By temperance and good Habits of life, proper clothing, well-warmed,
well-drained, and well-ventilated dwellings, and sufficient, not too much
exercise, the old man of our time may keep his muscular strength in very
good condition. I doubt if Mr. Gladstone, who is fast nearing his
eightieth birthday, would boast, in the style of Caleb, that he was as
good a man with his axe as he was when he was forty, but I would back
him,--if the match were possible, for a hundred shekels, against that
over-confident old Israelite, to cut down and chop up a cedar of Lebanon.
I know a most excellent clergyman, not far from my own time of life, whom
I would pit against any old Hebrew rabbi or Greek philosopher of his
years and weight, if they could return to the flesh, to run a quarter of
a mile on a good, level track.

We must not make too much of such exceptional cases of prolonged
activity. I often reproached my dear friend and classmate, Tames Freeman
Clarke, that his ceaseless labors made it impossible for his coevals to
enjoy the luxury of that repose which their years demanded. A wise old
man, the late Dr. James Walker, president of Harvard University, said
that the great privilege of old age was the getting rid of
responsibilities. These hard-working veterans will not let one get rid
of them until he drops in his harness, and so gets rid of them and his
life together. How often has many a tired old man envied the
superannuated family cat, stretched upon the rug before the fire, letting
the genial warmth tranquilly diffuse itself through all her internal
arrangements! No more watching for mice in dark, damp cellars, no more
awaiting the savage gray rat at the mouth of his den, no more scurrying
up trees and lamp-posts to avoid the neighbor's cur who wishes to make
her acquaintance! It is very grand to "die in harness," but it is very
pleasant to have the tight straps unbuckled and the heavy collar lifted
from the neck and shoulders.