The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-05-06

q To- (,
Now, without disputing the fact that there are
plenty of brilliant youngsters doing good work,
the idea that the twentieth century is&esscntalt
ly the ago of the young man is absurd 4, as q
matter Of fact, the young man was much more
prominent a century or more ago, Pitt was mere
boy when he became Prime Minister, WongS
ton was only thirty-four when he won the greal
battle Of Assayc, and just forty when he took
supreme command in the Peninsula, Nelson won
the Battle Of the Nile at the age Of thirty-nine,
The great Admiral Cochranc won his first I'M
portant battle at twenty-siY. Lord Hawke was
rear admiral at forty-two. Such q LIST might ba
extended almost indefinitely, but the instances
given are sufficient to show that the great mez
Of action Of the eighteenth century were, most
OF them, young.
GRAND OLD GENERALS
Compare their ages with those of tho great gen
erals and statesmen of to-day. Lord Roberts wal
sirhty.eight when he took command Of aru,ie.
in South Africa, General White was three year.
Younger at the time OF his defence Of Ladysmth
General Butler was sixty.ope, and llelly,kenny
and Warren had both arrived at throescore,.
Kitchener and French were the two youngest gem
erals at the time The former was fifty, the lat
ter forty.eight. Ell
Turn to statesmen, Mr.. Chamberlain, whose
seventy. At the ago Of eighty the late Mr.,
Gladstone was more than match in debate fos
men Of half his years. The present Prime Min
ster 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 now seventytwo. Mr., Balfour him.
self, usually considered as being still a young
man, is only three years of the sixty mark.
WHEN STATESMEN ARE STRONGEST
Lord Cron,er; greatest Of pro,consuls still holds
wise rule in Egypt at the age Of sixty'dve, Lord
Elgin Is nearly hfty,seyen. In fact, there are
very iew British statesmen or leaders OF any re-
pute who can be classed among young men. Even
John Burns il rapidly approaching his half cen
tury,
As for the idea that man IS too old at sixty,
it Is prepoaterous It is men Of that age or past
it who are practically managing the world at
the present moment, and who have been dolng
so for many years past. Let 1t be remembered
that Yon Motke was nearly seventy when, az the
head OF the German Army, he inflicted upon
France the most crushing defeat which nation
Inns received for more than century past,
! Count sersius de \Vitte the only man who
seems able to cope with the Russian chaos, Ia
one OF the youngest Of great modern statesmen.
He is only lfty,seven, and therefore five years
Younger than tho great Japanese administrators
and fighter, Marshal Oyama.
ACTIVE All sEvENTY-sEyEN
Turn to philanthropists and eccesiasics. Who
! is doing the greatest work for the unemployed,
toiling fourteen hours out Of the twenty,four:
Why, General Booth, aged seyentyrseyen, The
present Pope, Plus IL, is only seventy, but bis
great predecessor. Leo NH, was lively as POS
sible and working hard when over ninety.
The mos. 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 30
seventy this year, he declares that hs fesls a.
Young as ever. Certainly his grip on his enog'
nous financial interests never slacksps Mr..
Charles Yerkss, again, TO whom London owes tbs
SO recently, undertook his latest and gssatess
work when nearly threescege, Carnegie y past
sixty years, YET. from q business point q vlsv.
az capable as ever.