The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-11-05
No CHANCE BEYOND FORTY
AT THAT AGE MEN BEGIN To 60 on
THE BACK TRACK.
Unless blessed With Genius. rhey
Lose Their NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
Applicants Always in Line tn MS

spent some Nci;TS To-Day RAINING SpNGt
London an3 talking Win every body could
ni>1 MO haG any thing % say upan ;he sao-
5ect. and they ali agree with YOU hat
clerks ar the SANDS og The scashore.
ard IAst AT the rate at which we are So
ing 4 man Will have 70 10 4 Dir OF a ge-
nius - earn hts bread"
"oh. its ar old story said one gentle
man ~ho = the manager II a large en-
rlcymeGt agency connected with a rc.!g-
ious organization. Its an cd story, tina,
difficulty q getting employ ment after
certain time % life'
Yes. - ODD story. aud a very dismal
enc But the men ap in Hyde park yestsr-
DAY coaitn2ei that Il was an Increasing
difficulty. WAT 10 you think about ;hate
You must Pc in position IA form q reii-
able opinion upon the subject. 10 you think
Il really is they say"
Il am inclined - think II is was ths
unhesltauns reply ana the speaker pfo-
ceeaed 70 glYe me Pretty much What / had
heard in other forms IN various parts ut
London. including one Of me hest-irfor;n-
ed business cCnters IN the city. Ii al
GENES % last about what YOU say i'm your
leader note this mornug-that in order tn
live Il ~ necessary 10 be 4 bit 81 A genius.
man must he able 20 eli Nv his way
upward and shove others aside. and 10
may get on IN the world and do fairly
Wei.
rising from his chair and pointing across "a
the windows OF large city house as full
az clerks alive is full ~ bees Those
young fellows are mere machines. Any
body DO their work. and their utmost
market value is about Il a week~-l2 los at
the very utmost-and the majority OF them
viii never get beyond that"
You see.' said one OF my informants.
business houses like, If they can. 10
promote their younger hands. If they
can help II they don't like 20 bring in
IA stranger and put him over the heads
OF others. On the other hand. even II q
middle-aged man. who has been getting
a good salary. Is willing to take the pay
OF n iuaior clerk. they don't like TO give
IL II doesn't look Well
The head Of the employment agency
/ just referred 10 mentioned the case
OF ii man who had been for many years
engaged in the counting room of an i'm
portant city house, bat who had had tho
misfortune to find himself incapable II
meeting the requirements Of new man.
agement and modern methods. and had 10
go There seemed really nothing against
him. and member Of the firm he had
worked for actually commended him very
strongly 70 the hest exertion OF tbs
agency. and privately stood his friend in
IA way he certainly would not have dono
II he had been In any way morally un-
deserving Every exertion was made 10
find an opening. and one gentleman NJ
length expressed his Willingness tn take
him. although he would have preferred
a younger man. Under his special cir
curnstances. and with his special recom-
nendation. he offered him fve-and-
twenty shillinss a week. II was such y
doleful drop that he refused II, and
now" said this man. II believe he would
be glad 10 get ten shilllngs.
II IS very commonly believed thar when
men come down In tho world In this
way II is their own fault They drink or
they gamble or they misconduct thems
selves. and Il need hardly be said that
that Is The secret OF an immense amount
Of distress There were suggestions ID
the mark on Sunday pointing In this di-
rection When character ts very de-
cidediy below par In any way, IL cannot
be surprising that the difficulty or get
ting berths is absolutely hopeless. But
wherever | have inquired today matters
Of character were pretty much left out q
account II was taken for granted thar
men must have no moral planes OF very
aerious Importance. but even ~ithous
then, IT was allowed on all hands max
this cry Of too old at 40 Is genuiHS
one and that the unemployed are reaiiY
o., the Increase At one agency that has
been going for Some wears ! was told thae
the numbers on registry are greater COM
siderably this year than they were last
and that last year WAS an increase ui'""
the wear before and as VIII be seen from
what has been said. IT rs not exactly tru"s
aS has sometimes been said. that thefS
g always room n, the top" In the conn
rneregal clerical world II IS rather nj ths
bottom ~ the ladder that there Is wi"st
room and though Of course, men OF Rpod
character aud first rate ability NAV SIM
nrA r,ienty ~ room nj the top. the ut1-
fortunate FOLK who cannot BOAST OF NV
highest ability and the best eqhpniehA
oenr,n. get in either AZ the top or bot
torn fid. indeed. hear 81 one or TWO
demands for well qualified men f"r spe-
cisi POSITIONS and AZ the moment uid
eupply certainly seemed to faii
II had" said my informant. "a f"n'I"-
man send 20 ask me- 90 find MIN az en-
q man capable of taking charge OF hs
counting houee liz specified NJ mint OK
age except that the candidate must -
over thirty and as 20 salary thaf tnitt't
ia a. ms a week or upward. he dld nnt
ca,. much what he paid. 50 long az ~
60, 4 good man. send me three ~ "ncS
a. look at was the request ma ! was
onlv able 80 fnd two Huitbbi" men aa'h
.to manager. and one 81 them Was
takcu."
This however. II seemed 10 be admit
fe3 aaa an exceptional case. II was al-
loved that the difncnity Of men Of forty
and upward was a real one. and that ~
vas undoubtedly increasing
'Ffave You any way NJ accounting los
~
''wef4" vas the reply In effect. YOU
$50 p man ulas SO on and on end may
rfafi4 a. Nte ana forty 10 worth not
penny more than he was At five aud TWEEN
IS 4 young man ran DO his work jn*t
80 we'll. and perhaps better. md comes
p good deal cheaper. don't think max
u IS ia D general way the private en-
plsyer y no ah0ws any disposition - cne
down txperxes ~ getting rid ~ Oh
har4s and employing young rnFs ~ th"'f
places but II is tfae COMPANIES ~ho 10
II fJs course there are soulg deteei1th!y
mean ssngt9vers who 30 u systenaf scalfYs
A}if ny experience IL that they are *
ce1tlg7aI among private employee hfit
the minute q r~ftate concern b~coFnes y
public royn~arT. fhey frzfu - once -
eat down expenses anI salaries ar" 70
5s4cc9 or afd hands nre Fof Ri ~, ana
yosir .cer Huf cheaper oaes taken in
oh q T. 81 ffightf1Hy serious eSp!a "a
,Ior FIR private businesses are becorn-