Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-01-03
Is IT WISE TO RETIREl

II III VINE TO RETIRE!
A perusal of the mortuary lists in
newspapers here and elsewhere and
the circumstances in connection with
the lives and habits OF the deceased
leads one TO ponder whether retire
ment from active business is not a
mistake for those who expect to enjoy
long. happy life. II seems almost
a certainty that the man who has led
an active life in business, solving it's
daily problems, always more or less
complex. cannot surrender all respon-
sibility and settle down to the slip
pered age" without both losing his
contentment and mental or physical
alertness that make for happiness. The
change from the stir OF business life
today to the letting down OF all inter
ests seems TO be almost too much for
the American men of activity, and we
read frequently that the business
head who had recently surrendered
all cares did not long survive TO enjoy
the idleness he believed would bring
happiness.
Work is. indeed. the specific for long
life and for happiness as well. pro-
vided the man likes the task he is
performing. be il what 1t may, and
is successful; and if he does his work
because of his love for it. he cannot
help being successful. BY success
full" is not always meant the worker
or professional man accumulates larg-
est fortunes, for we have had in
Vulnerable examples in the ranks OF
our manufacturers. merchants. doc
/ tors and lawyers who stood at the
top Of their callings, yet were not rich
as the world estimates wealth.
ANAi4A NE4dN O4At A4htSs anu dt-
Ing il well and keeping at it, doubtless
is the safest and best insurance for
/ long life. Idleness never is. 1t is
more difficult 10 pass into the class
Of the idle after one has been active
in the commercial or professional
world than il is when one has never
acquired the habit of industry. There
fore. TO give up all work at 55 or 6C
is proving a mistake. for idleness i:
more inimicsl 10 longevity than tn,
hardest kind of labor.
We have many examles here a
home Of the value Of occupation. On,
citizen. well past 80 years, is still ac
tive on the board Of a financial in
stitution;' another who is about S.
attends almost all the sessions o
another banking board. while We nav,
an officer OF more than so. retire,
many years from army service. bu
always alert and active and intereste,
in ali that goes on about him. III
finds just as much to occupy his min,
and attention today as he did in tn,
past, and doubtless he would say tha
the secret of his health and long lif
is keeping up his interests in In
people about him and in the com
munity.
Another citizen who died at Sc or 81
several months ago. after recovering
a year before from pneumonia, de
] clared that he owed his long life an
perfect health to the fact that he kep
planning day by day how to increas
; his material holdings--an occupatio
; that kept his time fully employed
He decided that he had no time to qu.
work and sit by the fire when he cam
= into the elderly class
4 a day or two ago the newspaper
: reported the death Of woman {
, more than a hundred years who seen
= ingly had carried a tremendous bun
Z den all her life clear up to the momer
. Of her passing. Her attitude toward
I dying seemed TO have been that sh
'.twas not ready--in fact did not thin