The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-12-10
Art Of Growing Old

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with any distinction at tho SOS, ana @
after. requires, 1t would appear, rc-.}
spectacle amount OF talent and & $
great deal OF self-restraint. Ifere are, n
therefore. all tho clements that go to
the making of 4 promising new art,
and an art not risidly exclusive. but s
ono within the .cach Of ell who mere
~ live and wait.
We come across this sort of thing M
In odd corners Of magazin6s; in yehe
ment paragraphs 1t insislx upon tho
futlity of transparent aids" and
breaches beautiful and suitable re-
signation In antique lace and soft
gray silk. But tho real meaning OF ita
message goes beneath all this, and
centres round the soul. 1t, supposes s
only heaven knows why that to all
VINO Will refrain from fighting an un-
even hSht with time II Is given to
possess tact. a knowledge of life, a.
happy wit. sympathetic heart, in &
short. combination Of virtues which
one may meet perhaps once In a tflous-
and cases The conclusion Ia scarcely
logical, but articles on tho art OF 9
growing old do not hood such OBJ ~
stacles. though 1t would follow that
II tact. wit sympathy and soforth; +
blNuSS SdmC Win unNyGd mar ana
uuopposcd wrinkles, few would be kept
out of their Kingdom OF heaven by
peroxide and powder puff. Tho per-
feet old lady, as matter of fact, is r
born, not made: she is the perfect n
young woman grown old.
A Popular Myth. Wy
This myth of tho Journalists paint.
ing is attractive enough, and hence Its
popularity. Every country believes In
its conventional old lady with her lace, :
her silk, her white hair. her charm or
manner, rare intelligence and delicacy Il
I of soul: her projections vary no more
| than her way OF dressing. In spite Of
the general lamentations ovor tho
passing OF the old order OF woman-
| hood, tho world still clings resoIutely
to It's belief In this last remnant oc
feminine virtue. But, oomically
she never lived at all, to any app
probable extent. except in It's magma
| ton. At best our conventional, Dor
feet old lady is q happy accident, not
Il type. e}sf
| Nevertheless. she has inspires ali
! the sermons on the art of growing old +
| gracefully. Writers and readers alike
| believe, though they have not seer
| which does credit to their powers off,
faith. II not to their intelligence. Or
else they behold with the eyes OF an
! localized remembrance.
/ ouN VI II PHEASANT memory tho y
1 grandmother of their own, OF somo- &
| body clsc's youth (no moro akin to
| reality than such recollcctions are).
| they spin tale with a moral along
the came old lines. They contrast ir
| with the smart old ladies' or to-day.
pour contempt on tho fight which they
| maintain against overwhelming odds.
and sec nothing In this but affecta-3
ton, deterioration, degeneration and
as many other unpleasant cations" IA
their command OF language will OK
press. gjs
The New Way OF being Old.
One would be quite happy to agrca
| with them on their charming old
ladies'. IL. in their eloquent descrip-
tons, an admiring court were not in
| Nariably Insisted on. We are given TO
understand that theirs is II power or
| irresistible fascination, and this pre-
| sumbly. is To persuade us to forsal<e
the vanitics and go and do likewise.
But one sees no great difference be-
/ tween attracting by virtue of a pink
| ana white complexion or thanks to an
| understanding soul, so long as In both
ca 3cs there is the deliberate Intention
TO attract. Our charming old lady is
the same coquette on higher plane;
the difference is one OF degree, not
one OF kind. 4
| Therefore, give us the straIchtfor
ward, uncomplicutcd old ladies of to-
day They pin their faith to an cSpert
hair dresser. II competent beauty doc
tor clever masseuse. an EXPENSIVE
corsetierc, and to other aidcrs and
abettors In the cause OF fraudulent
youth They have been pleasant to
look upon, and they are determined
To keep up ut least the shadow of tho
substance and do not count the cost.
II the Impression suyors of the stcri-
liZed flower rather than that OF tho
rosebud, 1t is, nevertheless. credltabIe
enough. Why denounce the means
when the end Will give US a pleasant
world. where everybody is either
young or still" young?
Disappearing Types. 81
There is something quite magnif-
cent in small way in this cour-
aScous front turned over to tho enemy,
this untirinG resistance carried on
against heavy odds. How long Is IL
since thirty meant the swans song OF
| ones youth? Nowadays we smile Mt
tsuch Oriental Ideas, hut forget that IS
We owe our. new advantages to the va
liant battling of once upon a time old
women. At forty to-day. IL woman Is
in the hcydey oil her youth; at nifty It (
is always noted that she Is t"still"
young. at sixty she is given to men-
honinS old women like myself in
the hope of being contradicted; ar
seventy she is still far from the lace.
t',c SILK and the white hair of resiS
nation. To retain youth is the truo
art OF growing old.
The result is that so much takinE,
of pains has added considerably TO tina
beauty Of the outlook. Pretty women
are iar more numerous than or old,
not because the race is improving, but
because everybody is more or less at
tractive, the really young. the still y
Young and the old who must be con
| tfauictp.. Fashion p,ny LIS.
partly responsiblc: wells are kind, hats
scrcc,. charitahly, hair is easily bought,
figures are not always what they seem.
Tut articc was not invented yester-
day. enough never has it been more
conspicuousy successful. #"Whas are