The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-09-03
THE EZRA OF YOUNG MEN,

The Schwab episode in the history of the steel trust did much to spread the idea that this is "the era of young men," Here was man not yet forty at the head of the greatest corporation in the world. Even MT. Schwab's rapid col lapse has done little to shatter the im- pression that the world is for young men and that young men shall run the world. 1t is now noted in some quar- ters as significant of "the young men era" that the new head of the Carnegie steel company, the greatest of the suub- sidiary companies in the trust, is only thirty years of age. Whenever young man rises to high place in industry, commerce or public affairs, there are those who say that this indeed is the era of young men.
 Whatever may be the truth in the steel business, it is certain that this is no more the era of young men than many eras, so called, in the past have Deen In all periods youth has been a powerful factor in the progress of man. kind. Alexander conquered the civil lized world before he was thirty; Pitt was prime minister of England at twenty-four; Alexander Hamilton was s sfWashington's finance minister at thir- ty-two. Some of the celebrated exam ples of enormous activity at an early age in life, in past times, really make the achievements of our modern youth seem small. Compare the illustrious SchWab with Napoleon, who conquered Italy at twenty-six. If the Napoleonic age, including the leaders of the French revolution, was not an era of young men, then there never was one in the history of the world. It may he that special periods make special demands upuon the activity of the younger gene ration as in, times of revolutionary change or very rapid expansion of the energies of the race. Undoubtedly there, are tasks for which the vigor of youth is peculiarly adapted and, by a natural selective process, those tasks are often performed by men not yet in middle life. Yet it would be fallacious to as- sume thuat only in our own time has the special quality of youth been recog- nized. In certain lines of work and un- der certain conditions it has always been easy&to believe that the very er- TOTS of strong and ardent youth were more instructive and profitable than the wisdom of older minds.
 Nor is it true that the present time is really dominated by young men in any such sense superficial observers sup- pose. In the most noted illustration of the supremacy of young men, the steel trust, what is the actual situation? Are not the real masters of that con- cern men of advanced years-men like Mr Carnegie and MT. Morgan, who can make and uunmake managers superin- tendents and presidents at will? All through the business organization of America, who are the masters, young men or "oId?" Mr. Rockefeller can hardly be called young man. The presidents of the great New York banks are not young men. The presidents of the great railroad systems are not, as 2 rule, under forty-five. MT. Cassatt, of the Pennsylvania railroad, is sixty four. In politics, there is room for very young men at the top; yet, despite MT. Roosevelt, it will be conceded that the most powerful group of men in the Uni- ted States government are a number of United States senators whose ages run from sixty to seventy-five. The Ro- man Catholic csurch, one of the most remarkable organizations on earth, has