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。
