Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-06-20
!. ~ BLAKH ssevE1sH

rHAUNCBY N. DEPEW II eishty~
~ FIVE years old.
Yet today he is as full OF the zeA
Of life ~ eyer, his voice IS still strong
and hearty and the whimsical humor
that has made him q national character
as an after, dinner sneaker for more
than sixty years is as fresh ~ thirty
years ago.
The laugh that has never failed to
echo after one of his witty stories is
far removed from the familiar cackle
Of old age. His mind is far distant
from the stage where men who are old
dwell in She buried past. Indeed, the
weight Of eighty five years has even
failed to bend his shoulders.
so you would like to know what
thoughts a new birthday brings to me?"
asked Mr.. Depew smilingly after we
we're seated in the reception room Of
his New York home at ~ West Fifty
fourth street.
Young man, you don't appreciate, ! !.
fear, how risky that is. Some time
ago the papers printed what I had to
say on growing old gracefully, and dc
you know I had scores of letters from
old fellows all over the world criticizing
me. They inferred that I was cheat
ing.
Really, living to be eighty Ave and
much older is a simple matter.
Here is my formula. 1t can be
summed up in these two rules:~ ~ Say
no! Cut it out! ~ Say no when
asked to do something that will hurt
you, or If you have done it, cut it out,
''These are efforts of will. Only
will, however. can bang yeu to old
age. Take my own case for example.
"Thirty years ago I was killing
myself smoking. I suffered the worst
kind of torture when I gave it up. T
had to conquer through will power.
There are many men who drink too
much or who eat too much. When
they decide to moderate their habits
they must hold to it.
1.-THE fellow who gives up and goes
back to his cid habits usually exceeds
his original excuses. One of the
pities of existence is that most things
you enjoy best do not agree with yeu
internally.
Eyes. hero I Am ut the age Of
eighty five years and I never felt better
in my life."
Fisdlng the Thrill In Life
Here Mr.. Depew leaned back in his
chair and the famous laugh vas heard.
physically ] am not impaired, aad
feel What my mentality has not suf-
fe,ed, but, Of course, when We Judge
our evu physical fitness our mental
condition must be Judged BY our
triaads.
"You know after al It b the ability
to Be able to get a thrill out OF life
that makes it worth living. There are
several thrills that CONF to most OF
us, There Is the thrill when q fell
Lewis best girl consents 10 become his
wife. Then there is the thrill that
comes when No fail in business and
ara In debt. There is the thrill when
We recover from that and pay all our
debts. And l have gone through all
those thrills.
''Bvery day brings nae 4 thrill now.
It is q, great thing to have lived
through a period where more history
has been made in a few years than in
centuries before. I have gone through
moro in my lifetime than my father,
my grandfather and my great grand
father in the total years OF their lives
"Hnd speaking of thrills, there is a
constant thrill for me to know that we
entered this war for democracy. for the
ideals of the Allies.
'.It is a great thing to be alive now.
I thought ! had struck the high point in
events when I passed through tina Civil
War. I was elected to the Legislature
from New York in 1851 and I was with
the New York regiments operating
against Lee. But those times are moth
ing to the present day. This period
gives one an appetite for living.
"After all, life consists Of the thrill
and the fun you get out of it. Every
thing is new to the man who laughs,
who has a good appetite and good diges.
ton and a reasonably good conscience
There is no reason, il you enjoy these
why you should die, if you don't eat
too much.
II have seen 4 thousand Of my friend
and. ac%quaintances lie. What kille'
them? Halt of them died of worr!
over things that never happened, whicl
they thought would happen. Most 0
the other half dug their grave wit
their teeth. In both cases is was
species Of suicide"
Chauncey sreets the visitor with
arm grasp. His blue eyes twinkle mer
rily. His tread is Arm, and not
srease shows In that we'll known facs
M. Depew speaks with the sam
extraordinary virility one expects fro,
booking at him.
A II 80 to my Office every day excer
/ sunday. ! am . disector of the boar
the New York Central, you kLow.
. there 1t 10 o'clock. faithfully, On