The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-06-19
OLD AGE BEATEN
One of the Marked Phenomena of
Life in the Present Gener- I.
alton of Men,
The Comradeship Of Old and Young
Tends to More Of an Equal
ization.
New York Commercial Advertiser.

l. New York Commercial Advertiser.
I One Of the most marked phenomena of
life in the present generation is the length
lening OUT of that period during which a
man Scr a woman is generally spoken OF
as young 0neaneed go back only al few
decades In order to discover a wholly
|different standard accepted by all. Take,
for instance, Anthony Trollope's Last
Chronicle Of Barset." In that powerful
ttho gloomy book a very attractive girl of
20 falls in love with Henry Grantley, son
Of the famous archdeacon. Now, the girl
bis very poor, and Grantley is very we'll off.
EHe Is also a man Of excellent position,
Eof spotless character and a genial tenn
per- Why, then, should the girl not mar
Try him? Various reasons are assigned,
Eand among them is mentioned the fact
that he is rather old for her. The reader
| Of to-day would at once assume that
young GrantIey must be at least 40; but,
as matter Of fact, he is-29! Now, in
these days, instead Of thinking him too
old for a girl Of 20, we should feel that
he had only just about reached the age
at which it would be wise for him to
| think of marrying at ALL,
| 1t is very much the same with women,
| too The woman of 80 was long ago rec
ognized in France as the woman who has
only just become a woman, and Who,-be
! fore that time, has been only young
girl, charming, Of course, but lacking a
certain attractive quality which never be-
longs to the immature. This same dis
covery has now been made in Anglo Saxon
countries, where the old maid: of former
times seems to have disappeared anc
where, the very young maid has to put
Iup with the position Of a wall flower. Ii
other words this generation has narrowed
1.-THE limits Of old age so that our modern
classification corresponds pretty we'll witt
that which prevailed in ancient Rome
L. a- o@11o s,,xyo Sc h
was 45, and where he did not become Sc.
mex until he was over so. =. $
| What is the reason Of the very striking
echange not only in out mental attitude
toward persons Of different ages, but in
actual retention by the middle aged Of the
( attributes of youth? An English writer
who has recognized the fact, accounts
| for it by saying that in our time the old
fashioned barriers of formality and re-
straint between persons of different ages
have been broken down in the freer anC
| less conventional atmosphere of modern
life. The modern father is no longer ''ths
governor Significant phraseD he Is nj
longer 1.-The stern parent (phrase still
more Significantly, he is no longer thu
L He is-ilis sons companion, entering int,
all their sports and beating them at mos
/ of them, riding, shooting, playing at bill
lizards with them, and cutting them on
with the pretty girls The ethical side o
this marked change deserves considera
ton, so admirable have been its effects
But this matter is foreign to our theme
The eomradeship of old and young is i'm
, portant mentally and physically, becaus
!, it keeps the men Of middle age in perfec
sympathy with YOUTH, preserving his yes
, for youthful pleasures, and giving him tn
hopeful attitude toward life which is a
essential characteristic Of the young
This, perhaps, is the true explanation 9
|, the fact which we have here brought for
) ward; or, at any rate, in default of a NOR
plausible theory, it may be PROVISIONAL
: accepted OF the fact itself, there can b
) no doubt, and it is the more remarkabl
because the life we live is one Of a ia
I greater strain than that which our fore
fathers knew, charged as it is with a
almost electrical activity and restlessnes!
\ flld as it is with thousand forms {
# nerve destroying excitement, and maxim
\ large draugtts upon the vitality of thos
J who try to keep the pace which is sc
/. for them by usage and example. The oil
!. ought to be older than they ever were be
I; fore; but as a bit of actual truth tn
:. years rest lightly on the men and wome
5 whom we know, and it often seems q
1. though instead Of growing older, the
: were really growing younger every da.