The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1905-03-07
read thus: Don't talk about your pains
and -FOUR ailments"

and Jour ailments"
Doctor, why did you put that sign
up!' I asked why" said he. 'tha,
sign has cured more Of my patients
than any twenty prescriptions I ever
wrote Every morning my sick people
would come down and greet each other
as follows: Good morning. How do you
feel? Did you sleep we'll last night? Is
your headache better? Then the per
son accosted would begin to rehearse
all the hours.she lay awake and all the
pains she had. BY the time she was
through the story her pains would
again begin to gnaw and her nerves to
| witch and she was on the way to an
other sleepless night. Don't talk about
| your ailments. 1t is by talking about
the troubles Of old age that we increas Sc
those troubles
But. though talking about Che A.ou-
bles Of old age always increases those
troubles, yet most people love to re-
hearse the mlsfortnnes of the past.
They never seem to be happy unless
| they are talking about their xlllseries,
be happy unless you are ready to talk
about them also and to expatinte upon
them. Benjamin Disraeli, late premier
of England. well understood this law.
| One day he was walking through one
| of the streets OF London when he met
| a gentleman. This man spoke TO him
as though they were old friends.
"Well," said Disraeli, how Is the old
complaint2" With that the gentleman
started Off on long account Of his
| troubles.
After they separated another man
| who was walking with the English
statesman at the time said. ''Disraeli,
who is your friend:" 81 do not know;
I do not remember ever seeing him be-
fore" WHY did you ask him. then,
How Is the old complaintT' oh
said Disraeli, "all old people have
| troubles Of some sort, and 1t pleases
| most Of them to talk about them. I
rarely make a mistake if I say, How
is your old complaintT 1t pleases them
to recount their troubles, and It does
| not hurt me-" Yes 1t may not have
hurt Disraeli when that man talked
about his troubles, but it did hurt the
speaker. The easiest Of ways to tighten
the burdens Of old age is to hide them
from the eyes Of others.
Fit Them to Take Your Place.
But lastly. remark, the easiest Of all
ways to renew youth /, to try to at
others to take your place after you
are gone. OF course take for granted
that I am today talking to Christians.
Now. as aged Christians, you are near
ing to bring you to your eternal reward.
As you are nearing heaven shall you
spend most Of your time talking about
heaven and its eternal rewards? Oh.
no. You must spend nearly all Of your
last days in fitting the young men and
women by your side to take your place.
You must b. to your son and your
daughter and your friends what Paul
was to Timothy, and Elijah was to
Elisha, and Christ was to his disciples.
In the anxiety to fit others to put Oh
your own armor you will find your own
heart throbbing with the ambitions of
youth. You will then find old age tax
ing on the beauties OF youth, even rs
in the Indian summer the flowers Of the
late autumn start to grow again after
the forests have incarnadined the leaves
with their LIES blood.
Old age should pass Its twilight hours
as I would pass the few intervening
days prior to making a long journey
away from home. If was to 90 to
Africa or Europe or Asia as an Ameri-
can soldier would spend my last days
here In weeping? Oh. no. would
spend the few days before sailed In
preparation. l. would say to my wife:
my dear, you do this or that or the
other thing after I am gone. / must
put enough money In the bank in yoar
name to meet your wants" II | was a
merchant would say to my son: ''Son,
you are now to take charge Of the store.
I do not want you to run into debt.
Keep the business going along on its
old lines" II had one boy who was a
maynard son would talk to him about
God and his future. | would try-ol,,
try 50 hard TO lead him to Christ. Each
moment Of my life would be spent in
the best way could for those l would
leave behind. And In looking after their
interests I would find my life growing
In beauty and In JOY. Aging men and
women, are we spending our last earth
" days like. this? Are we trying In ev-
| cry way TO 1T those who are to take our
| places to dc as well as we have done
or even better? As old doctors are we
helping the young physicians? AS old
ministers are. we guiding the young
ministers? As old Christians are We
| trying to make every one with whom
| we come In contact Christians? All,
| this is the chief way and the happiest
way that we can renew our youth and
| prepare ourselves for the eternal joys
Of the never ending youth Of heaven.
| When my father made his last visit
| to his old classmate, DR.. Suydam. he
| said: "Well, Suydam, we are coming
| near the end Of our earthly journey.
| How do you feel about itT' Some OF
| us are not rs OH rs was my father
| when he asked that preston at Sc, en-
ty years of age, but we are all heading
| toward old age. How will we feel