What Is It Like to be Old?
By THEODORE TAYLOR *
IHAVE always been of an enquiring turn of mind. Particularly when young I was continually trying to learn from people older than myself. So that I should be, and am, willing to pass on any lesson I have learned in my long life. One lesson learnt long ago is that of my own ignorance. The older I grow, the more ignorant I feel, because I am continually learning how much there is yet for me to learn.
I have always been interested in languages not only because they are the expression of our thoughts, but even for their own sakes. Dr. Bewglass, the Head of Silcoates School (near Wakefield), my teacher, was a master of clear speech. He taught that, as language is our chief means of communicating our thoughts to each other, it is important that we should be able to express our thoughts clearly in words. So he taught us by preference to use words of Saxon (or German) origin rather than in words of Latin origin, and never to use a long word where a short one could be used. Those who have noticed the words used by Winston Churchill in his finest war- time speeches will know what I mean. You must not call a spade an agricultural implement any more than you would call your mother Your maternal parent. _ One of the things I was taught when young was to speak clearly and plainly. To do that, one must think clearly, one must concen- trate one's thoughts. Muddled thinking cannot produce clear Speech. One may think clearly and yet, for want of training in Speech, not be able clearly to convey one's thoughts to others. So I reckon that the two greatest feats, without which we cannot be very useful in the affairs of the mind, are the functions of clear thinking and of clear speech. Every teacher of the young should aim at these. I had the great advantage of being trained in these -- *Mr. Theodore Taylor was a hundred years old on Thursday, August 3rd.
ideals, so that if I am muddled in thought or speech it is not my teacher's (Dr. Bewglass's) fault.
What is it like to be old ? One old lady I knew said: It is to feel always tired and never feel quite rested." 1 can understand that answer. For just as the muscles of the body become weaker as we grow older, so the muscles of the mind (so to speak) get weaker too. One of the troubles of old age is forgetfulness of names, of words and of recent events and acquaintances. It is curious, but true, that the names of those one knew long ago remain in one's mind and that the name of the man to whom one was introduced yesterday is forgotten. So the ideas one learnt in one's youth remain, while the new ideas one learnt yesterday may have already faded from memory. Thus we may see how important it is that the lessons and impressions of early life should all be good ones. You may think that when your children are yobag it does not matter what company they keep, or what ideas they get. It matters much what a little child hears. What we become when we are old depends greatly upon what we were and experienced when we were very young. During all my childhood I was surrounded by Christian and moral influences. Therefore, if I a,rn a well-behaved man, it is much less creditable to me than if I had been brought up, as some children are, in a vicious atmosphere. So to one who, like me, has been taught from infancy the vital truths of the Christian faith, it seems terrible that some young children should never hear the name of God except when used as an impreca- tion. So one thing for which English people should be thankful is that, from childhood, we have been surrounded by influences leading us to the good life. That is what we mean by being " born and brought up in a Christian country." So old age to the average English person is a much better condition in Britain than in many other countries.
The memories of the very young are short at best. The minds of the old are stocked with memories. Memories have great influence upon our lives. The memory of a good father or mother or dear departed ,friend may be a powerful influence in our lives. What kind of memories are we older folk leaving in the minds of the young and impressionable persons we meet ? When this life's "fitful fever" for us is over, what memories shall we leave behind ? Will the memory of us help or hinder those we leave behind ? Age brings experience and experience brings knowledge. Are we old folk using our experience and knowledge for the benefit of the young ? Many young folk are not wise enough to learn from old folk, but some are. Are we older ones willing to give the younger ones the benefit of our experience and help them not to make the ,mistakes we have made ? Are we old folk as tolerant as we ought to be of the faults and follies of the young ? Old age, as well as youth, has its temptations. in old age, we are apt to be censorious and, because we have experience, assume that we have profited by it_ There is a proverb that we older people should not forget: "There is no fool like an old fool." Let us remember that we are not necessarily Solomons because we are cid.
One of the temptations to the old is to exaggerate what is favourable in our recollection of our own youth. It does not commend the advice we may give to younger people if we do that. So let those of us who are old enter into the young life of today as sympathetically as we can. Let us remember The days of our own youth and realise that age does not necessarily mean wisdom. One of the privileges of old age is that the nicest young people are ready to help us when our infirmities set in. You may be deaf, the young help you to know what is said. Your sight is not so good as it was, but the nice young people help you out of your difficulties. You may be lame. It is the finest type of young folk who are ready to help you. You forget something that you would have remembered when you were young. The fine kind of young people are ready to help you to remember without blaming you for loss of memory and so on.
There is one great difference between the helplessness of old age and the helplessness of childhood. The child finds it natural to be helped, but the old man or woman feels it a trial to have to be helped to do this or that, which he or she once did without any help. And so the young man or woman who helps an older person, does it as tactfully as possible. For one of the drawbacks of old age is having to accept help instead of giving it, as formerly. It is a pathetic sight to see the good father of a family reduced to dependence upon his grandchild in order to walk the streets in safety. But it is a joy to the good grandchild to help his grand- .- parents.
One of the trials of old age is not to be as capable of many things as formerly. To require help instead of helping others is rather hard to bear. But I can think as clearly as ever, and my business, which takes up the larger part of my time and thought is, I believe, not only the means of providing a legitimate Eying for us who are employed in it, but is an object-lesson among other profit-sharing firms pointing the way to peace and greater prosperity in the future than in the past.
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