The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-10-14

New Definitions of Words Needed for
the Vigorous Man Of Sixty Years.

New York Times.
An evening newspaper describes alter
cation between an ill-natured dog and an
aged bicyclist. for whom sympathy is in
vited by reason OF the fact that he is a
very venerable man, being nearly sixty
years of age
mature for one who makes a habit of bicy-
Gle riding, and to young and inexperienced
reporter II may seem that a person of that
age would do better TO walk sedately and
carry cane to defend himself against
vagrant dogs on the highway; but why a
very young reporter should have employed
me term aged man" To designate person
or nfty-seven or fifty-eight passes compre-
nension In addition to being inaccurate. IL
involves blazing indiscretion from the
point OF view Of the interests of the news
paper. since great many people who are
near sixty on either side of the line will be
apt TO resent 1t as a gratuitous affront TO a
large and influential body of citizens who
are not aged in any proper sense of the term,
and whose claim to that title and TO the
respect and consideration it carries with il
Will not materialize for another quarter Of
century at least.
Old and young are relative terms In
themselves they mean nothing. Every tend
ency Of modern life seems to be to make
the young older and the old younger than
would seem TO be to shorten life and precipi-
tate the earlier decay of mental and physi-
cal powers, but il does not seem to work
that way under modern conditions. Those
or us who can remember our grapdfathers
recall them as old and feeble men at ages
which now correspond with the ma ximum
OF activity and capacity. The retiring age
Is receding, and the busiest, most capable
and most formidable men one now encoun-
tiers in business are nearer sixty than any
other average age. Perhaps this means that
the man who has Appropriated or attained
the age of sixty has demonstrated that he
Is among the fittest to survive, and that he
has better assurance of growing really old
than many young men who think of sixty
as the dead line"-until they reach il or
pass II. But however this may be- the man
of sixty Is not now aged, nor vcnera BILE.
The chances are that he can walk as many
miles as any young man will choose To fol-
low him, and walk them as fast; that he
can give a good account of himself If any
of the boys" try to have fun with him;
that he can do good days work with
his hands as they, and very much better
days work with his head; that he has lost
little except frivolity and the mistaken
sense OF proportion which permits the mis-
guided youth to discover the possibility OF
satisfaction where none exists. and that
If yet the minstrers song, the poets lay.
| Spring with her birds. children at their play,
Or maiden's smile or heavenly dream of art
Stir the few life drops creeping round his heart
Turn to the record where his years told,
Count his gray hairs-they cannot make him
We need a new definition of such words
| applied to human beings, as old, aged, ven
| cradle. superannuated, and the like. Those
we have are doubtless correct enough as
definitions, but they inculcate false con-
cept.- A consensus of opinion among men OF
sixty or Whereabouts to how these words
should be defined for correct colloouial usage
would enrich our language.