Topic 58
 ON BEING SIXTY

COLONEL," I asked on the eve of his last birthday, "how does it seem to be sixty—you know you will be sixty on Sunday?"

" I do not know that it makes a bit of difference," he replied.  "At any rate, I had not noticed any, or that I feel any different than when I was fifty-nine or fifty-seven."

"You are looking well," I said.  "I think I will emphasize that in my story of Sunday as sort of an answer to those who are spreading the report that you are a decrepit old man."

"Do so, by all means," he said.  "It might be of interest to say that this week I have been pulling a boat — Mrs.  Roosevelt and I had a little picnic down at Lloyd's Neck one day this week.  My boat is rather heavy and it is a good pull, but I did not notice that it affected me any.

"A man should not be old at sixty if he takes reasonable care of himself.  I would be all right if it were not that I have some reminders yet of that old Brazilian fever.  It has come back at times in a very disagreeable sort of way.  Aside from that I am all right.  A man of sixty, though, should be in a position where he can take things easy — be in a position where he can do those things he may like to do and not be compelled to do a lot of other things that younger men can do as well.

"If a man has done his duty, he will have his share of work done at that age, and ordinarily be in a position to retire.  If he has not done his duty he may not be called upon to decide the question, for my experience has been that the man who does not do his work is the kind who abuses his health, and if alive, is not much good at sixty, or, for that matter, years before.

"One cannot, however, lay down any general rule on that sort of thing.  Some men do their best work at sixty or even later.  It depends on the man and on circumstances that surround him or that may arise after he has thought his best work was behind him.

"How old are you?" he suddenly asked.

I told him.

"You've got a long way ahead of you yet.  You'll be in harness many years yet and won't want to think of retiring before you are sixty.  Then you will probably insist on doing some work.  You won't be so foolish as to wish to quit altogether even at what now seems to you to be a pretty good age for a newspaper man.  The man who has been active all of his life who, on a given date, arbitrarily shuts down, is inviting trouble for himself.  By shutting down, he invites a breakdown.

"Therefore the wise retains an interest in some worth while things as long as he is able to."