The northwestern bulletin-appeal., 1924-03-29
FORMER SLAVE IS
OPT|M|ST; DOES
NOT WORRY SELF
Chummed With Youngest Son,
Who Lost Sight in World War
and Died Last Year.

On Easter Sunday, 1874, Fielding
Combs was born into slavery at JEFF
ferson Barracks, Mo-, where his par
ents we're owned by the firm of MUIR
dock & Dixon, auctioneers.
Tuesday, in st. Paul, Fielding
Combs celebrated his eightieth birth
day because in 1874 Easter Sunday
was on March 25.
Mr.. Combs came to st. Paul in
1862 when the city's principal claim
to distinction was as a shipping
terminal for the Hudson Bay Trad
ing company. He has lived in st.
Paul ever since. He has watched the
city grow and as he has watched it,
while others who were here at that
time have grown old and died, he has
kept young and developed a philoso-
ply of life to which he attributes his
happy old age.
Advice to Meddlers.
Don't worry" is a large part of
that philosophy. 1T doesn't do any
body any good and it just wears the
worrier out. Don't try to tell 9TH
er people how to live. Maybe you
can see farther than your neighbor.
May be you think you can tell him
just what he ought to do. But
what's the use? He's going to live
his life as he sees fit no matter what
you tell him. So you just live your
life and let your neighbor live his.
Sometimes things seem pretty
hard, especially to young people. 1
was 40 years old before l began to
realize what was the matter. And
then decided to find out what made
life seem so hard. And I've been
learning ever since and haven't
been taking life so seriously.
II never let myself get excited.
never let myself grieve. I never
worried about things I couldn't help.
I often think Of an old hen / saw
once that took a batch of ducklings
down to the water. In they went
and that old hen just went crazy.
OF course, later on she got used to
it and she'd rest while they swan
but she used up a lot of energy be-
fore she got sense enough to rest.
Has No Fear of Death.
That's the way a lot of people are.
They Just use themselves up a-stand-
ing on the bank and cluckin' and flap
PIN their wings when 1t don't do any
good. Even Ii those ducklings had
been little chickens that couldn't
swim, it wouldn't have done any good
for that old hen to run around on the
bank and make a lot of noise, but
that's what lots of people do.
1--WE never had any fear Of death
for myself or for others. have seen
my father and mother, five of my
brothers and sisters, my wife and two
OF my own children die. But know
they are better off and it wouldn't
help to grieve for them.
my youngest boy was my chum. I
took a lot of pleasure in him. He
went to France during the war and |
came home blind. A year ago he
died. But don't grieve for him.
know he is happier where he is"
Still Working Happily.
And If his own physical and men,
tai condition may be taken as evil
dence Of the efficiency of his philoso-
ply, Fielding Combs has solved the |
problem of how to live long and hap |
PLY. Many a man of so years of age
would be grateful of his physique.
His hearing and sight are perfect. |
He still has most of the teeth he cut |
seventy or seventy-five years ago and |
his mind Is as active and as reliable |
as that of man of 80 years old.
For twenty-eight years he cared |
for bachelor apartments in one build
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