The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1956-08-17
g [ / M P S { S
TIL E P A S 7
By CAROLYN LLOYD

"Too late"-two words that sum
up the value of many of the les
sons we learn in life. How true
that is was brought home to me
recently by an article telling wom-
en- how to stay young though APP
preaching eighty. The article was
just too late, for though / am not
quite pushing eighty, it is too late
for me to start sitting crosslegged
on the floor for long periods and
standing on my head for count
of 125. Those were just two of the
exercises to which Ruth st. Dem
mis-, the once-famous dancer, attri-
butes her youthful spirit and ap-
pearance at the age of II. In addi-
ton, she rises at the hour Of $50
each morning and exists upon a
diet of ground beef, lamb chops,
and tomatoes, with occasional
salads as variation. say "exists"
because that is just what living
would be for most of us on such
a restricted and monotonous diet.
If any of my younger readers
want to start in time, there it is
the way to stay young. Most of
my contemporaries will agree, l
expect, that the price is too great.
1t may be that we would need con-
siderable help to arise after sitting
on the floor crosslegged for some
time, or that sometimes it is all
we can do to stand on our feet,
to say nothing of our heads; but
think of all the fun we have eating
good food and sleeping to the out
rageous hour of 1880, at least.
AS a matter of fact, these ex-
glamor girls who pride themselves
upon retaining youth aren't fool
ing anyone but themselves. In her
picture, Miss St. Dennis looked
like exactly what she is-an aging
woman striving desperately to
stay young. Cameras are poison to
that type, anyhow. Recently, / wit
messed the appearance on tele-
vision of one of the oldtime sirens
of the silent screen, and it made
me feel little sad. vaguely re-
membered Mae Murray as the
glamorous star of "The Merry
Widow. She and John Gilbert, her
co-star, were, in my mind, the
same romantic pair of long ago.
And then she made her appearance
on the television screen. What a
blow. Coyly she tripped upon the
stage on extremely high heels.
She wore a round sailor hat with
rolled brim upon her mop of
blonde hair (the kind that keeps
peroxide manufacturers in bust
ness), and very short black
dress with a flared skirt that fit
ted tightly around her plump
middle. The outfit would have been
attractive on a girl of sixteen,
but on her it was pathetic. There
went all my dreams. The very next
time an ex-star is announced l am
going to look the other way and
try to keep some of my illusions.
There is nothing wrong with
their growing old. Helen Hayes
and many other actors and actress
es have done it gracefully and still
retain their magic. 1t is when they
try to fool the public into thinking
that they are still boys and girls
that they become both ludicrous
and pathetic. Perhaps it is diff
cult to hit the fine line of balance
between being youthful and being
childish.
Maybe that is all sour grapes
because a woman of seventy-seven
can stand on her head for count
of 1875, while 1, at the age of
loops, what am l saying) would
have to be stood on my head for a
count of one. Could be, but /
honestly don't think so, for l
would hate to be standing around
on my head at $50 in the morn
ing while all my friends lay
peacefully on their Beautyrests.
One doesn't like to be too differ
ent. YOU know.