New-York tribune., 1905-02-25
4GE OF USEFULNESS.
What DR.. OsIer SAID about Work
Before Forty and after Sirty.

~ zK-ilIar, C,sl4r,s references to the dead line
Of forty in his address at Johns Hopkins CnVer-
sity last week have aroused much cTlncal com
rnent The address was his valedictory on leaving
rbe Baltimore university TO take charge Of the
Medical School OF oxford University. He went TO
Johns Hopkins at the age Of forty. and Is now
dfty-six The OF the portion Of his ADDRESS on
me topic OF the worlds work being done by young
men and cutting short Of the careers OF the old
after sixty years, is given herewith:
am going to De very bold and touch upon an
other question Of some delcacy. put o. Iilnhite M
portanCe IN university life one that mas noC 5i Die
settled in This country. refer to liked PERIOD %
Of age: Except in some PROPRIETARY; sIhools L
90 not know Of any institutions N which there IS
some Of the London hospitals. or in which man
is engaged for a term OF years. Isualiy me ap-
pOiutueut is aut yitam aut culpaIn, as the old
50lrg universities TO have ali Of the professors
growing old a. the same time. In some places only
epidemic, time limit or an age limit can save
have two fixed ideas well known 70 my friends 5
-aI iiit7S 1-ssr-I-+S wiz y '.-l
portant problem. The first IS the comparative use
may seem shocking. and yet, read Alright, the
world history bears out the statement TAKE the
SUM Of human achievement in action. in science.
sva fo-+v and while we should miss great treas
- here we are to-day. II IL difficult 10 name a
greet and far-reachlng conquest Of the mind which
nas not been given TO the world by man on whose
back me sun was still shining The effective NOV
- flla-zlng work OF the world is zone beINeen
the ages of Twenty-Five and forty-these nfteen
II which there is always balance in the mental
bank, and The credit is sun good.
n the science and art Of medicine there has not
beer an advance OF the first rank which has not
oe+h l1ltsIed oE young or o11lPs[4LTeif P9it sOus
Nirchow. Lister. Koch-the green years were yet
were made 10 modify an old saying a man is
sane morally at thirty. rich mentally at forty wise
spiritually - 6ftv-Or The Young
should b. encouraged and afforded every possible
c7snoe 70 snow what is in them. If there is one
ing more taan another upon WIllch me pToIess4ts III,
q mis- university are 10 be congratulated II IS TINS
n rri-a Eas faer the Fr1Jrt Of the work
ard herein lies the chief value Of the teacher who
2as passed his clmacteric and is no longer a pro-
elctlve factor: he can play the man midwife.
Socrates Old 70 Thesetetus. and determine whether
- Ih2aghts which the young men are bringing TO
Ny second fixed idea is the uselessness Of men
snoFe sky years old. and the incalculabe benefit
y y would be il commercial, political and in pro-
less0nal life IT, As matter of course, men stopped
ios thar by The laws OF certain wise States sexa-
B,s1 81 were precipitated from bridge ana IN
men q that age We5e aot aoieo heae 20 ns
the way 10 the senate was per pontern, and they
from axe were not permitted 10 come hither. In
.aat charming novel THE Fixed Period" Anthony
podern life Of a return 10 this ancient usage and
N NJ plot hinges upon the admirable scheme Of a
~ silese INTO which at sixty men retired f2r a year
= o9ntenlplaLion before a peaceful departure Dy
1H5iotorrn- That incalculable benefits might FOL
9Y such scheme IS apparent 10 any one who
&c &c myself. is nearing the limit and who has
SRI r1o-e y,eSS b coT,er1nlafes The Tnar1v evils
Elity. As il can be maintained that all the great
Tssnces nave come from men under forty, so the
s.yft q the world shows that q very large pro-
..LIoh % the evils may be traced to the sexa-
fs.1ailansnearly all the great mistakes politically
p socially al OF the worst poems. most OF the
- pictures. q majority Of the bad novels. not a
- q the bad sermons and speeches. It is not to
oen1ed that occasionally there IS a seIagenariaL
shoee mind. Cicero remarks stands out Of
3scn u The body's decay. Such q has learned
secret u Hermippus. that ancient Roman,
- feeling that the silver cord was loosening,
49, himself clear from all companions OF mis- own
- ana DetOOk himself 70 the company of young
-. En-ngIng with their games and studies. and
4Ped 70 the age OF l53, pUerorum halitu re-
ss-lterEs et educatus And there is truth in the
- since is only those who live with the
sig VINO maintain fresh outlook the new
slsIns 0f the world
rsE teachers life should have three periods
NJ until twenty-five, Investigation until forty,
b~@s-on until sixty. AT which age ] would have
retired double allowance. Whether An
fF-g TTollope's suggestion Of a college and
es-toform should be carried out not. I have be-
Sc little dubious. as my time is getting 81
ff..h II may say for the benefit Of the public
fs-S Wiz q oman 7 would advise an entirely diff
3, Plan, since after sixty her influence on her
th5rAy be most helpful. particularly II aided by
enarnaing accessories, a cap and nchu)
&c MCCORMICK AT ST PETERSBURG.