and fits most men In one way
or another II goes 10 show that some men