The De Soto County news. [volume] (Arcadia, Fla.) 1898-1924, 1916-09-14
YEARS AND AGE.

same standard, but the rest of
our lives by the vigOr of our bod
les and minds-by what We can
do.
It's Il hard prOpositiOn-this
growing old-hard to realize,
and harder still to accommodate
ourselves to; almost as hard to
realize as the fact that our chill.
dren are growing up and are
crowding ont ont of the strenu.
Gus things Of life.
Americans are credited with
the ambition TO "die in the har.
ness. =" 1t used to be in tie old
western daya, to meet the end
with our "boots on" And why
not? Why should the last ten or
twenty years of an active life he
spent in useless inactivity? why
should any of us lose even n part
Of the tense interest in human
activities that filled our best
years?
There's Il good reason why
many. if not most, of us do Us
because we have wasted our CAPT
tal-Or used it too lavishly in
the prime of life. and it is ex.
hausted when we should still be-
active, our own physical weak
nesses concern us TO the eXclu-
sion of wider and bigger things.
Soon we are forgotten and go to
the scrap heap before our time.
Is there anything more pit'a.
BILE than a man OF 80 or 60 totter
ing about with the weaknesses o;
so years, complaining of his own
private assortment of ills and n
nuisance to everybody? On the
other hand what is grander than
the man of 10 or so years smiling
and loved 5v all taking an active
and intelligent interest and sym.
pathy in the affairs of younger
men, and giving no advice unless
it is asked for?
Under present conditions of
health knowledge and sanitation.
one of every four Americans dies
before he is five years old, and
One-third never complete their
twentieth year. 1t is only the
tittest that survive to do the real
work Of life. Like the soldiers
that make our armies, they are
picked men. But why shouldn't
the picked be fit, be a larger pro.
portion of those who start in the
race?
Most of the babies die because
they don't have a fair start in
life from unfit parentage. This
inheritance may have its innu.
ence to mature years. but when
a mans strength carries him
through the first score of years.
it's largely his own fault if il
doesn't take him to his rightful
three score and ten.
The conservation of energy.
the conservative use of ones
physical strength, adds to that
strength. 1t makes him ready TO
meet emergencies that demand
the greatest continued exertion
Engineers calculate the deterio.
ration Of rapidly moving machin.
cry at 20 per cent. or more each
wears. The slower machine NAV
last ten or twenty wears.
MI of which suggests that the
human machinc-more compiled
ted than any vet devised nv man
requires careful watching
The strenuous cNcrtionS and
anNictirS of the thirtics and for
Ties ovcrtaN the hrticS and six
ties and bring the final break.
down ten or twenty years before
II is due. The prudent man
needs the warnings of hardening
arteries and stiffening muscles.
Of the headaches that come after
prolonged mental effort. of fail.
ing eyeSight, and Of the inability
to do or endure what once was
easy. And the prudent man
faces the fact that these warn.
ings are to he found. whether or
not he may sense them himself.
Always the oncoming wears
whether or nat they seem 10 he
ms full of vigor as those that are
gone, bring the wise necessity of
becoming closer intimate of
family doctor. With his training
he will detect the warnings that |
you don't believe exist-,yet. We, |