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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (July 4, 1915)
1 , , a THE SUyDAY . OREGOXlAy;' PORTLAND. - 4, 1915.- JULY , . .Lm;M, ' 111 ill 11 X v.v Sixty-seven years Ol.o VJ yWl ' A Bi GEORGE SIIKKWOOD HODOINS. IN the year 1SS2 appeared a book, "The Fixed Period," by Anthony Trollope, the purpose of which -was to prove the fallacy of calling: a man old at 0. Four men made an asree ment to perform the "happy despatch" when they reached that agre. The misery of decrepit old agre was pictured very vividly, and 60 at the time of the com pact seemed far off. As they approached the fixed period a very human change resulted. The oldest of the four" men developed various symptoms of reju venation and tpoke and acted as if a. long life, extending many, years beyond the 0-year limit, was ahead of him, so that it seemed absurd to think of th end. He was, of course, laughed at by the others, but each In turn developed timilar symptoms and finally the com pact was dissolved, all setting: them selves to arrowing: young asaln, or at least to lose no further ground. This story is probably what Dr. Osier had in mind when he attempted the humorous but woefully misunderstood . reference to chloroforming- persons at a. certain ase. At any rate, the point about the rejuvenation of Crassweller and the three others ,ln the story is that it was a change of mental atti tude which produced the result. None of us wishes to grow old or be put on the shelf, but the majority of us do not know how to avoid what is believed to be inevitable. We live in a world which handicaps us in this re spect. Even if we believe that such a change of mental attitude is necessary, as was shown by the four men in "The Fixed Period." we do not know how to effect the change. The atmosphere about ua is hea-y with materialism and we follow a definite plan of life. A time table determines our comings and goings, the factory whistle prescribes our times of labor and of rest. We speak to each other by telephone; and ji we wouia communicate by letter, the mail doses on the hour. We depend on things and on the ordered actions of others. All this is necessary, and it works harmoniously and for the general good in the world at large, but Insensibly, and. indeed, because of it there has grown up an "accepted method" of pro- cedure, even in the realm of thought and to disregard that is to put one's self outside the pale. The manner In which the rlne x- perience of many years may be utilized is shown in William de Morgan's "Jo- seph Vance." The anthr., . , celebrated mathematician, was known for years for his work in ceramics and stained glass, producing some exquisite colors and distinctive glares. It was not " m reacnea his 67th vmr in 1906. that he brought out his hlirhlv successful novel. Three years followed, a Story in each. "It Nev-r -.- Happen Again" being written when he was threescore and ten years old. Cervantes was born In 1547 and lived till 1616 69 years. The first part of Don Quixote" appeared in 1605. when me author waa 68. Ten years later, "uc" uo "a reacnea the age of 68 and wnnin one year of his death, the story was completed. The satire was written to destroy the false glamour which story tellers had thrown about the glo- rifled knight errant. With keen ob- servation and fine discernment and an iiniiFi...j 1 . Ln7. -7.; I a a wn woiranies laughed out - the rhloir. of Spain." . J ".unpie ot tne healthful power of steady work and conUnuous think- lng the name of Charles Darwin come, lltTr t la 1S09' hC died 73 ye" later m the comparatively brief time which custom and belief have largely contributed to make the average Dar- m u.u m nis wording years created ..icoaioa upon tne trend numan mougnt. Darwin was 50 years old when he published the "Orl- gin of Species" (1859). He was 62 when the "Descent of Man" (1871) came from his pen. and in 1881. a year before he died, he published that erudite lit- rurmauon or vegetable Mould Through the Action of Earth- worms." Darwin may not have lived a. long as others of active minds have liverf. b..t hi. h -.n.i, j. .... - "" 40. and there waa nn ..ku... rllv efsv V. . r. . , . - j . -' v,i. iicrn.D. w nil is the greatest intellectual achievement of our times. - Verdi, the a-r..t Ttn.n . " .-...vr-., X'pZT -"St ProductJve Pro& tor a man. ,I B period for a man in Charles R. Darwin, Who Pubuished'Oricin Of Species When. He Ws Fifty' Years Old And Descent Of Man" Ax. Sixty-Two. 1851 "Rig-oletto appeared. Verdi then being SO. He was 63 when "II Trova- tore" and "La Traviata" came out. He was 68 years old when "Aida" held a shuddering world. At 74 "Otello" waa produced, and when 80 years old the musical score of his latest masterpiece, "Falstaff." waa complete. His is the record of human endeavor, sustained and of the highest quality, beginning not when man is said to work at his best, but amid the lengthening shadow of later life and maintained to within -ght years of its close. Titian, the Venetian painter, lived from 1477 to 157S. and thus lacked but one year of the full century. His Is the example of continuous work, begun where other men begin, but carried on in full vigor far beyond the allotted span. Work crowds on work the "Martyrdom of St. Lawrence," the "Ecce Homo," the "Holy Family." In ikci i ,. , atH "The Magdalen." which, he himself said wag his most popular work. When he was 86 years old the "Last Supper" was finished, and in 1575. one year before bis death, the "Battle of Lepanto" waa finished. This work, strong in action filled with detail, may well have taxed hl brilliant DOVfr. Thin hla work, of high creative quality, waa carried on until his death. On Thomas A. Edison's 69th birthday he said that he would soon have to quit work, principally because of his increasing deafness, but a few months later he announced that he expected to live 40 years longer, and his brain was teeming with Ideas that he hoped to work out for the betterment of man- kind before he died. On most u tils birthdays since h passed the 60th he has put In from 18 7 ... . . ..... to zu nour" worK,n In nla laboratory, i v,., r.-, -,,-, ti i - A . U MA . u " . hH.hwun BtlU I 1 1 u o o Va short duration. In these eight year. has completed and improved his lnve tion of the phonograph; he ha. devel- oped the storage battery and Invented, many '"n- aPPHances. Includ. lng an electric safety lamp for coal mines, and he ha. contributed largely to the success of the moving nlcfnr. business. He haa found time to Invent concrete houses and furniture and to give to the public the kinetophone, a talking picture machine; a machine for making picture. In color, an aeroplane and the telescrlbe. It is not in these examples of the story, the satire, or the mind-compell- lng thought of Darwin, nor th tone of Verdi-. .tr.i7. nr .L lustrous image of the saint and teacher that -rma dr.- ih.t V7. r. Z ' -' . "on enmronea genius. The . i- . . . i . , . ... worK mu wnen nnc ih .nn. frainv fa driven Vt, Z I .1. . " wctlCl, th.r. . e j w TJvT.II -J..7. 7." 1. f. "i-.il ! w power, me TJSLfSrZ, .11 that thv h.ii -- r 7 .i all. that they shall go on from strength . . V y.;'. - . -f: d-- 1 ( tf-i . . V A- ' -.vi . - "t?"v n f if v. ' : -;f'V . .ill -r-A-. A:'. " ' '. . j : " Av aA tr v0':AA: mi L , " VHQ' nt- ANObClENTIRC RESEARCH THOUGH glXTY-E ICHT YEARS OUC to strength till some at last become tli . - . , ... men who need ntd 13 T . V'. " CT" Powera. more know!edgln in . r.rnrr,..iv -it T.h young man whose father la head unquestionably believe that you must grow old you do grow old. and you show it in mind and body, and the age The father regards this as a worthy limit is introduced to avoid argument aspiration, and gives his son a "po and get you quietly out of way. The sltlon" of importance, and by the very tyranny oi tne youmtui generation pushes ahead and thrusts those In front . of them out of the way, This condition m The plaT .-Milestones" forced . v.- - the thoughtful mind the hidden les.on must have progresl He who a. a young mlnad rt.ktd so much by hi. dlngMef in the triumph of ron ship, grew wealthy and honored, con- leTJI oli. He finally reaid the In- ,,f,t7n f when an ardent ardent . ' . h at me youth proposed the venture and sho the wav. Nature removed him th young might push ahead. This play shows, like the film of a moving picture, the full life of three generations, each acting with perfect naturalness In the brief hour, of the passing show. There Is always pres T '.ZSllS. . 'T.,.:i:. ..a".. "r. " o -jrstem. we sen that at the time a young man ..... ... - -- w ... r.Mit. i , , . LT ' UUU. IV Ml " UU 1 1 11 1 len only being ... . .. - i...I'T" " "? w.or,c wnicn ne win nave to ao in later life, iVJ: " , -" every advantage that he may win his . . . . .. .. ueu in rin nil m ni .Train mm tap hi idm t n r a cn vi ..rii.... lines of Macaulay. "Horatiu." in which. P'e- He thus easily gain, that coign " that thereafter they will not be " .V l.V..iJ rw. ZLrlZ , , , 7.v . t . TIecm he describe, the condition of the Etras- of vantage that hi. elder, worked and -"owed to exercise the Practiced fac- aVt 1 a oV , h 1 A n 1 -1 . -r f soTomt It Zll , V .J1' " can armie. after the first onset: "But strove to reach. He take, it without u.,Ue whlch ' training ha. given ' !.AJ" AAm"W" " C?J"p,!,jr h."T . powr thu for" . .. . . . , ... ... mem. The v are retired, not u a rttin- i.v.g i njin. irora av win- awning nonor avna auty. ne complied - ih!.b!l"d ",e.dZ0rW"d: nd th" "-.taowl.de- that come, from bold 7 b" "J!"! W!"b dow to the German, by. mean, of an with her demand for Information? that ath l:-ie I nsi n --11 -r fl L. . . . . . , , . . .... , - .ui 11. umo useless iu in me lace or hi. arch-enemy. n- n.i. . n...- .h- - w " ,iy. ineaaatrumi.puto. mtiuiiuio IttW V. UCII1K. VUfc UU1T " flrht Ac-lnal 1 TV. a . I . . h . . . . . . . . Jl A I L'A VeCCUL, T.T.AN. If , ( WHO6 DATTUE tF LEPAJNTO WAf it J i Finixheo In Mix Ninety-Ninth Year . i . AA 1 - IM O Nf A" A. CDlTOtsl tS STI 1U AdTIVE llsi RuINF? LO JIILL AM.IIVU I IX DUIMCS of Ur nd prosperous business ex- Pecta In time to take his father's place, nature of the case sees to It that those about the youth teach him their busl- achievement, unlnstructed by expert- ence. untutored by defeat. ere is uie economic condition, and V' W ' T bX ntjln7 r; ?f, 1 !t 'e CtenVd progr.la'have 1171. un" "f,.,"!, ,.P.w Z J. "e!a.i,. f , T" 1 ' ' ' "'""' f.r.thelr .wn "Pe'annu- "eceaany xor meir own superannu- ation or their ultimate effacement. The who,e teaching of evolutionary science la. th .orTlvU of tne ntt,,,, but there is no absolute necessity to believe that the mere advance of year, impair, the "fitness" of those who would sur- vlve. Years and old age are not the same thing, and their effect, upon a man are really different, though by culora- D,l,eI and the mental -.ugg... tion of others, and by the action of hla own UBaM1 tnougnt. man ha. mad. mem item one. The onward march of year, cannot ... - . - woula or hinder It. but h- nni-n-oh . nM . k- --. ' " "" and It. effect, minimised. With ad- vanclng rears come .in.rl.nn ... '--.t.uM., oi aoiog tilings, a- sound judgment, a fairer view of men and things, la- - " titoc Thus la'old age separated from mere years. He Is Indeed a poor type of mu whe does not become more useful to his employer or to the company he serves as year succeeds year. Tet we see dally men who by training and steady appli cation to business have become more efficient and even more necessary for the work they have to do deliberately the clock hu .irarir The man thus turned off before his time i. compelled by hi. friend, to look "forced cfore f'm ,n moulded form. He 1. told "J1 rprh.p. 40 of Concern t" k' conctn company honor, him. rCOBn, n valued and trusted servant, that U,ey all repose In him a .errant, that hey all repoa confidence that few have b to receive; hi. work haa be hu toIj nce8Mnt an1 the , been worthy been arduous. ntereata of the firm he has always unselfishly made his own: he ha. ever responded to the call of duty, and In no task haa he faltered or failed'; but the company reluctantly professes that It has no riht to encraach furthae unan bl rf. cllning yeara. nor to deprive him of the r mrA 1 w . in .., t. . . In thu. regretfully ..ylng farewell the company hopes and trust, he will lonr be soared to witness the fruit, of hla who have been privileged to be easo- . .... t'.ir no aim. With such words ringing In hi. ears, the active but retired man goe. out tht death hai a. come a furlong nearer since morning. And so "the next scan a a hi f us Into the lean acd l!pprd pantaloon." and the man. robbed of ambition, prevented from performing the only function for which years of training have fitted him. la forced to sit Idly by amid the stir or buy life. and. from without the charmed circle, look longingly at the bold strokes of ntarprtM or sadly es say some untried or purposeless form of activity. tr. Arnold Lorand. of Carlsbad. Aus tria, a famous authority on "Old Age refrred." has lately written a book dealing exclusively with the "Hygiene BEAUTIFUL WOMEN SPIES GET SECRETS IN BIG WAR LONG before the war it was known that Germany employed hundreds of feminine spies beautiful society women In many cases. These women have played important parts In the present campaign. Here is a typical case: By accident a T0" hnled a sentry the very note " - i M given to mo oer- mans In mistake for the permit that she was to show In order to cross the bridge between Varangville and St. Nlcholaa. She waa, charged before a court of war. and later executed. Another woman dropped a letter which read: "Hurry up; the Twentieth .Corps arrives this evening." . She electric torch. Perhaps the most daring espionage "J""' "r a woman at the front was ,nml ol pretty Italian in the pay of Germany. Lntil her arrest In No- vember she traveled about In a motor car and managed to give the enemy much valuable Information about the rM.DYrP7. Sh,!vbad,u0Jneh0W' Pr vlded herself with faked passports bearing the forged signatures of Sir JoB French and General Joffre. wit acne a to me garrison at Posen was a young officer named Schorveder. who was very poor. He wa. deeply in loT with a girl named Ida Muller- thai. but. owing to hi. poverty, the Proapect of their getting married wa. very remote. The lover.' trouble wa. known . Russian .ecret agent, who approached the lieutenant and offered him 15000 for plan of the fortress of Posen. Du led by this offer, the lieutenant agreed, but he found It difficult to carry out hi. task. Hi. sweetheart then suggested a cunning way out of the difficulty. -Tou shall tattoo a plan of the for- trea. on my back." she said. "I .hall eaaliy be able to travel to Russia with It without being discovered.' They carried out their fantastic idea Who Rnihed'Aida' When SlXTY-EiCHTlEASS OlD.And Completed FauTaff at&Chty of the illnd." All the teachings of th most exacting science of today, mrd ical and psychological, practically as sert that there Is no fixed period. no age limit for the man whose mind ia young, and this science, without blaa or sentimentality. Instate upon the al most absolute power of rleht thinking to produce a given and legitimate end. -Don't stop work at 70; do more of it." recently remarked ir Gilbert Parker, and in company with him Sir James Crii-hton Brown, an acknoml dged authority on longevity, says the same thing. "If you want a feeble and miserable old age give up working." said Sir James. ho. although bom In 140. la one of the busiest men in Eng land. "Tlio most vigorous period of human life in Its entirety Is obviously between 25 and 40 rears. Hut to say that men above the latter age are com paratively uaeiess Is to fly In the fae of the biographical dictionary. Much of the beat work of the world has been done by men over 40. and we should by no means atand where we are If be reft of what these men have accom plished." It would surprise the average (nan If some competent statistician would set dpm-n the long list of namra of men who have succeeded In any given line. each by "setting his mind npoa It.' Fuch a list would not only record suc cess. It would mean achievement backed by mental force. It would not prove, Its case by special pleading, nor by the adroit preaentation of statistical leger demain. It would stand the clear-cut scUntlflo test of truth. Unfaltering purpose la the quality that wins. .The whole matter In a nutshell la that progress la the ordained wsy. There can be no faltering In the march, for those who falter are forced to drop out Evolutionary science has stamped the word "progress" deep on every mi nute subdivision of organic lire. It haa written the word "progreaa" large oa every department of human endeavor, and today this science, with this train, stands knocking at the very door of human thought. successfully, but the silly extravagance In which the newly. wedded couple ln- dulged after the girl returned to Posen arouited suspicion, and they were both arrested. "You were trapped by a woman who la the agent of a foreign power, and I m oing to show leniency toward J"". ji cannot oe mucn, tne crime too great." These words were spoken by Justice) Darling some time ago before aentenc- 'ng George Herbert Parrott. formerly a gunner the navy, to four years Penal servitude for divulging British naval secrets to a German woman spy. The man met this beautiful woman at It Is owing to a woman's wiles that Germany possesses some plan, of oiorauar. These were made from rouga sketches supplied by a pretty young German girl who stayed at Gibraltar a few year. .go. ostensibly for a holiday London Answers. . GAS TKAHS BIG HOLE ...... . Qul,B remarkable earth eruption occurred near Sinton. Tex., recently. ' 1 1 ' na n iirocn at a aeptn or 300 feet at a new well which was be ing sunk. When the stratum holding the gas was reached by the drill, the casing that lined the bore was blown for a considerable distance into the air by the terrific force of the flow. Kor approximately three mecki the well re mained uncapped and the gas ahot out In great volumes. Then, without warn ing, a hole 7a feet in diameter and ex- nJ1o presumably to the bottom of tne original well. wa. blown In the earth. Almost Immediately this fissure was rilled, to within 100 feet of the sur face with boiling water. All the well- drUlInT machinery disappeared in the great pit. Popular Mechanic. Of the S.OPO.i-THt p-pmiii In Landoa. aaara ' 01
