The record-union., 1897-12-01
NO PLACE FOR Them.
OLD MEN HAVE NO CHANCE
FOR EMPLOYMENT.
Bitter Experiences of a White
Haired But Still Vigor-
Gus Worker.

| These are the days Of hustle" anC
go Everywhere the young man is
| pushing TO the front, elbowing his SEN
ior aside. Each year makes it harder
| for a man past middle life to secure
employment. In view OF these condi-
| tions, the Herald" has asked an ole
and experienced newspaper writer. who
| has had long and varied career ir
his profession, TO recount, without ex.
| aggeration, his recent experiences in Q
search for work The story which he
tells is full of human interest.
This is a plain, unvarnished tale o.
1--WE years of idleness, experienced bs
the writer, not because he was unable
or unwilling to work, or was too laz,
to look for employment, but because
he was considered too DID, If ever idle
ness was enforced, ii was in this case
In the almost innumerable applications
ne made for something to do in a pro-
| fession-if reporting may rightly be sc
called-with which he was thoroughly
familiar, and in which he had made
something of a mark in his earlier
years, it was constantly borne in upon
| him that he was not wanted soleIy
for the reason that years had whitene,7
his hair and beard
/ do not desire to speak with undue
bitterness of this experience. distress
ing as it has been, for l have reason
to believe that / am one of thousands
who have suffered similarly. This
seems to be essentially the era of the
young man. In almost all calIings thu;
L know anything Of the applicant with
gray hair is heavily handicapped His
years of experience in the line of busi-
ness he wishes to continue when he has
the misfortune to lose his situation
count for little or nothing. His grizzled
locks give him away" to use an ey-
presSiye bit of slang, and he is politely
told that he is not wanted
OLD AGE A DRAWBACK.
But to my story. l labor under the
misfortune of being half way between
o0 and 90 years old, and have devoted
about thirty years of my life to jour
nallsm. But my hair is almost as white
as driven snow, and, although there is
not wrinkle about my eyes and my
| face is full and rounded. my friends
tell me that / look ten years older thar
l am. Physically, 1 am in perfect
health, and while L cannot get over
ground with the rapidity that charac-
terized my youthful days, I find no diff
| ficulty when occasion offers in getting
| to my destination in good time Men
tally, feel younger than I did at tbs
| age Of 30, and most of my intimate
friends have vast advantage of ms
! in the point of age
| mention these particulars, which
may seem to be egotistical, simply tc
show that it is age alone that prevents
me from obtaining steady employment
l know personally of many others who
are similarly handicapped, and have
TO doubt that every prominent busi
ness man will agree that he turns away
annually large numbers of applicants
| FOR work simply because they are toe
old. OF course he does not tell thest
| unfortunates this in so many words
but all the same, old age or the appear
ance Of old age is the actual reason fol
| their rejection.
| Not great While ago a morning
| involving a thorough reorganization
| and considerable enlargement of its
staff The managing editor, who hat
charge Of the reorganization, was ar
| acquaintance of mine, we having serv.
| ed together not many years ago OF
another newspaper OF this city; but We
had never been intimate. Sdeing 6
! chance for employment, l interested {
| friend of mine in my behalf, ant
| through him made application for the
position of copy reader. For the benefi
! of professionals l should mention
that copy readers are minor editors
| who handle the work of reporters, cor.
respondents and contributors, licking i
| into shape, correcting errors in gram
mar or construction, and guarding
| against that terror of all newspaper
| dom-the libel suit. Professionally
| these gentlemen are sometimes called
blue pencil fends,'' because it Is oe
times their duty to make bare para
graphs of ambitious column articles
and in other ways to harrow the soul:
Of aspiring reporters.
ONLY 'HUSTLERS" WANTED.
! II,
to whom the application was made, -
know the man you speak of very well
and know him to be a good all around
| newspaper man. Still, L am sorry tt
say that / am unable to appoint him.
why not?" queried my friend
We'll, you see, he is too old.
| THAT doesn't strike me as a vali6
objection" retorted my friend. He is
able. honest, bright and Industrious
and his thorough knowledge of the
business and long experience in 1t ought
to make him a valuable acquisition tC
your staff.
Il concede all that" replied the man
aging editor, but the fact is that my
employer has explicitly instructed me
! to engage none but young men anc
'hustlers'
Then the murder was out, and wher
I heard the result of my friends in
| tercess;on on my behalf / began t
realize for the first time that | was
getting old / am afraid, though, tha
/ made some cutting remarks about this
| being the age of legs against brains
/ and other things of the same nature
but l believe these were justified. Sc
| far as / have been able to learn, the
policy of hiring only young men anC
"hustlers'' was pursued by the news
paper in question, with the result tina
its crop of libel suits in the first yea1
of its existence under the new admin
istration was an abnormally large one
Once / heard that a weekly newspa
| per in New Jersey, not more than ter
miles from this city, was in need of {
/ reporter. This was not just the sor
sort of a position I wanted, but on tht
principle of rany port In the storm