The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-03-07
BEST WORK AFTER FIFTY.
statistics That wiI Cheer the Heart $. No Longer Young.

Statistics That wni Cheer the Heart No Longer Young.
 Indianapolis Star.
 We should like to have the name of the paper-which we unfortunately have lost--which recently the follow tng in its questions and answers col umn:-
 Percentage and character of work the average man does at the various periods of his life, according to the evidene gathered by investigators among the government employees at Washington (the perfect percentage being 1OO); At 20 to 25 years of age, 80 per cent 35 to 55, 100 per cent; 55 to 60, 90 per cent; 60 to 65, S5 per cent; 65 to 70, S1 per cent; 70 to 75, 7S per cent; over 75. 72 per cent"
 We have not seen in many a day such cheering statistics as these-and we have no doubt that they sxe quite accurate. Why should they hot be when they agree with the conclusions reached by every man over 50? Yet so full Is the world-many will be surprised to learn that the man of 50 is within the period of absolute per fection. with five years ahead of him before the time of deterioration begins. Ne worker attains his 100 per cent be- fore his thirty fifth year. More than this. the decline In efficiency after this period has passed Is slow. At 50 years a man Is more than at from 20 to 25 years, and worth as much as from 20 to 30 years. At 55. indeed, the man does begin to "go back. but 1t Is only from the perfect standard of his earlier years.
 Such facts are these ought to sober the youngsters. who have of late years been rather unpleasantly arrogant and aggressive. They ought, also to put heart in those oldsters who have been l only too ready to abandon the field to those who are. as we now see, unfit at least comparatively-to do the 1 worlds work Men who have attained | perfection ought surely to have some 1 confidence In themselves, while those who are still short of 1t should be mod | est in thinking of their own attain l ments and respectful in their attitude 1 toward their bettera While those mis- l guided ones-chiehy corporations and 1 churches-that draw the so-called dead line" away back in the days oi a mans infancy should be severely 1 dealt with by the commissioner oi | labor.
 But our main purpose now is to put spirit and courage into those distressed
 people who think that they are "odwr and out" by the time they have reached 40 Their mistake Is serious. Then
 whole attitude toward themselves ant toward life is wrong. It is, in fact. de
 plorable. Instead of mourning over . supposedly vanished strength they should rejoice and be glad at their ab
 solute and perfect efficiency. In some
 things. of course, they are dehcient- l animal strength. for example. They cannot chew gum as vigorously as thu bows or run as fast or as far, or throw A baseball across the diamond or TOW four miles at top speed In a footbal
 game they would cut rather SOFT! figure, nor can they-at least they dt 1 not-wear a little hat on the back O.
 their heads. But all this Is play. whil'
 our talk now Is of work, of the seri
 ous business of life. If the ambition O
 men Is to attain they should look for
 ward to their fftieth birthday as reall!