Though, in old age, the circle of pleasure is contracted, yet within its
limits many of those enjoyments remain which are most grateful to human
nature.
Temperate mirth is not extinguished by advanced years; the mild
pleasures of domestic life still cheer the heart. The entertainments of
conversation and social intercourse continue unimpaired. The desire of
knowledge is not abated by the frailty of the body, and the leisure of
old age affords many opportunities for gratifying that desire. The
sphere of observation and reflection is so much enlarged by long
acquaintance with the world, as to supply, within itself, a wide range
of improving thought. Whilst the aged are engaged in such employments as
best suit the infirmities of their nature, they are surrounded, perhaps
with families, who treat them with attention and respect; they are
honoured by their friends; their characters are established, and are
placed beyond the reach of clamour and the strife of tongues; and free
from distracting cares can calmly attend to their eternal interests.
No age is doomed to total infelicity provided that we attempt not to do
violence to nature, by seeking to extort from one age the pleasures of
another, and to gather in the winter of life those flowers which were
destined to blossom only in its summer or its spring.
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