ABSTRACT
The published literature of the early national period presented two coherent systems of thinking about the aged—the religious and the medical—as well as a miscellaneous assortment of other ideas. The two major strands can be briefly summarized. Religious literature, composed mostly by Congregational ministers, provided an interlocking set of ideas and expectations for the aged. Religious publications told the aged to behave as grave, pious, and didactic examples to others, to use their old age in "preparation" for death, to accept pains and losses with submission, and to "wean" themselves from the world by severing earthly attachments and standing ready to die. Great rewards, including respect on earth and bliss after death, accrued to those who followed these prescriptions. Meanwhile great punishments—not the least of which was eternal damnation—piled onto those who disobeyed. Religious books and sermons also told the young to respect and care for their elders. In contrast, books by medically oriented authors provided a completely different—and incompatible—system for understanding and managing old age. Skirting spiritual concerns, medical authors stressed human control over the aging process. According to these writers, moderation in almost everything provided the key to a long and comfortable old age. Proper diet, exercise, and therapeutics were tools available to anyone wishing to take control of the aging process.
