Fergus County argus., 1906-01-12
JOYS OF OLD AGE.
The Horror Of Growing Old a ConfIic

The Horror Of Growing Old Conflict
With Natures Pleasing Laws.
There are great many people who
have perfect horror of growing old.
They feel that all the joy of life is
found in being young, and every gray
hair or wrinkle that comes provoke a
sigh. Sometimes the effort that is
made to disguise the signs of advanc-
ing age is pathetic in the extreme.
To look as young as possible, people
will torture themselves in the most
barbaric fashion, and even when they
do not inf1ict torture on themselves,
they will adopt a style of dress very
unbecoming to one of their years. a
style whose only effect is to provoke
much laughter
We should learn to grow old grace.
fully. And really there is no sin or
crime in growing old. Gray hair and
wrinkles are not penalties for our mis-.
deeds. To grow old gracefully is a
fine art, just as youth is, and the re.
spect which youth always feels for
old age, when old age is worthily
borne, should remove any feelings OF
disgust which men and women OF
years may have for 1t.
There is a great law of compensa.
tion running through life, and if youth
has many advantages denied to old
age. it is equally true that the many
advantages accrue to old age of which
youth is quite ignorant. There is q
strength Of limb in the boy, a certain
vivacity of spirit in a girl, which the
older men and women have left be
hind But, on the other hand, the
years have brought wisdom, and many
a boy and girl would willingly relin
quish much of their charm to acquire
the riches of this storehouse of their
elders.
Many people have such horror OF
old age that they refuse to tell theil
age. And every now and then, one
person hears of some person who
would pass for a philosopher who ad
vises silence on this score on the
ground that age should not be recog
nized. Such person is not philOs
opher: he is only a charlatan posing
as one. Whether We acknowledge oul
age or not, time will leave it's mark
The lips may preserve silence or ever
| lie. but the face will tell the tale. ne
matter how deeply it may be masked
Between man and nature may be
| found close union. In both are the
four seasons, and each of these sea
sons has a charm that may be fount
in none of the others. For man tt
deny that he is living in the autumn
of his age were as sensible as to den!
the autumn of the year. And though
Bryant has referred to this season a!
one of melancholy days" and the "sad
dest of the year." autumn with it,
teeming harvests and rich colOrings o
foliage reveals most plainly tn,
thoughts which paint the golden year
Thus it is with the autumn of man.
days. To have lived useful life,
life full of good works and rich IL
sympathy and love is enough. Th
autumn of life will be a period il
which every nobility of thought an,
deed will stand out to the view of tn
world. FURNISHED like the foliage O
the forests. And just as when the leaf
it's seasons work all done, the brighte
color in which triumph was proclaimed
for a moment having faded, yields tt
the gentle breeze that quietly detacn
es it from the parent stem to res
with its brethren of thousand thOus
and years without sigh of regret, 81
man with his work all done and wei
DONE the serene and gentle autumn o
his life having been spent, should lool
forward with joy to the inevitabl
passing from those mortal scenes t
whatever the veiled future has resery
ed for us.