The Hawaiian gazette., 1895-11-19
To SHUT OUT OLD MEN.

Sharp competition in the liberal
professions in England is bringing
the CIV the old men must go"
. into prominence Of late, and many
Of the leading journals are advo-
eating the application of the age
limit. in vogue in the army, to the
professions as well. 4 medical
journal suggests that successful
physicians retire from practice at
the age Of siXty-five, and a proml-
nent religious journal comes for
ward with the statement that the
pressure on the church might well
be relieved by the application OF
the army and navy age limit, in
order 10 make room for the rising
generation. The colleges Of Oxford
are preparing statutes putting on
an end 10 life tenureS and eStab-
fishing age limits with compul-
sorv retirement for heads Of
houses, professors and tutors.
Exeter College has led the
way and its new statutes have been
placed before Parliament. The
general theory on which the plan
is being carried out is to the effect
that mans period Of usefulness
ends At sixty-ive, and be should at
that time be placed carefully, but
no less surely. on the shelf.
The theory appears very plausi-
bic 10 the rising and ambitious
young men, but the assumption
that mind and body become unfit
for active work SIS man approaches
the three-soore-and-ten life limit
has not always been borne out by
past experience. 1t tends also TO
concentrate a mans life work in
about twenty years Of his life and
will not be found as acceptable
when the young men Of today be
sin TO near the fatal dead line
marked in their profession. The
increased demands Of modern SCI
enoe have put of the time at which
s man may be said 10 have started
in his work. More extensive
preparation Is required than in
days gone by. and it is not
unusual that man reaches
thirty before he has made his start
in life. Thus it Is that under the
new ruling the professional man
must not only make enough 10 /
keep body and soul together during
the days Of his activity, but he
must also lay by enough TO keep
himself after his professional death. I
II Is practically oondemning s man
because he Is so unfortunate as TO
have gray hairs and years OF eS-
perience. When one considers 4
the lite-work OF such men as
Bismarck. Leo MIL, (
Bancroft. the historian. Oliver
Wendell Holmes, and any num-
ber Of prominent men Of recent
years, he his inclined 10 make
light OF this new departure
II was Rehoboam's departure from
the counsels Of the old men Of his
tribe that led TO his downfall. and
time and again has his fate been
among the young men OF
late history The lives OF promi-
nent men il science, politics, liter
sture, law snd the Gospel have es-
the fact that with ordi-
nary health mans mind, when
active, viii keep uninpaired as
long IS the body lasts. Gladstone
i sid 10 assert that as mans body
grows weaker his mind becomes
stronger.
Notwithstanding the swinging.,of
the pendulum toward the young
men, II Is highly probable that the
veterans viii continue 70 hold their
place ID the front ranks. The agi-
tation Is interesting, however. as
ID exhibition Of the spread Of So
ciaisIie tendencies among the edu-
Gated 10 the point Of interfering
with the individual and his right
10 work
UNITED STATES ELECTIONS.