The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-11-14
is OLD ACE THE
HAPPIEST PERIOD?
There Are Many Reasons Why 1t
Should Be the Happiest Time
of Life.

Which is more favorable for happi,
youth or old ageY
To most people at the first blush the
question seems ridiculous. youth, /"
they are apt to exclaim, is the very
springtime Of happiness; what can you
expect from the winter Of old age?'
And yet, here's the testimony of no
less parsonage than Joseph IL Choate,
who in his 18th year declared: I'm
doubtedly the happiest time in life is
between 20 and So
In Plato's Republic" an old chap is
introduced at the very outset of the
work, who tells some young interroga
tors that he never was really happy
until he became aged.
Prof. William Lyon Phelps, address
ing an audience at Andoyer recently,
spoke of woman of 50, who had told
him that she considered old age more
favorable than youth for happiness,
He asked her, Are you as happy as
when YOU were 1877
There isn't any comparison she
replied. II am immeasurably happier
now than then For now | have the
most precious thing in the world in
diyidual liberty"
What she means by individual lib
erty" was probably the same thing that
the aged man in Plato's Republic ex
pressed more freely freedom from the
goadings of the passions 60 which
youth. for the most part is enslayed
Another factor included by Prof
Phelps among the goods which add to
the sum of happiness in old age is that
the aged carry about with them a
greater fund of interesting thoughts
than the young people. In those rare
cases in which this really is so, Prof
Phelps observation is perfectly true
But, alas! unless the power to think
Interestingly exists in youth, it viii
only not come with age, but viii even
wane. And as the great fund of inter.
esting thoughts can be gathered only
where this power exists, the minds of
aged people viii be either richly
freighted or barren, accordingly as
their younger years were occupied in
gathering interesting information or in
Sowing wild oats.
Nothing can be comparable to the
happiness Of the aged person who has
well-endowed richly stocked mind from
which he can Gull at pleasure whatever
the moments need or fancy may sug.
gest Nor can there be conceived any
thing more utterly wretched and for.
lorn than the empty headed, worn-out
old libortine to whom every moment is
fraught with an oppressive ennui from
which nothing can relieve him except
that of which he is most in dread
the grave.
9 It is. Of course, vain to bid youth i'm
prove its golden hours by laying up
mental treasures, which are destined
to become so great a source of happi-
ness in later years. Minds, as well rs
characters, are largely what our ances.
tors have made them for us: and
therefore, Just as no amount Of preach.
ing will ever give natural.born scoun-
drel good disposition, SO neither viii
years of teaching in colleges and uni
yersities serve to convert a Ounce into
savant. Nevertheless, there is some
degree OF proficiency possible in both
cases by long enough and perseyerng
enough preaching and teaching. And,
therefore, If young Ounce has useful
and interesting information dinned into
his ears long enough he may carry
some part Of it into his old age to re-
deem him from that insutTerable ted