Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-04-08
THE SPACE FOR HAPPINESS

| TO be Shoddy and equally certain of
being cast off by inamorata.
This is the spectacle cast by men of
1890, whose affinity never equals him
in age, but always is selected for her
youth and charm, rightly the property
of another youth. For the selfish JOY
, of warming over his outworn pas
sions he prostitutes youth with age.
AS the calyx Of the lily is desecrated
by fiendish hand, anxious to destroy
last vestige Of its beauty, so he grasps
this young and eager thing in I'M
tender embrace, exchanging for a fee
ing pleasure a home, wife, children,
friends, and annihilates the castle of
peace built from memories of unself-
ish deeds and adherence to duty.
Not long since happy chance gave
one the privilege of looking in on a
man who this summer will have net
ted his SIND birthday. The call was
| unexpected, if eXpedient and the Wis
itor was halted into speechlessness at
the sight the door rendered as the
young granddaughter presented him.
At table, book on knee, sat the pat
, riarch, reading aloud. Across the way
his wife was seated. sewing in hand,
| two married daughters were similarly
| employed and the sons were listening
to the narrative. Young folk and
| children in room beyond were hav-
| ing various forms of amusement and
young girl sat at the piano All the
persons in the rooms, except the in
truder, were of the mans family Chill
dren, grandchildren, sons-in-law and
| prospective or two, They could not
| see the birds eye view of their con-
/ tented happiness as it was flashed by
| the visitor. 1t was a common gather
! ing for them, one could see that, and
| one could cry for very joy that here
was a real home, humble to be sure,
| but perfect in its unity. One could not
! by any stretch of the imagination fan
/ cy this venerable man seeker after
! exotic pleasure at the expense of the
. foundation of his home. He was truly
| unconscious that he had accomplished
what today looks like the unusual. in
/ fetching to fruition his dream OF
wife. children, home.
Of course, it isn't an altogether
unique case, but when one reads and
reads the serial story never conclud-
! ing of the divorce courts, pictures the
resultant wreckage, the unoffending
children swept into the path of i'm
pending woe. one feels like hallowine
the supplemented who walk the way
of Truth, Sacrifice and Duty.
If one is So years old the day to look
forward to is ones 45th year, not
backward to that of %. The 18th year
is no longer in existence, and the
man or woman who haunts the door.
way Of his past. bewailing like an evi,
ghostly spirit the loss or color of his
hair, or the smoothness of his flesh
and outgrown emotions, is wandering
in an empty house. gibbering IN
beetle chasing the chimera of youth.
Let life here conclude as Ingersol
so beautifully expresses it: "Ther
locks of gray, and growing love o
other days and half-rememberet
things-holding the withered hands o
those who first held his, while owe
dim and loving eyes death softl!
presses down the lids OF rest And so
locking in marriage vows his chill
dren's hands and crossing others OF
the breasts of peace, with daughters
babes upon his knees. the white hal
minglng with the gold, he journey
on from day to day to that horizon
where the dusk is waiting for tn
night At last, sitting by the hol
hearth of home as evenings ember
change from red to gray, he fall
asleep within the arms of her he wor
SHIPPED and adored, feeling upon hi
pallid lips loves last and holies
kiss"