Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-08-31
Lessons Of Two Octosenarians.

Samuel s. Adams and Lewis Zebley, OF
this city, aged 80 and "a years, respective
| ly. use tobacco generously and pooh-pooh
| the insistent claims Of their fellow-oc-
togenarian, Isaac Baird, aged 80 years,
| that his long life and fine health are due to
| fact that he never was a devotee OF nico-
tine. So after all that ''what is one mans
| meat ID another mans poison" and is true,
| and the contrasting experiences OF these
three veterans, whose birthday anni-
versaries all occurred last week, is OF little
value as Offering proof that tobacco either
lengthens or shortens the human span OF
life
One thing, however, that Mr.. Adams
did voice, and in which he is supported by
the views Of Mr. Zebley is worthy OF
serious consideration; it is something rare
ly referred to by the vital, vigorous old
men and women of the present day.
1t is this: That it is mistake men and
women make too often in giving up busl-
ness and retiring to the chimney corner
when they have reached three score and
ten. ~ thought was old at r. Mr..
Adams is quoted as saying, "but the Lord
knows / was nothing but kid then"
Mr.. Zebley also affirms the views of his
aged contemporary, and declares that
Adams worked hard most of his life at
boiler making, while the other octogena-
rian Of the trio eased up before he was so
far advanced in years.
Mr.. Adams message is important TO the
people of advancing years. One can
understand that one Of the most difficultof
false beliefs to combat is that years are to
be counted when one is considering II he
has reached the end of his usefulness and
is incapable of continuing his work.
whatever it may be. The man who
reaches 70 OF p, as was MIR. Adams ex-
perience. usually accepts the worlds
estimate that he is old and necessarily
has arrived at the end of his life of useful
ness whereas he is often more capable at
that age, by reason of his ripe experience,
than he was at twenty-five or thirty.
So long, indeed, as one retains hs
physical health, he. is not old, no matter
what the calendar tells him. He is not too
old to go about his daily tasks, about the
work he is accustomed to perform, for in IT
he finds the sustaining interest that keeps
his mind active, bright and occupied with
the pleasant things of daily life.
We have innumerable instances of
great achievements of men and women
who had passed the three score-and-ten
mark and who were guided by their ripper
experience or more exact knowledge. One
may recall many Wilmington men who are
past eighty and are still happily busy. We
may point to George Gray, who at eighty
is constantly busy Or there is General
James III. Wilson. who, though retired as q
soldier, is active, alert and interested IN
everything about him. Joseph l.. Car
penter, Sr., at ninety, is still active In his
affairs as financier, and Robert l.. Jones
at Sc, is still occupied in the management
of his real estate and financial affairs and
has declared that his long life is due largely
to the fact that he has never stopped TO sit
down in easy slippers by the FIRE and cut
off his outside interests and admit that he
is an aged man.
And so we will find. out of the ex-
perience of all our men and women, of adj
vanced years who are the happiest and
most contented and most interesting COM
panions, that they have always kept busy
and maintained an interest IN things about
them.