The Omaha morning bee., 1924-06-15
BY o. q. MCINTYRE.

The other night at a vaudeville
show I sat behind two white.bearded
old gentlemen who seemed amused at
antics Of. several comics on the stage.
Their eyes twinkled with merriment,
but somehow I got the idea they
feared to laugh out loud. It might
make them conspicuous.
Perhaps It occurred to them that
people would have turned and laughed
At them. They appeared TO feel tot
tering and senile. All about were
hose in the full flush of youth.
1t has always seemed to me that
old age is a matter of thinking. Most
If us in middle years are happy when
We see our elders enjoying life to the
fullest. 1t gives us courage to
carry on.
| know an old fellow down at Bay
side, l.. l.. who is in his late 7Os.
lie is known as "spry." and not so
many weeks ago he played leapfrog
with some boys in his neighborhood.
lie did not lose any dignity by his
frolc In fact the boys were nightly
complimented that he joined them.
Old age does not command the
frendliness due 1t because many OF
the aged are aloof apd austere. 1
believe all of us are highly pleased
when elders take us into their con-
fidence. We know they know much
more Of life than we.
After ALL we can't all be young
and 1t is to our elders that We turn
for inspiration and advice. Why old
age requires a veneer of austerity is
something | have never been able to
fathom.
1t seems to me the young man Of
% or "a is much more suitable for
the chimney corner than the man Of
90 or 20. Youth should do lot of
thinking. Old age should fling off
restraint.
lie Dances at 66.
One of the best dancers In New
York is a silver. haired gentleman OF
&c. once a week he goes out to the
dancing places with a granddaughter.
She enjoys his company. They have
mighty fine time together. He leaves
at a respectable hour and does not
indulge the contraband bibbling of
younger folks. He is n prominent
man of affairs-a lawyer who attends
to huge corporate interests. He is
not going to grow old without a
struggle.
He has a spring to his walk. There
are very few wrinkles. lie keeps
young by being young.
When men abandon their hold on
youth, they perish. Years should not
slough off all desire for a few of the
simple pleasures of life.
In one of the department stores
there is a head forelady who is a
small, active woman past so. Her
eyes are as bright as those of a girl
of 20 and there are winter apples
in her cheeks. She once told me:
II started to grow old at so. Every
thing began to slip away. l began
to see that no contribution Of mine
had made the world kindlier or hap
pier.
Il decided in a measure to begin
life all over again. l sought out
younger people. I became interested
in all the whirling life that l was
ibSiifS. II uluIl iOlS " SCI
back into the swim. | feel as young
as / did at 80. And I'm going TO
stay that way until they cart me off
. some old lady's home.
There is a veteran reporter on one
OF the morning newspapers. He Is
more than double the age of most
Of his associates. But there is not
one among them more livelier. He
Joins in their pranks. He plays card
games with them in moments of re-
Taxation. He invites them TO his
home. In short he is one of them.
He is the sort of old fellow they will
never call Pop"
just a Little Effort
Old men will say, THE young folk
don't want me around" They are
creating their own barrier. After all
We must fight for most of the good
things of life and surely mixing with
younger folk is worth little fight
on the part of elders.
There is club in New York called
the Young Boys outing club Many