The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-04-04

A man who, In his time, was a brill
liant and conspicuous figure in the
world Is now old, broken in health
and fortune and compelled by circum-
stances to live In q dreary little VII
lage.
II have nothing left now but m
memories he wrote the other day to
"A friend, but do not pity me for that
because ! am happy in thinking Of the
In this dull little hamlet. live in
Washington, New York, London, Paris
and all the cities that I knew so well
In my youth. My companions are not
the provincial and stupid yokels that
surround me. | am hobnobbing with
statesmen, financlers and the men that
make things happen. | am listening to
the chatter of fine ladies' in silken
boudoirs, | am laughing over the
stories of wits whose tongues have
been dust and ashes almost half a
century.
when l look out OF my window |
do not see a struggling, muddy, ill-kept
village street. | see Fifth avenue gilt
tering In polished sunshine in the after
] see the lions Of Trafalgar
square, or the cherry blossoms in the
parks OF Toxic in April.
Believe me the poet was wrong
when he said that sorrows crown of
sorrow Is remembering happier things.
10 my mind the ultimate sorrow Is for
one to have nothing happy to remem-
Der In ones old age"
Can you think Of a finer example OF
the brave attitude toward life than
this man holds7 No weak whining
over his present estate, but a calm
and accomplishing acceptance OF II
with a philosophy that robs 1t OF It's
hardness! No bitter railing at the
unjustness Of fate in depriving him OF
l tha vtarIaa that apRa yyara HE hnf n
deep and abiding t~hankfulness for all
the pleasures and privileges thai he has
hadl
And what a lesson he teaches us
about the Importance Of laying up u
treasure OF memory for u old age
upon which we can call when our inter
ests In the active everyday work about
us have become thin and attentuated!
Every wise man, from solomon down,
has tried to impress upon us the neces-
sity OF saving up enough money, while
we are young and strong, to support
us during our old age, SO that we may
be saved from the misery OF depend
ence and the shame OF being a burden
upon others.
But nobody ever tells us that II Is
as important to provide spiritual sus-
tenance for our old age as II Is to
provide physical, and that unless we
have stored up within ourselves some
mental riches, we are bound to be de-
pendent on others for our entertain
ment and our happiness when we come
to the time OF life when we are just
an onlooker at the game.
And the old who are spiritual para
sites are more to be pitied, poorer,
more forlorn and more OF a drag on
other people than are the old who
merely have no money and make no
call upon us save upon our pocket
books,
II is well for us to begin early 70
provide against this rainy day OF old
age. and there Is no better way than
by laying up a store OF memories that
will be a bottomless treasure chest into
which we can dip at will, and gloat
over as a miser does his boarded gold.
The great argument against living IN
a rut, and doing the same things over
day after day, Is not so much that II
is duh and monotonous and narrowing
10 the individual, as that its memories
are so few and so drab and tiresome
Think what II must be to the old man
and woman of so TO have nothing "a
recall but an endless procession OF days
In which they got up at the same time.
did the same little round OF tasks, mel
the same people and went to bed a.
the same hour, after having wound the
same clock and put a procession OF cats
with the same names out OF doors.
Similarly the great argument In faVol
Of travelling Is not alone the present