MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER: AN AGRICULTURAL AND FAMILY NEWSPAPER. 
SEPT. 13. 
)Mn’ 
CONDUCTED BY AZILE. 
Written for the Rural New-Yorker. 
SPIRIT OP BEAUTY. 
BY HATTIE HDSTINGTOS . 
Spirit of Beauty ! where dost thou dwell r 
Say, where is hidden thy magical spell ? 
Is it in figure, or is it in face, 
Manner bewitching, or softening grace ? 
Say, art thou hid in the cheek’s rosy hue, 
Dost sparkle in black eyes, or languish in blue ? 
Vainly ye seek me, in form or in face, 
Vainly in bright eyes my dwelling would trace, 
Deep in the soul, is my empire and throne, 
And there is the magic whose power ye own ; 
Then'wouldst thou find me, oh, look on the mind, 
For there is the Spirit of Beauty enshrined. 
Turk-Hill, N. Y., 1850. 
Written for Moore’s Rural New-Yorker. 
LIFE’S REALITY. 
It lias been said, life, under any and all cir- 
and unfaltering faith in a “ manly purpose and 
a high resolve” shall string every nerve to tne 
pulsations of a noble ambition, and we may at 
once unerringly demonstrate the high measure 
of human power, and the truth to which the 
most inimitable of American bards has given 
so happy utterance, that 
“ Life is real, life is earnest. 
And the grave is not its goal.” 
Lima, N. Y., August, 1856. J. Whitney S. 
MARRIAGE PORTION OF A JAPANESE BRIDE 
[Special Correspondence of Moore’s Rural New-Yorker.] 
dnrfljjt,—^fojt aitir H-Imtc. 
LETTER VI.—ENGLAND. 
BY GLEZEN F. WILCOX. 
LEAVING YORK. 
In families of the rank of the Governors of When I returned to the coffee-house where I 
Nagasaki the bride is portioned with twelve s t opp ed, I entered into conversation with an 
robes, each upon a distinct horse : namely, a polish gentleman from Durham, in the course 
blue robe, for the first month, embroidered with of wh fo b p expressed a desire to visit a coal 
fir trees or bamboos; a sea-green robe, for the mine He informed me that the deepest, and 
second month, with cherry flowers and butter- most ex t ens ive one in the North of England, 
cups ; a robe of light red for the third month, wag at Sutherland, a town on the seaboard, 
with willows and cherry trees ; a robe of pearl and about fourteen miles from Newcastle. In 
color, for the fourth month, embroidered with the rnorD [ ug) therefore, I took the early gov- 
the cuckoo and small spots representing islands; ernment train for Southerland, 
a robe of faint yellow for the fifth month, em- W(j , oufc of and p soon lost sight of 
broidered 
with waves and sword grass ; a robe ^ towers of it8 old churches, and the 
won ctp for thp siYt.n month, fitnnroin- _ . . . ., , , 
It has been said, life, under any and all cir- of ^ oraD g e for tbe si f h month embroid- vast ^ of itg stately cat hedral. As we pro- 
cumstances, is a fickle reality. In one sense the e,ct me ons, an vit i an impetuous oi cec d e d, the country became more sterile, and 
assertion is but too true. To the careless min- rent > the rainy season a mg in t ns anc tie t he crops on the ground were not so forward as 
uler in the busy scenes where chance may have P ie ' io us month ; a white robe oi e sevent i in the southern counties. Tall brick chimneys, 
thrown him, or to him who with perhaps higher month, with kiki floweis, w nte anc puipe , a wav i ng columns of black smoke rising 
anticipations, but with equal absence of thought, ret 10 e or 1 ie eig t mon , sprin e vit f rom them, grew more frequent as we advanced, 
applies himself to the acquirement of the sloe leaves , a violet lobe for t e nmt i mont i, pdg for bur ning coke darted out fiery 
knowledge which those who have gone before embroidered with flowers of the Chrysanthemum ^ of flame from th eir summits. The 
have arduously demonstrated, or to the object- aveiyspen i f ower, an o n e co oi radw - a y p a sses within two miles of Durham, 
less and unthinking accumulation of facts that ed robe f ‘f tbe teath month, with the represen- ^ I caught a glimpse of the town and its fine 
find record in the world’s history,—to such the Nations o a roa anc eais o nee cu o , a catbedra p On a hill there is a monument to 
aims and accomplishments of life are simple and ac'ioie or e e even mon l, em roi eiec tbg j» ar j 0 f Durham, formed like a Grecian 
fto o-ivpn tn salisfv with emblems of ice and icicles; a purple robe „ . . , f 
definite. To the one is only given to satisfy the " ““““ L , ^ 
demands of a sensual nature, and to the other the f twel ^ h raouth ’ embroidered with em- 
to tread unthinking the beaten paths of time. __ While surveying my companions in the cars, 
But to him whose nature inevitably mingles t o voum? man whom I iudeed to be 
. , ... THE BENEFITS OF LAUGHTER. 1 ODberveu d yeuug iuau wuum ± juu^cu tu uu 
reflection upon surrounding circumstances, with - an American. I partly concluded so from his 
aspirations to fulfil a destiny beyond the com- A good resource for family amusement is the dress and general appearance, but principally 
mon lot, the appointed life ol mortals will not var [ oug game s that are played by children, and from his hat, which I was sure never had been 
unfrequently seem j n wb j cb the joining of older members of the purchased in England. It too nearly resembled 
“ A mighty maze, and all without a plaD.” family is always a great advantage to both par- my own, which attracted so much attention 
At many times do the demands and rewards ties. All medical men unite in declaring that that, until I disposed of it I was frequently 
of life seem strangely to dwindle to littleness, nothing is more beneficial to health than laugh- asked “ Who’s yer ’atter,” although it was not 
Obstacles to the destiny we would woo, appear ter ; and sure our benevolent Creator would not a « shocking bad hat” but a slouched one, and 
in the garb of the impossible,— weakening have provided, and made it a source of health 0 f a kind that is extensively worn in the United 
the enthusiasm which prompts,if not complete- and enjoyment to use them, and then have States. I addressed him, and found my sup- 
ly blasting the efficacy of every exertion. The made it a sin to do so. The prevailing temper position correct. He was a Pennsylvanian, and 
Herculean task which is presented, contrasted of the mind should be cheerful, but serious ; a s he was also alone, and our plans of travel 
with the feebleness of doubting and doubtful but there are times when relaxation and laugh- nearly alike, we determined to join company. 
efforts, will not fail to convert the opposing into ter are proper to all. There is nothing better Afoot anc l alone, is the flag hoisted at the 
the insurmountable,— while the littleness of for this end, than that parents and older persons mast head, and under which I profess to sail. 
the reward of the highest accomplishment, will should join the sports of childhood. Mature N or are v my colors false. What matters it, if 
not plead long for wearying action or unthank- minds can always make sports entertaining to occas i ona lly I employ the aid of steam to tra- 
ed self-sacrifice. These slight incentives to children, and can exert a healthful moral in flu- Terse an uninteresting region ? Is it not less 
action, with the consideration of his own impo- ence over their minds ; and at the same time, tiresome f or the patient reader of these letters, 
tency, often blast the stoutest efforts of the can gain exercise and amusement for themselves. as we n a8 fo r myself ? And as I chanced to meet 
aspiring. And the assurance of his littleness How lamentable that so many fathers, who a pleasant traveling companion, I can only 
thus acquired, will derive fresh evidence from could be thus useful and happy with their h that the increased interest which I there- 
reflection upon the common destiny of man- children, throw away such opportunities, and after eil j oy ed in my travels will be shared by 
kind. The thoughtless mingling of the mass wear out soul and body in the pursuit of gain tbe reader 
in each passing scene, and theii only interest in or fame !— Selected. iwn_ musmimT’ ■rNr'rn a miT. n/murs 
temple of the Doric style of architecture. 
MEETING A COMPANION. 
THE BENEFITS OF LAUGHTER. 
as well as for myself ? And as I chanced to meet 
a pleasant traveling companion, I can only 
hope that the increased interest which I there¬ 
in each passing scene, and their only interest in 
the merest frivolities of the hour, aud the ob¬ 
livion to which death yields them the careless 
and unvalued victims,all conspire to demonstrate 
to the unsatisfied aspirant and doubting reflect¬ 
or, the fickleness of life. 
Still, to the partially benevolent and strictly 
THE GOOD ARE BEAUTIFUL. 
“ Oh 1 what an ugly little creature 1” 
“ She will be beautiful in Heaven, mamma,” 
replied a lady. 
“Will she indeed,” returned the individual 
SOUTHERLAND.— DESCENT INTO A COAL MINK 
When we arrived at Southerland, we went 
directly to an inn near the colliery, and leaving 
our baggage, started for the mine. We passed 
by a rope-walk 
“That building long and low, 
With its windows all a-row,” 
careful contemplator of man s existence, it may wbo spo ke so lightly of the child. « I should across a bridge, and along a road black with 
not appear so entirely a blank, or so completely ][)- e to know how you can tell that ?” cool, and saw before us a mass of irregular brick 
the and wooden buildings, as black as the coal 
a barrenness. In the place of the one shall we “ In the other life,” replied the woman, “ the and wooden buildings, as black as the coal 
find traced the recoid of much that is truly good are all beautiful, and tbe evil deformed heaps around them. In one part three fires 
noble, while the other will be found to possess and ug ]y. No matter how fair a face a person burned hotly under as many enormous boilers, 
many a fertile oasis and sparkling fount to may have had in this life, it will in the next which generated steam for the engine. At a 
cheer the wanderer upon its wastes. Indeed, world be changed into beauty or ugliness, ac- short distance was a sheet of hot water, formed 
however viewed, life piesents itself a stem, a cording as he has been good or evil.” from the condensed steam, which was thusren- 
sublime and momentous leality. Thecaieerof “How do vou kuow this?’ inauired the first dered available for use a second time. There 
ling as he has been good or evil.” from the condensed steam, which was thusren- 
How do you know this ? ’ inquired the first dered available for use a second time. There 
the merest mortal upon earth possesses a full speaker. were huge shafts and wheels turning in differ- 
degree of influence upon its destiny. The « Any one who opens his eyes may see and ent parts of the establishment; sooty men were 
web of human existence is acutely woven, and know that this will be true,” was replied. “ Is driving sooty horses drawing sooty carts laden 
we may not study its textuie long without evi- no t the most beautiful face rendered disagreea- with coal. Everything around was black, and 
dence of its minuteness and delicacy, and the t>le, when any bad passion is felt and exhibit- the coal-dust floated in the air and settled on 
influence which each contiibuting thread pos- ed ? And does not the homeliest face become our garments and skin, and rapidly changed 
sesses of beautifying, liaimonizing and strength- pfo a sant to look upon, when good affections complexions to a color particularly favorable for 
ening the whole. make it beautiful. And she shall be beautiful displaying tbe whites of eyes and a good set of 
No being has been vouchsafed the privilege in Heaven, for she is a good little girl, homely teeth. We met some of the men who had just 
of existence, without being appointed to a fit as her face now is.”— Arthur's Magazine. 
field of labor ; each is an emphatic unit, and -*■- 
must enter into our computations of the aggre- a Good Wife. —In the eighty-fourth ’ 
come up from the works below, and they were 
blacker than any negroes I ever saw. 
At the office, which stood a little aside, we 
must enter into our computations ol tne aggre- a Good Wife. —In the eighty-fourth year of At the office, which stood a little aside, we 
gate of existence. Few indeed are they who his age, Dr. Calvin Chapin wrote of his wife:— applied for permission to descend into the 
fitly comprehend the nobility of life ; but «My domestic enjoyments have been, perhaps, mine. The chief viewer, however, who has 
when he is given to appreciate its high de- as near perfection as the human condition per- authority in the matter, was below, and we 
mands, man becomes the holder of a royal se- m its. She made my home the pleasantest spot on were obliged to await his return. Entering the 
cret, and the possessor of the mystic “sesame” earth tome. And now that she is gone, my reading room, where we found a good selection 
which shall find him entrance to the garners of -worldly loss is perfect,” How many a poor fel- of newspapers and magazines, we passed an 
the choicest treasures. This may be truly fo w would be saved from suicide, from the hour very agreeably. When the officer return- 
deemed the advent of the soul s redeemer. penitentiary and the gallows, every year, had ed, we made our application, and after asking a 
This introduction to the rightful sovereignty he been blessed with such a wife. “She made few questions he sent for a guide. We were 
of man, is the noblest discovery oMife; and home the pleasantest spot to me on earth.”— were first conducted to au apartment where an 
when the subject of noble impulses has become What a grand tribute to that woman’s love, entire change of clothing was provided, and we 
assured that the extreme development of his and piety, and common sense ! Rather differ- arrayed ourselves iu coarse flannel shirts and 
nobler nature is equally his duty and privilege, ent was the testimony of an old man some three drawers, black pantaloons and coats, cut sailor 
he is found imbued with an energy for life’s years ago, just before he was hung in the fashion, and round leather caps, with the front- 
conflicts before unfelt, and which no unfixed Tomb’s yard of New York. “I didn’t intend piece reversed so as to protect the back of the 
desire can impart. Indeed, in those who have to kill my wife, but she was a very aggravating neck. This costume gave us a queer appear- 
experienced this “rising of thought”—this full woman.” Let each inquire, “Which wife am ance, and I laughed heartily when I surveyed 
view of the noble in humanity—do we recog- I ?”— Hall's Journal of Health. myself in the mirror. The pantaloons, which 
nize earth’s truly great. And though unfanned -#>- were very wide, were also much too long, so that 
by the breath of fortune, and undecked with Berkley, in his “ Utopia,” describes lovers as I had to turn them up about six inches at the 
the wreaths of fame—though the efforts of such declaring their passion by presenting to the bottom. The loose sailor jacket was confined 
be unanswered by the world’s adulation, they fair-beloved a rosebud, just beginning to open ; by a black leather belt, and the cap fitted close- 
shall, in tbe consciousness of high deserts, pos- if the lady accepted and wore the bud, she was ly to my head. Rough staffs completed our 
sess full reward. supposed to favor his pretensions. As time in- equipment, and following our guide, who was 
Why then do the aspiring remain wrapped creased the lover’s affections, he followed up dressed in like costume with ourselves, we en- 
in listless reverie, fearful if they have rightly the first present by that of a half-blown rose, tered an open building and stood at ilie en- 
construed the injunctions of their nobler na- which was again succeeded by one full-blown; trance of the deepest shaft in the mine, 
ture,—refrain from giving their bark to the and if the lady wore this last, she was consid- It is circular and twelve feet in diameter.— 
morning tide, and dally until the sun has gone ered as engaged for life. Twenty or thirty feet above it a cylinder was 
down upon their waiting, and the “melancholy 
stars” have risen upon their continued delay ? 
ed as engaged for life. Twenty or thirty feet above it a cylinder was 
-<•—- swiftly turning which propelled two bands up 
A taste for trees, plants and flowers is a pe- and down the shaft, but in opposite directions, 
Better far trust to the billows, though they prove culiar attribute of woman, exhibiting the gen- at the same time. The bands are made of 
merciless; and, if fate have nothing else in tleness and purity of her sex; and every bus- wire, and are six inches in width and one in 
store, to leave a proud wreck, which shall give band should encourage it, for his wife and thickness. To the extremity of each band a 
evidence of sincerity and high desires. Let daughters will prove wiser, and happier, and platform is attached, capable of holding four of 
hope arise from stern action in a noble cause, better for its cultivation. the small cars which are used to transport the 
coal from the place where it is dug to the top 
of the shaft. The cars contain half a ton of 
coal each, and while one platform of loaded cars 
is ascending, another of empty ones is descend¬ 
ing. They are raised about twenty feet above 
the surface of the ground, and the coal is then 
emptied down an inclined plane, and falls into 
wagons, which convey it away. While passing 
down the inclined plane small pieces of stone, 
dust and fragments fall through crevices and 
are tfyus separated from the superior quality of 
coal. I watched one of the platforms as it de¬ 
scended into the shaft. It faded from sigh 1 
gradually, diminishing to a mere spot at a vast 
depth, and then sunk into total darkness.— 
About thirteen hundred tons of coal are taken 
daily from the mine, and over nine hundred 
men and boys are constantly employed. 
After surveying the works above ground, we 
stepped into some empty cars and were rolled 
upon the platform. We were obliged to take a 
recumbent position, so that our heads would 
not rise above the top of the cars—a position, 
by the way, which would have entirely spoiled 
any garments that were capable of being dam¬ 
aged by coal dust, aud our guide warned us 
against putting our hands or staffs over the 
sides. When everything was ready, and he had 
satisfied himself that we were properly placed, 
he gave a signal and we commenced going 
down—down into the depths of the earth, leav¬ 
ing the sight of fields, and houses, and trees, 
and sky—first attended by the rattle of ma¬ 
chinery, the sound of the voices of men, and 
the dim but cheering light of heaven, then 
amidst total darkness and profound silence. I 
felt a severe pressure on my ears, aud a strange 
sensation came over me—a sensation of rapid 
and unusual motion. Without directly feeling 
the evidence of it, I thought of falling from a 
balloon among the clouds, or of being whirled 
through the darkness of universal space. Sud¬ 
denly there was a rush of wind, and I thought 
something shot by us. “ What’s that ?” I ask¬ 
ed of the guide. “ It is the other platform 
going up,” he replied. “ We are now just half 
way down.” “ And how far is that ?” “ Nine 
hundred feet.” Again there was silence in the 
deep darkness. The pressure on my ears be¬ 
came so severe that I put my hands against 
them for relief. What if the band which was 
lowering us should break, I thought; or if they 
should even fail to check the rapid motion of 
our descent, I thought of the hard rock nine 
hundred feet below, and shuddered. Presently 
I caught the faint glimmer of a light. It grew 
stronger. I heard the voices of men again.— 
Then came a shock, and our descent was stop¬ 
ped. We had arrived at the bottom of the 
shaft, and were then eighteen hundred feet be- 1 
low the spot from which we started. The de¬ 
scent was accomplished in a minute and a half. 
The cars were rolled on to a railway, and we 
got out, while some laden cars were shoved on 
to the platform and it immediately commenced 
ascending. Directly below our stopping place 
there was a large reservoir, or what might be 
considered tbe bottom of tbe shaft, and I heard 
the water which oozes from the sides of the 
shaft above constantly dropping into it like a 
heavy shower. The guide informed us that by 
lookiug up in a very clear day the sunlight in 
the top of the shaft could be perceived. It ap¬ 
pears like a star of the first magnitude afar in 
the heavens aud shining dimly through the 
mist. It is dangerous, however, to look up, as 
the smallest piece of coal dropping from that 
height might cause a severe injury. The res¬ 
ervoir is emptied once a week, which is about 
all the drainage the colliery requires. 
Here we each received a Davy’s safety lamp, 
and then followed the guide in single file along 
the gallery towards its further extremity. At 
the beginning it is hewn through the rock, and 
where the stone is of a crumbling nature the 
sides and roof are strengthened by props and 
cross beams of larch. It never rises but a few 
inches above the height of a man, and when 
traversing some of the side galleries we were 
frequently compelled to walk in a stooping 
posture. The railway for the cars occupies the 
middle. The cars are propelled along the main 
galleries by wire ropes, which are worked by a 
steam engine. In some of the others horses 
are used, but many of them are too contracted 
to admit a full sized horse, and in those ponies 
and donkeys are employed. There is a stable 
in the mine for the animals, and many of them 
have not seen daylight for years ; yet notwith¬ 
standing their unusual labor aud way of living 
they were iu good condition, and I was told 
they throve well. 
As we were walking forward a heavy rumb¬ 
ling sound came to our ears, filling all the space 
about as the heavens are filled by loud and 
prolonged thunder. The guide made us stand 
close against the wall, aud in a moment a train 
of loaded cars, with a boy seated on the fore¬ 
most, whose teeth and eyes showed like an 
Ethiopian’s in his sooty face, went rushing past 
and disappeared in the darkness. Again we 
moved on, going down an inclined plane, and 
presently arrived at the depth of the coal, 
which we saw in the rock on either side. The 
vein is about three feet thick. It dips towards 
the sea and therefore the nearer the water a 
shaft is sunk the deeper it will be. We now 
took off our coats, for it was already very warm, 
and the. guide informed us that as we proceeded 
further into the mine it would grow hotter.— 
Leaving the main gallery we passed into a side 
one through a door which was opened and shut 
by a boy. Here we met horses drawing trains 
of cars. They were driven by boys who were 
naked, except a short apron about the waist, 
aud they spoke to their animals in a language 
that I could not understand. Continuing on, 
the gallery gradually narrowed, and instead of 
horses, ponies aud donkeys were employed.— I 
Occasionally we passed a door closing the en¬ 
trance of a gallery, and two or three times the 
one which we were traversing divided into 
branches. Often we had to press close against 
the wall to let the cart go by, though there was 
not so much danger of the donkeys running 
over us as of the cars propelled by the engine. 
It was a striking scene, that long contracted 
tube of rock, with its black floor and sides and 
roof so low that you could not stand upright, 
and reaching backward and forward into dark¬ 
ness. The noise of the cars clanging over the 
iron rails, and the unintelligible cries of the 
sooty drivers to their dwarfed animals, added 
to its unearthly character, and I thought that 
if there is any place on earth which resembles 
the dominions of “ His Majesty” down below, 
it was the scene before me. 
Stooping low, and following our guide, we 
arrived in time at the end of the gallery, where 
the miners were digging out the coal. We 
stood then more than eighteen hundred feet be¬ 
low the surface of the ground, and a mile and a 
half from the bottom of the shaft we had de¬ 
scended. What if Mother Earth should get a 
quaking fit and shake one or two of the galle¬ 
ries behind us together, or tumble the shaft in¬ 
to ruins 1 We should have a deep grave. We 
sat down on a heap of coal, to watch the labors 
of a miner. He was completely naked except 
his boots and short apron, aud of course black 
with coal dust. His Davy’s safety lamp swung 
from the blackened roof and shed a yellow 
light on the scene. With a pickax he loosened 
the coal in the vein before him, and then shov¬ 
eled it into the cars. The place was wider than 
the galleries, but the space between the floor 
and roof was only the thickness of the vein, or 
about three feet and a half, so that he had to 
work in a very stoopiDg posture. Added to 
this the heat was excessive, and the air was 
close anc^thick ; it seemed to me as hot as an 
oven, and while resting we perspired more 
freely than laborers in a harvest field. Yet 
there, where he cannot stand upright, breath¬ 
ing smoke and coal dust, the miner labors 
twelve hours in the twenty-four, and if he is 
fortunate in obtaining a good situation, by bard 
work be can earn about one dollar per day.— 
Before we left, one of us told the miner to go to 
a certain inn and get a quart of beer, which 
would be paid for. He thanked us and wished 
us safe out of the pit. 
While passing along the galleries we observ¬ 
ed that the air was constantly in motion. These 
currents are produced by the means used in 
ventilating the mine, and they penetrate to the 
remotest corner ; without the constant supply 
of fresh air which they briug it would be im¬ 
possible to live in the mine. In one part an 
enormous fire is kept continually burning, 
which causes the air to rise through a shaft or 
chimney. The fresh air descends another shaft, 
and by means of the doors which close the gal¬ 
leries, and which act as valves, it is forced 
around the whole extent of the mine, traversing 
every passage, and finally arrives at the fire, 
where it is heated and ascends. We visited 
the fire, which burns in an arch twelve feet 
high. It takes one man to keep it supplied 
with coal, and it is never suffered to be extin¬ 
guished, but burns on night and day. 
Gas is used for lighting the main galleries, 
where there is no danger to be apprehended 
from fire damp, and also the engine room and 
some other parts of the mine. The works for 
making it are in the mine, and we entered 
through a narrow passage the room where it is 
generated. We passed in, one at a time, the 
guide foremost, and although I had just come 
from the fire and was exceedingly warm, yet I 
could not bear the intense heat which I here 
experienced for a single moment. I could 
hardly breathe and felt faint. I happened to 
be next to the guide, and called out to my com¬ 
panions to go back as quick as possible, for the 
passage was too narrow to pass each other. 
We then went to the bottom of the shaft, and 
getting on to the platform commenced our as¬ 
cent to the upper world. By the glimmer of 
our lamps, which we kept in our hands, we 
could see the stones glide swiftly by. Present¬ 
ly tbe darkness began to fade, and a faint white 
light was around us. The lamps grew dim,— 
the white light rapidly increased until sudden¬ 
ly we shot above the mouth of the shaft, and 
beheld fields and arching sky. What a con¬ 
trast! It seemed to me that, like Ulysses, I 
had visited the infernal regions. 
HEALTH AND LONG LIFE. 
Socrates used to say that it was pleasant to 
.grow old with good health and a good friend, 
and he might have reason ; a man may be con¬ 
tent to live while he is no trouble to himself or 
his friends ; but after that it is hard if he be not 
content to die. I knew and esteemed a person 
abroad, who used to say, any man must be a 
mean wretch who desires to live after three¬ 
score years old. But so much, I doubt, is cer¬ 
tain, that in life, as in wine, he that will drink 
it good must not draw it to the dregs. Where 
this happens one comfort of age may be, that 
whereas younger men are usually in pain when¬ 
ever they are not in pleasure, old men find a 
sort of pleasure when they are out of pain ; and 
as young men often lose or impair their present 
enjoyment by craving after what is to come, by 
vain hopes or fruitless fears, so old men relieve 
the wants of their age by pleasing reflections 
on what is past. Therefore, men in health and 
vigor of their age should endeavor to fill their 
lives with reading, with travel, with the best 
conversation, and the worthiest actions, either 
in public or private stations; that they may 
have something agreeable to live on when they 
are old, by pleasing remembrances.— Selected. 
Most follies owe their origin to self-love. 
