Jessie Anderson Chase’s Short Story, ‘The Old Things’

People who have lived a long and fruitful life have much to give to the younger generation.

“Old Age,” from the series: “The Four Ages of Man,” 1840–45, by Ditlev Conrad Blunck. Older people have much to give the younger generation. Art Renewal

As time passes, youth turns to old age in the cycle of life. Often, the young don’t appreciate what’s come before them. They might be missing out because the older generation leaves treasures that the young might appreciate. 

In his short story, “The Old Things,” Jessie Anderson Chase contemplates the loveliness of old things, especially older people. Through attorney Alden’s interactions with two elderly people, Chase illustrates how the young should regard, respect, and revere the old.

A Last Will

From his yard, Alden often sees his neighbor Thomas Sewell, a “New-Englander of the elder type” on the other side of his stone wall. Sewell has a “piercing yet so kindly humorous blue eye that loses none of its colour with age, but seems to grow more vivid and vital.”