The Cairo bulletin., 1905-03-26

They were walking "cube roots or in
carnated "datiye cases" or petriliei ex-
amples Of Doric or Corinthian archi-
lecture. They seemed to be men who
had learned one thing well. but as soon
as they had mastered that one line OF
study all their mental faculties were
then allowed TO become dormant. Thus
they withered up into fossllized and
embalmed old age
| Conditions In our college faculties
have radically changed since the time
| went TO college. DR. William Il. Har-
per- the great president of Chicago uni
verslty. has led in this mighty reform.
AS the head of one of the greatest uni
yerslties of the west he has practically
said this: I'VE do not want any of our
college professors to mark time IN this
mental advancement. We expect them
not only TO do their class room work,
but to keep Oh In their original investi.
cations. These Investigations each year
are expected TO take wider and wider
scope. And what will be the result?
Instead of Chicago university faculty
being bnrdened in the future with a lot
or old men at forty or fifty years of age
II viii be blessed with number of
young men-young in heart. young in
mind, young in purpose at seventy or
even eighty years of age.
"Oh, no" says some one to me: that
Is not right. If | work and work hard
up to sixty years' of age have a right
to retire from work ANA have a good
rest, If live ten years more | intend
to hand over tile business TO the boys
and just turn myself out TO grass ANA
do nothing but play and play and play.
| know If | can stop work can live
longer and have a good time besides"
Is that your idea of tile way Of spend
ing your years when you pass the three
score milestone? Well. my friend If
that Is your expectation Of spending
your life when your hair has become
sllyered | tell you you viii be doomed
to bitter disappointment. In the first
place, you Will not have a good time If |
you stop working. In the second place. |
If you stop working, instead of prolong-
ing your life, as You expect You will
shorten il by many years. | have rare
ly seen it fail where man voluntarily |
gives up work 50 that he can pass IL |
lazy old age that lie is a mlserably I'M
happy being and finds premature /
grave. And | have rarely found it TO
fail II an old man branches out in new
work that the years Of his earthly life
are Increased.
Hard Work ard Long Life.
As a rule, the greatest thinkers and
the hardest mental workers IN the
world have been among the longest |
lived men Study the long list OF men |
old IN years, but young in heart, branch
ing out into new work when at seventy |
years or beyond, Marden, in his book
Pushing to the Front" has a marvel |
GUS collection of Illustrations In refer
ence to this fact Dandolo. the doge Of
Venice, was warrior who led his sol.
dlers In battle ut ninety-four and was
offered crown at nlnety.slx. Titan
ut nllety-nine was struck down with
the cholera in Venice when lie was at
work Oh one Of his canyases. Pope
Leo Nil. at nlnefy-threc was the most
powerful personality in all Europe
both on account OF his pontifical throne
and his own powerful mental equlp
nent. When an American bishop said
10 him, Your holiness, we hope God
may let Won live to become q centena-
rian," the pope answered: MY friend,
10 not try to limit the power Of God
expect to be as hard at work after
I'm a hundred years old as am now"
Or. Samuel Johnson wrote his greatest
Jook when nearly eighty james Watt
earned German when he was eighty
i've. Isaac Newton and BENJAMIN
were hard ut work on scien-
life subjects when over eighty Lord
palmerston and William f. Gladstone !
we're both prime ministers of England
It fourscore years. Robert Hail."
Jays Marden learned italian when
)ast sixty. Noah Webster mastered !
seventeen languages after he was fifty.
And some Of the best works Of Long
elbow, Whittier and Tennyson were
written after they We're seventy"
Aged friend, the reason you are I
rowing old and whitening up is be
ause you have stopped branching out y
You have taken in sail and are drift
ng. simply drifting, toward the rocks /
# death, and drifting fast. Take :
lew lease of life by taking a new inter
st in things. Study, study, study. !
York, work, work. Go and hear every I
ne singer and every good speaker and I
cad every new book that you can. I
he most foolis. law the United States 4
government ever made was when it es I
ablished old soldiers homes, where Z
he old veterans of the civil war could 4
% and live and do nothing If an old 4
older il physically helpless, then, Of 1
curse, he should he cared for But 4
veil soldier in Danyile. ILL.,, or Santa 4
Ionica, Cal, or Milwaukee. Wis, or I
be Old Soldiers home in Washington
hould be encouraged to work if he is 4
BILE to- Stagnation means premature q
cath, mental and physical as well as 4
piritual. at is better to wear out 4
han to rust out, Is a poor maxiip. 4
We have no right TO do either But I
7ould tell those who are coming ON a
= =. 4. :