第2章

OneeveningwhileIwaslivinginCharlesStreet,IreceivedacallfromDr。S。,awell—knownandhighlyrespectedBostonphysician,aparticularfriendofthelateAlexanderH。Stephens,vice—presidentoftheSouthernConfederacy。ItwaswithreferencetoaworkwhichMr。StephenswasabouttopublishthatDr。S。calleduponme。Aftertalkingthatmatteroverwegotconversingonothersubjects,amongtherestafamilyrelationshipexistingbetweenus,——notaverynearone,butonewhichIthinkIhadseenmentionedingenealogicalaccounts。MaryS。（thelastnamebeingthesameasthatofmyvisitant）,itappeared,wasthegreat—great—grandmotherofMrs。H。

andmyself。Aftercordiallyrecognizingourforgottenrelationship,nowforthefirsttimecalledtomind,weparted,myguestleavingmeforhisownhome。Wehadbeensittinginmylibraryonthelowerfloor。Ongoingup—stairswhereMrs。H。wassittingalone,justasI

enteredtheroomshepushedapaperacrossthetabletowardsme,sayingthatperhapsitmightinterestme。Itwasoneofanumberofoldfamilypaperswhichshehadbroughtfromthehouseofhermother,recentlydeceased。

Iopenedthepaper,whichwasanold—lookingdocument,andfoundthatitwasacopy,perhapsmadeinthiscentury,ofthewillofthatsameMaryS。aboutwhomwehadbeentalkingdown—stairs。

Ifthereissuchathingasapurelyaccidentalcoincidencethismustbeconsideredaninstanceofit。

Allonecansayaboutitisthatitseemsveryunlikelythatsuchacoincidenceshouldoccur,butitdid。

Ihavenottriedtokeepmyownpersonalityoutofthesestories。

Butafterall,howlittledifferenceitmakeswhetherornotawriterappearswithamaskonwhicheverybodycantakeoff,——whetherheboltshisdoorornot,wheneverybodycanlookinathiswindows,andallhisentrancesareatthemercyofthecritic"sskeletonkeyandthejimmyofanyill—disposedassailant！

Thecompanyhavebeensilentlistenersforthemostpart;butthereaderwillhaveachancetobecomebetteracquaintedwithsomecfthembyandby。

II

TOTHEREADER。

Iknowthatitisahazardousexperimenttoaddressmyselfagaintoapublicwhichindayslongpasthasgivenmeagenerouswelcome。Butmyreadershavebeen,andare,averyfaithfulconstituency。Ithinktherearemanyamongthemwhowouldratherlistentoanoldvoicetheyareusedtothantoanewoneofbetterquality,evenifthe"childishtreble"shouldbetrayitselfnowandtheninthetonesoftheovertiredorgan。Buttheremustbeothers,——Iamafraidmanyothers,——whowillexclaim:"Hehashadhisday,andwhycan"thebecontent？Wedon"twantliteraryrevenants,superfluousveterans,writerswhohavewornouttheirwelcomeandstillinsistonbeingattendedto。Giveussomethingfresh,somethingthatbelongstoourdayandgeneration。Yourmorningdraughtwaswellenough,butwedon"tcareforyoureveningslip—slop。Youarenotinrelationwithus,withourtime,ourideas,ouraims,ouraspirations。"

Alas,alas！myfriend,——myyoungfriend,foryourhairisnotyetwhitened,——Iamafraidyouaretoonearlyright。Nodoubt,——nodoubt。Teacupsarenotcoffee—cups。Theydonotholdsomuch。

Theirpallidinfusionisbutafeeblestimulantcomparedwiththeblackdecoctionservedatthemorningboard。Andso,perhaps,ifwisdomlikeyourswerecompatiblewithyearslikemine,Ishoulddropmypenandmakenofurtherattemptsuponyourpatience。

Butsupposethatawriterwhohasreachedandpassedthenaturallimitofserviceableyearsfeelsthathehassomethingswhichbewouldliketosay,andwhichmayhaveaninterestforalimitedclassofreaders,——ishenotrightintryinghispowersandcalmlytakingtheriskoffailure？Doesitnotseemratherlazyandcowardly,becausehecannot"beathisrecord,"orevencomeuptothelevelofwhathehasdoneinhisprime,toshrinkfromexertinghistalent,suchasitis,nowthathehasoutlivedtheperiodofhisgreatestvigor？Asingerwhoisnolongerequaltothetrialsofoperaonthestagemayyetpleaseatachamberconcertorinthedrawing—room。

Thereisonegratificationanoldauthorcanaffordacertainclassofcritics:that,namely,ofcomparinghimasheiswithwhathewas。

Itisapleasuretomediocritytohaveitssuperiorsbroughtwithinrange,sotospeak;andiftheablestofthemwillonlylivelongenough,andkeeponwriting,thereisnopop—gunthatcannotreachhim。ButIfearthatthisisanunamiablereflection,andIamatthistimeinaveryamiablemood。

Iconfessthatthereissomethingagreeabletomeinrenewingmyrelationswiththereadingpublic。Wereitbutasingleappearance,itwouldgivemeapleasantglimpseofthetimewhenIwasknownasafrequentliteraryvisitor。Manyofmyreaders——ifIcanlureanyfromthepagesofyoungerwriterswillprovetobethechildren,orthegrandchildren,ofthosewhoseacquaintanceImadesomethingmorethanawholegenerationago。Icoulddependonakindwelcomefrommycontemporaries,——mycoevals。Butwherearethosecontemporaries？

Aydemi！asCarlyleusedtoexclaim,——Ah,dearme！asouroldwomensay,——Ilookroundforthem,andseeonlytheirvacantplaces。Theoldvinecannotunwinditstendrils。Thebranchfallswiththedecayofitssupport,andmustclingtothenewgrowthsaroundit,ifitwouldnotliehelplessinthedust。Thispaperisanewtendril,feelingitsway,asitbestmay,towhateveritcanwindaround。Thethoughtoffindinghereandthereanoldfriend,andmaking,itmaybe,onceinawhileanewone,isverygratefultome。ThechiefdrawbacktothepleasureisthefeelingthatIamsubmittingtothatinevitableexposurewhichisthepenaltyofauthorshipineveryform。

Awritermustmakeuphismindtothepossibleroughtreatmentofthecritics,whoswarmlikebacteriawheneverthereisanyliterarymaterialonwhichtheycanfeed。Ihavehadaslittletocomplainofasmostwriters,yetIthinkitisalwayswithreluctancethatoneencountersthepromiscuoushandlingwhichtheproductsofthemindhavetoputupwith,asmuchasthefruitandprovisionsinthemarket—stalls。Ihadratherbecriticised,however,thancriticise;

thatis,expressmyopinionsinthepublicprintsofotherwriters"

work,iftheyareliving,andcansuffer,asIshouldoftenhavetomakethem。Thereareenough,thankHeaven,withoutme。Weareliterarycannibals,andourwritersliveoneachotherandeachother"sproductionstoafearfulextent。Whatthemulberryleafistothesilk—worm,theauthor"sbook,treatise,essay,poem,istothecriticallarva;thatfeeduponit。Itfurnishesthemwithfoodandclothing。Theprocessmaynotbeagreeabletothemulberryleafortotheprintedpage;butwithoutittheleafwouldnothavebecomethesilkthatcoverstheempress"sshoulders,andbutforthecritictheauthor"sbookmightneverhavereachedthescholar"stable。

Scribblerswillfeedoneachother,andifweinsistonbeingscribblerswemustconsenttobefedon。Wemusttrytoendurephilosophicallywhatwecannothelp,andoughtnot,Isuppose,towishtohelp。

Itisthecustomatourtabletovarytheusualtalk,bythereadingofshortpapers,inproseorverse,byoneormoreofTheTeacups,asweareinthehabitofcallingthosewhomakeupourcompany。Thirtyyearsago,oneofourpresentcircle—"TeacupNumberTwo,"TheProfessor,——readapaperonOldAge,atacertainBreakfast—table,wherehewasinthehabitofappearing。Thatpaperwaspublishedatthetime,andhassinceseenthelightinotherforms。Hedidnotknowsomuchaboutoldagethenashedoesnow,andwoulddoubtlesswritesomewhatdifferentlyifhetookthesubjectupagain。ButI

foundthatitwasthegeneralwishthatanotherofourcompanyshouldletushearwhathehadtosayaboutit。Ireceivedapolitenote,requestingmetodiscourseaboutoldage,inasmuchasIwasparticularlywellqualifiedbymyexperiencetowriteinanauthoritativewayconcerningit。ThefactisthatI,——foritismyselfwhoamspeaking,——haverecentlyarrivedattheageofthreescoreyearsandtwenty,——fourscoreyearswemayotherwisecallit。Inthearrangementofourtable,IamTeacupNumberOne,andI

mayaswellsaythatIamoftenspokenofasTheDictator。Thereisnothinginvidiousinthis,asIamtheoldestofthecompany,andnoclaimislesslikelytoexcitejealousythanthatofpriorityofbirth。

Ireceivedcongratulationsonreachingmyeightiethbirthday,notonlyfromourcircleofTeacups,butfromfriends,nearanddistant,inlargenumbers。Itriedtoacknowledgethesekindlymissiveswiththeaidofamostintelligentsecretary;butIfearthatthereweregiftsnotthankedfor,andtokensofgood—willnotrecognized。Letanyneglectedcorrespondentbeassuredthatitwasnotintentionallythatheorshewasslighted。Iwasgratefulforeverysuchmarkofesteem;evenforthetelegramfromanunknownfriendinadistantland,forwhichIcheerfullypaidtheconsiderablechargewhichthesenderdoubtlessknewitwouldgivemepleasuretodisburseforsuchanexpressionoffriendlyfeeling。

IwillnotdetainthereaderanylongerfromtheessayIhavepromised。

ThisisthepaperreadtoTheTeacups。

ItisinASongofMosesthatwefindthewords,madeveryfamiliartousbytheEpiscopalBurialService,whichplacethenaturallimitonlifeatthreescoreyearsandten,withanextratenyearsforsomeofastrongerconstitutionthantheaverage。YetwearetoldthatMoseshimselflivedtobeahundredandtwentyyearsold,andthathiseyewasnotdimnorhisnaturalstrengthabated。Thisishardtoacceptliterally,butweneednotdoubtthathewasveryold,andinremarkablygoodconditionforamanofhisage。Amonghisfollowerswasastoutoldcaptain,Caleb,thesonofJephunneh。Thisancientwarriorspeaksofhimselfinthesebraveterms:"Lo,Iamthisdayfourscoreandfiveyearsold。Asyet,IamasstrongthisdayasI

wasinthedaythatMosessentme;asmystrengthwasthen,evensoismystrengthnow,forwar,bothtogooutandtocomein。"Itisnotlikelythatanybodybelievedhisbragabouthisbeingasgoodamanforactiveserviceateighty—fiveashewasatforty,whenMosessenthimouttospythelandofCanaan。Buthewas,nodoubt,lustyandvigorousforhisyears,andreadytosmitetheCanaaniteshipandthigh,anddrivethemout,andtakepossessionoftheirland,ashedidforthwith,whenMosesgavehimleave。

Grandoldmentherewere,threethousandyearsago！ButnotalloctogenarianswerelikeCaleb,thesonofJephunneh。ListentopooroldBarzillai,andhearhimpiping:"Iamthisdayfourscoreyearsold;andcanIdiscernbetweengoodandevil？CanthyservanttastewhatIeatorwhatIdrink？CanIhearanymorethevoiceofsingingmenandsingingwomen？Wherefore,then,shouldthyservantbeyetaburdenuntomylordtheking？"AndpoorKingDavidwasworseoffthanthis,asyouallremember,attheearlyageofseventy。

Thirtycenturiesdonotseemtohavemadeanyverygreatdifferenceintheextremelimitsoflife。Withoutpretendingtorivaltheallegedcasesoflifeprolongedbeyondthemiddleofitssecondcentury,suchasthoseofHenryJenkinsandThomasParr,wecanmakeagoodshowingofcentenariansandnonagenarians。ImyselfrememberDr。Holyoke,ofSalem,sonofapresidentofHarvardCollege,whoansweredatoastproposedinhishonoratadinnergiventohimonhishundredthbirthday。

"FatherCleveland,"ourveneratedcitymissionary,wasbornJune21,1772,anddiedJune5,1872,withinalittlemorethanafortnightofhishundredthbirthday。ColonelPerkins,ofConnecticut,diedrecentlyaftercelebratinghiscentennialanniversary。

Amongnonagenarians,threewhosenamesarewellknowntoBostonians,LordLyndhurst,JosiahQuincy,andSidneyBartlett,wereremarkableforretainingtheirfacultiesintheirextremeage。ThatpatriarchofourAmericanliterature,theillustrioushistorianofhiscountry,isstillwithus,hisbirthdatingin1800。

Ranke,thegreatGermanhistorian,diedattheageofninety—one,andChevreul,theeminentchemist,atthatofahundredandtwo。

SomeEnglishsportingcharactershavefurnishedstrikingexamplesofrobustlongevity。InGilpin"s"ForestScenery"thereisthestoryofoneofthesehorsebackheroes。HenryHastingswasthenameofthisoldgentleman,wholivedinthetimeofCharlestheFirst。ItwouldbehardtofindabetterportraitofahuntingsquirethanthatwhichtheEarlofShaftesburyhasthecreditofhavingdrawnofthisverypeculiarpersonage。Hisdescriptionendsbysaying,"Helivedtobeanhundred,andneverlosthiseyesightnorusedspectacles。Hegotonhorsebackwithouthelp,androdetothedeathofthestagtillhewaspastfourscore。"

Everythingdependsonhabit。Oldpeoplecando,ofcourse,moreorlesswell,whattheyhavebeendoingalltheirlives;buttrytoteachthemanynewtricks,andthetruthoftheoldadagewillverysoonshowitself。Mr。HenryHastingshaddonenothingbuthuntallhisdays,andhisrecordwouldseemtohavebeenagooddeallikethatofPhilippusZaehdarminthatuntranslatableepitaphwhichmaybefoundin"SartorResartus。"Judgedbyitsproducts,itwasaveryshortlifeofahundreduselesstwelvemonths。

Itissomethingtohaveclimbedthewhitesummit,theMontBlancoffourscore。Asmallnumberonlyofmankindeverseetheireightiethanniversary。Imightgotothestatisticaltablesoftheannuityandlifeinsuranceofficesforextendedandexactinformation,butI

prefertotakethefactswhichhaveimpressedthemselvesuponmeinmyowncareer。

Theclassof1829atHarvardCollege,ofwhichIamamember,graduated,accordingtothetriennial,fifty—nineinnumber。Itissixtyyears,then,sincethattime;andastheywere,onanaverage,abouttwentyyearsold,thosewhosurvivemusthavereachedfourscoreyears。Ofthefifty—ninegraduatestenonlyareliving,orwereatthelastaccounts;oneinsix,verynearly。Inthefirsttenyearsaftergraduation,ourthirddecade,whenwewerebetweentwentyandthirtyyearsold,welostthreemembers,——aboutoneintwenty;

betweentheagesofthirtyandforty,eightdied,——oneinsevenofthosethedecadebeganwith;fromfortytofifty,onlytwo,——oroneintwenty—four;fromfiftytosixty,eight,——oroneinsix;fromsixtytoseventy,fifteen,——ortwooutofeveryfive;fromseventytoeighty,twelve,——oroneintwo。Thegreatlyincreasedmortalitywhichbeganwithourseventhdecadewentonsteadilyincreasing。Atsixtywecome"withinrangeoftherifle—pits,"toborrowanexpressionfrommyfriendWeirMitchell。

Oureminentclassmate,thelateProfessorBenjaminPeirce,showedbynumericalcomparisonthatthemenofsuperiorabilityoutlastedtheaverageoftheirfellow—graduates。Hehimselflivedalittlebeyondhisthreescoreandtenyears。JamesFreemanClarkealmostreachedtheageofeighty。TheeighthdecadebroughtthefatalyearforBenjaminRobbinsCurtis,thegreatlawyer,whowasoneofthejudgesoftheSupremeCourtoftheUnitedStates;fortheveryablechiefjusticeofMassachusetts,GeorgeTylerBigelow;andforthatfamouswitandelectriccentreofsociallife,GeorgeT。Davis。Atthelastannualdinnereveryeffortwasmadetobringallthesurvivorsoftheclasstogether。Sixofthetenlivingmemberswerethere,sixoldmenintheplaceofthethirtyorfortyclassmateswhosurroundedthelong,ovaltablein1859,whenIasked,"Hasthereanyoldfellowgotmixedwiththeboys？"——11boys"whosetongueswereasthevibratingleavesoftheforest;whosetalkwaslikethevoiceofmanywaters;

whoselaughwasasthebreakingofmightywavesupontheseashore。

Amongthesixatourlatedinnerwasourfirstscholar,thethorough—

bredandaccomplishedengineerwhoheldthecityofLawrenceinhisbrainbeforeitspreaditselfoutalongthebanksoftheMerrimac。

There,too,wasthepoetwhoseNationalHymn,"MyCountry,"tisofthee,"isknowntomoremillions,anddearertomanyofthem,thanalltheothersongswrittensincethePsalmsofDavid。Fourofoursixwereclergymen;theengineerandthepresentwritercompletedthelist。Werewemelancholy？Didwetalkofgraveyardsandepitaphs？

No,——werememberedourdeadtenderly,serenely,feelingdeeplywhatwehadlostinthosewhobutalittlewhileagowerewithus。HowcouldweforgetJamesFreemanClarke,thatmanofnoblethoughtandvigorousaction,whopervadedthiscommunitywithhisspirit,andwasfeltthroughallitschannelsasarethelightandthestrengththatradiatethroughthewireswhichstretchaboveus？Itwasaprideandahappinesstohavesuchclassmatesashewastoremember。Wewerenotthemoping,complaininggraybeardsthatmanymightsupposewemusthavebeen。Wehadbeenfavoredwiththeblessingoflonglife。

Wehadseenthedramawellintoitsfifthact。Thesunstillwarmedus,theairwasstillgratefulandlife—giving。Buttherewasanotherunderlyingsourceofourcheerfulequanimity,whichwecouldnotconcealfromourselvesifwehadwishedtodoit。Nature"skindlyanodyneistellinguponusmoreandmorewitheveryyear。Ourolddoctorsusedtogiveanopiatewhichtheycalled"theblackdrop。"Itwasstrongerthanlaudanum,and,infact,adangerouslypowerfulnarcotic。SomethinglikethisisthatpotentdruginNature"spharmacopoeiawhichshereservesforthetimeofneed,——thelaterstagesoflife。Shecommonlybeginsadministeringitataboutthetimeofthe"grandclimacteric,"theninthseptennialperiod,thesixty—thirdyear。Moreandmorefreelyshegivesit,astheyearsgoon,tohergrey—hairedchildren,until,iftheylastlongenough,everyfacultyisbenumbed,andtheydropoffquietlyintosleepunderitsbenigninfluence。

Doyousaythatoldageisunfeeling？Ithasnotvitalenergyenoughtosupplythewasteofthemoreexhaustingemotions。OldMen"sTears,whichfurnishedthemournfultitletoJoshuaScottow"sLamentations,donotsuggestthedeepestgriefconceivable。Alittlebreathofwindbringsdowntheraindropswhichhavegatheredontheleavesofthetremulouspoplars。AveryslightsuggestionbringsthetearsfromMarlborough"seyes,buttheyaresoonover,andheissmilingagainasanallusioncarrieshimbacktothedaysofBlenheimandMalplaquet。Envynottheoldmanthetranquillityofhisexistence,noryetblamehimifitsometimeslookslikeapathy。

Time,theinexorable,doesnotthreatenhimwiththescythesooftenaswiththesand—bag。Hedoesnotcut,buthestunsandstupefies。

One"sfellow—mortalscanaffordtobeasconsiderateandtenderwithhimasTimeandNature。

Therewasnotmuchboastingamongusofourpresentorourpast,aswesattogetherinthelittleroomatthegreathotel。Acertainamountofself—deceptionisquitepossibleatthreescoreyearsandten,butatthreescoreyearsandtwentyNaturehasshownmostofthosewholivetothatagethatsheisearnest,andmeanstodismantleandhavedonewiththeminaverylittlewhile。Asforboastingofourpast,thelaudatortemporisactimakesbutapoorfigureinourtime。Oldpeopleusedtotalkoftheiryouthasifthereweregiantsinthosedays。Weknewsometallmenwhenwewereyoung,butwecanseeamantallerthananyoneamongthematthenearestdimemuseum。Wehadhandsomewomenamongus,ofhighlocalreputation,butnowadayswehaveprofessionalbeautieswhochallengetheworldtocriticisethemasboldlyasPhryneeverchallengedherAthenianadmirers。Wehadfasthorses,——didnot"OldBlue"trotamileinthreeminutes？True,butthereisathree—year—oldcoltjustputonthetrackwhohasdoneitinalittlemorethantwothirdsofthattime。Itseemsasifthematerialworldhadbeenmadeoveragainsincewewereboys。Itisbutashorttimesincewewerecountingupthemiracleswehadlivedtowitness。Thelistisfamiliarenough:therailroad,theoceansteamer,photography,thespectroscope,thetelegraph,telephone,phonograph,anesthetics,electricillumination,——withsuchlesserwondersasthefrictionmatch,thesewingmachine,andthebicycle。Andnow,wesaid,wemusthavecometotheendoftheseunparalleleddevelopmentsoftheforcesofnature。Wemustrestonourachievements。Thenineteenthcenturyisnotlikelytoaddtothem;wemustwaitforthetwentiethcentury。Manyofus,perhapsmostofus,feltinthatway。Wehadseenourplanetfurnishedbytheartofmanwithacompletenervoussystem:aspinalcordbeneaththeocean,secondarycentres,——

ganglions,——inallthechiefplaceswheremenaregatheredtogether,andramificationsextendingthroughoutcivilization。Allatonce,bythesideofthistalkingandlight—givingapparatus,weseeanotherwirestretchedoverourheads,carryingforcetoavastmetallicmuscularsystem,——aslendercordconveyingthestrengthofahundredmen,ofascoreofhorses,ofateamofelephants。Thelightningistamedandharnessed,thethunderbolthasbecomeacommoncarrier。Nomoresurprisesinthiscentury！Avoicewhispers,Whatnext？

Itwillnotdoforustoboastaboutouryoungdaysandwhattheyhadtoshow。Itisagreatdealbettertoboastofwhattheycouldnotshow,and,strangeasitmayseem,thereisacertainsatisfactioninit。Inthesedaysofelectriclighting,whenyouhaveonlytotouchabuttonandyourparlororbedroomisinstantlyfloodedwithlight,itisapleasuretoreverttotheeraofthetinder—box,theflintandsteel,andthebrimstonematch。Itgivesmeanalmostproudsatisfactiontotellhowweused,whenthoseimplementswerenotathandornotemployed,tolightourwhale—oillampbyblowingalivecoalheldagainstthewick,oftenswellingourcheeksandreddeningourfacesuntilwewereonthevergeofapoplexy。Ilovetotellofourstage—coachexperiences,ofoursailing—packetvoyages,ofthesemi—barbarousdestitutionofallmoderncomfortsandconveniencesthroughwhichwebravelylivedandcameouttheestimablepersonagesyoufindus。

Thinkofit！Allmyboyishshootingwasdonewithaflint—lockgun;

thepercussionlockcametomeasoneofthosenew—fanglednotionspeoplehadjustgotholdof。Weancientscanmakeagranddisplayofminusquantitiesinourreminiscences,andthefigureslookalmostaswellasiftheyhadtheplussignbeforethem。

IamafraidthatoldpeoplefoundliferatheradullbusinessinthetimeofKingDavidandhisricholdsubjectandfriend,Barzillai,who,poorman,couldnothavereadawickednovel,norenjoyedasymphonyconcert,iftheyhadhadthoseluxuriesinhisday。Therewerenopleasantfiresides,fortherewerenochimneys。Therewerenodailynewspapersfortheoldmantoread,andhecouldnotreadthemiftherewere,withhisdimmedeyes,norhearthemread,veryprobably,withhisdulledears。Therewasnotobacco,asoothingdrug,whichinitsvariousformsisagreatsolacetomanyoldmenandtosomeoldwomen,Carlyleandhismotherusedtosmoketheirpipestogether,youremember。

Oldageisinfinitelymorecheerful,forintelligentpeopleatleast,thanitwastwoorthreethousandyearsago。Itisourduty,sofaraswecan,tokeepitso。Therewillalwaysbeenoughaboutitthatissolemn,andmorethanenough,alas！thatissaddening。Buthowmuchthereisinourtimestolightenitsburdens！Iftheythatlookoutatthewindowsbedarkened,theopticianishappytosupplythemwitheye—glassesforusebeforethepublic,andspectaclesfortheirhoursofprivacy。Ifthegrindersceasebecausetheyarefew,theycanbemademanyagainbyathirddentition,whichbringsnotoothacheinitstrain。BytemperanceandgoodHabitsoflife,properclothing,well—warmed,well—drained,andwell—ventilateddwellings,andsufficient,nottoomuchexercise,theoldmanofourtimemaykeephismuscularstrengthinverygoodcondition。IdoubtifMr。Gladstone,whoisfastnearinghiseightiethbirthday,wouldboast,inthestyleofCaleb,thathewasasgoodamanwithhisaxeashewaswhenhewasforty,butIwouldbackhim,——ifthematchwerepossible,forahundredshekels,againstthatover—confidentoldIsraelite,tocutdownandchopupacedarofLebanon。Iknowamostexcellentclergyman,notfarfrommyowntimeoflife,whomIwouldpitagainstanyoldHebrewrabbiorGreekphilosopherofhisyearsandweight,iftheycouldreturntotheflesh,torunaquarterofamileonagood,leveltrack。

Wemustnotmaketoomuchofsuchexceptionalcasesofprolongedactivity。Ioftenreproachedmydearfriendandclassmate,TamesFreemanClarke,thathisceaselesslaborsmadeitimpossibleforhiscoevalstoenjoytheluxuryofthatreposewhichtheiryearsdemanded。Awiseoldman,thelateDr。JamesWalker,presidentofHarvardUniversity,saidthatthegreatprivilegeofoldagewasthegettingridofresponsibilities。Thesehard—workingveteranswillnotletonegetridofthemuntilhedropsinhisharness,andsogetsridofthemandhislifetogether。Howoftenhasmanyatiredoldmanenviedthesuperannuatedfamilycat,stretchedupontherugbeforethefire,lettingthegenialwarmthtranquillydiffuseitselfthroughallherinternalarrangements！Nomorewatchingformiceindark,dampcellars,nomoreawaitingthesavagegrayratatthemouthofhisden,nomorescurryinguptreesandlamp—poststoavoidtheneighbor"scurwhowishestomakeheracquaintance！Itisverygrandto"dieinharness,"butitisverypleasanttohavethetightstrapsunbuckledandtheheavycollarliftedfromtheneckandshoulders。

Itisnaturalenoughtoclingtolife。Weareusedtoatmosphericexistence,andcanhardlyconceiveofourselvesexceptasbreathingcreatures。Wehavenevertriedanyothermodeofbeing,or,ifwehave,wehaveforgottenallaboutit,whateverWordsworth"sgrandodemaytellusweremember。Heavenitselfmustbeanexperimenttoeveryhumansoulwhichshallfinditselfthere。Itmaytaketimeforanearthbornsainttobecomeacclimatedtothecelestialether,——thatis,iftimecanbesaidtoexistforadisembodiedspirit。Weareallsentencedtocapitalpunishmentforthecrimeofliving,andthoughthecondemnedcellofourearthlyexistenceisbutanarrowandbaredwelling—place,wehaveadjustedourselvestoit,andmadeittolerablycomfortableforthelittlewhilewearetobeconfinedinit。TheprisonerofChillon"regained[his]freedomwithasigh,"

andatender—heartedmortalmightbepardonedforlookingback,likethepoorladywhowasdrivenfromherdwelling—placebyfireandbrimstone,atthehomehewasleavingforthe"undiscoveredcountry。"

Ontheotherhand,agoodmanypersons,notsuicidalintheirtendencies,getmoreoflifethantheywant。Oneofourwealthycitizenssaid,onhearingthatafriendhaddroppedofffromapoplexy,thatitmadehismouthwatertohearofsuchacase。Itwasanoddexpression,butIhavenodoubtthatthefineoldgentlemantowhomitwasattributedmadeuseofit。Hehadhadenoughofhisgoutandotherinfirmties。Swift"saccountoftheStruldbrugsisnotveryamusingreadingforoldpeople,butsomemayfinditaconsolationtoreflectontheprobablemiseriestheyescapeinnotbeingdoomedtoanundyingearthlyexistence。