MIDDLE AGE MYTH.

Manawatu Times, Volume LXV, Issue 1875, 20 March 1913, Page 3

MIDDLE AGE MYTH.

GOLF A GERM OF SENILITY. London, February 4. Mrs Ernest Schofield, wno was interviewed by a Daily News and Leader representative on the question raised in Mr Justice Darling's Court this week, "When are we 1 middle aged?" declared that nowadays there are no middle aged people. "There are young people," she said, "and there are old people, but there have been no middle aged people since 1880. Middle age is a mental disease which grows on you if you remain still, and is kept at bay if you are always mentally on the move. "In Victorian days nearly every woman was middle aged at 2(1, because then there was nothing except embroidery in which she was allowed to be interested. The result was that she ceased to be mentally alive, and became middle aged. But now there are so many interesting subjects to occupy her attention that it is impossible to be anything but young. "It is as well to avoid certain dangers. Middle age is carried by germs, and one of those germs is golf—not because it is not a good game for the young, but because the golfer is nearly always too much of a golfer, and unable to be sufficiently interested in other things. "It is essential, too, to avoid 'settling down.' Luckily people have now nearly got out of this Victorian habit, and most people refuse to 'settle down' till they are over 70. "The woman of (10 is at least 30 rears younger than she used to be. In Switzerland the other day I met a woman ski-ing with her grandchildren and taking part in nearly all the winter sports. Though she must have been well over (iO, it was impossible to call her old or even middle aged. She could only be ; called young. It is time that the phrase "middle aged' was abolished. ; It is out of date.''