Los Angeles herald., 1906-05-06

at the helm.
Now, without disputing the fact that there are
plenty of brilliant youngsters doing good work,
the idea that the twentieth century is essential
ly the age of the young man is absurd. As
matter of fact the young man was much more
promin lent a century or more ago. Pitt was mere
boy when he became Prime Minister yelling
ton only thirty-four when he won the great
battle of Assaye, and just forty when he took
supreme command in the Peninsula. Nelson won
the Battle of the Nile at the age of thrty-nne
The great Admiral Cochrane won his first i'm
portant battle at twenty-six. Lord Hawke was
a rear admiral at forty-two Such list might be
extended almost indefinitely, but the instances
given are sufficient to show that the great men
of action Of the eighteenth century were, most
of them, young.
GRAND OLD GENERALS
Compare their ages with those of the great gen
erals and statesmen Of to-day. Lord Roberts was
sighty-eight when he took command of armies
in South Africa General White was three years
younger at the time of his defence of Ladysmith.
General Butler was sixty-one, and Kelly Kenny
and Warren had both arrived at threescore.
Kitchener and French were the two youngest gem
erals at the time. The former was fifty, the lat.
ter forty eight.
Turn to statesmen. Mr.. Chamberlain whose
speeches as full of fire ever they WERE is
seventy. At the age of eighty, the late Mr..
Gladstone was more than a match in debate for
men of half his years. The present Prime Min
ister of England is almost exactly the same age as
Mr. Chamberlain both having been born in 1896.
The Duke of Devonshire is the senior of either
His age is seventy-two. Mr.. Balfour him
self usually considered as being still Young
man, is only three years off the sixty mark.
WHEN STATESMEN ARE STRONGEST
Lord Cromer, greatest of pro-consuls still holds
wise rule in Egypt at the age of sixty-6ve. Lord
Elgin is nearly ifty-seven. In fact, there are
very few British statesmen or leaders of any re-
pute who can be classed among young men. Even
John Burns is rapidly approaching his half CEN
tury.
As for the idea that a man is too old at sixty,
it is preposterous. 1t is men of that age or past
it who are practically managing the world at
the present moment, and who have been doing
so for many years past. Let it be remembered
that Won Moltke was nearly seventy when, at the
head of the German Army, he inflicted upon
France the most crushing defeat which nation
has received for more than century past.
Count Sergius de Witte, the only man who
seems able to cope with the Russian chaos is
one of the youngest of great modern statesmen.
He is only fftyseven, and therefore five years
younger than the great Japanese administrator
and fighter, Marshal oyama.
ACTIVE AT SEVENTY-SEVEN
Turn to philanthropists and ecclesiastics Who
is doing the greatest work for the unemployed,
toiling fourteen hours out of the twenty-four?
Why, General Booth aged seventy-seven. The
present Pope Plus TX, is only seventy, but his
great predecessor, Leo XIII, was lively as pos
sible and working hard when over ninety.
The most powerful figure in the financial world
of to-day is undoubtedly Pierpont Morgan, who
controls, it is said, sufficient capital to pay off
the British national debt. Though he will be
seventy this year, he declares that he feels as
young ever. Certainly his grip on his enor-
nous financial interests never sackens Mr..
Charles Yerkes, again, to whom London owes the
electrihcation of the underground. and who died
so recently, undertook his latest and greatest
work when nearly threescore. Carnegie is past
sixty years, yet from business point Of view.
as capable as ever.