User Reviews

There is very little that is romantic in this picture of life. It is true, in the sense that it stands for a typical experience, and it's a pity that it's true. By its title we know that it's a picture with a purpose, and a more worthy purpose could hardly be found for a picture. The man has grown old in harness. He is a draftsman and he has come to the time when he needs spectacles. The management of the company he works for is changed and he loses his job. For a day or so he keeps it from his wife, hoping to find other work. The picture takes him the whole way along the bitter path to his wife's death and beyond to the poorhouse. It isn't entertainment, but there are times when something else is more desirable. Everyone must look forward to old age, many with trembling. Let the people see this picture. They will, if they are human, be thankful for it, even though it will make no one happy. - The Moving Picture World, October 21, 1911