The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1909-08-06

THE OLD MAN AND THE JOB.

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Every few days we sec whe.e some
old man is gong about the streets OF
some town or maybe travelling
through the country looking for a
job. If he gets one it is given to
him largely out of charity because
age has made him inefficient il he
was ever efficient. His sight Is
dimmed so that he can not see to do
his work well and his limbs are get
ting weak and lottery so that he SIM
ply can't do work that requires
strength and activity.
Tough, you say. Well, we should
this And the question is asked,
Whose fault is it
In many cases it has been the
fault of the old man. When he was
young and strong he probably
failed to take advantage of his op
portunities. He might have saved
money then, enough of it to keep
him comfortably In his old age. He
| may have wasted his time and
strength and whatever talent he had.
He may have been of no account,
indolsnh careless, generally worth
less.
But what about the old man who
was born inefficient or who was
spoiled in the raising? We have all
known men who had nothing bad in
their makeup, who were not lazy
but Just lacked efficiency. They
were willing to do what they could
! but they simply hadn't the brains to
do anything that required skill and
for which they could command good
wages. AS long as they have their
health and strength they can man
age to get enough to do to live but
whea age comes on and their strength
fails they have nothing and they
can not cain anything. 1t certainly
isn't their fault that they are old and
poor and almost helpless, They
weren't responsible for the fact that
aature didn't give them the ability
60 get on in the world.
But there are cases that are a
good deal tougher than these. Gen
orally speaking the man who is born
1 into the world a sort of helpless, in
deficient creature isn't much trou-
bled in his mind about it becau sc he
hasn't enough mind to get troubled
about anything. He goes along
making living somehow 1ntil he
gets to the point where he can not
work anymore and then he Is willing
to 60 to the poor house and live
there the rest of his days. The ex-
perience doesn't humiliate hin be-
cause he hasn't the kind of a mind
that takes to humiliation.
But here is an old man who had
ability. Nature did a good deal for
him. He was industrious and am
bilious and dreamed of things that
he expected to accomplish. In fact
he did accomplish good deal but
reverses came ard the waves of ad-
versity rolled over him. Maybe he
got his head above water only to
have another wave submerge him
until finally he gave it up, He found
that he couldn't make it but still he
is sensitive and proud. He recoils
at the idea of beinga public pauPer
and :, 0ate of the aims house.
He struggles along in his feeble
way trying to be independent and
take care of himself. He finds it
harder and harder as his bodily and
mental powers fail to take care of
himself. Maybe in his despair he
concludes TO end it all with a rope
or with poison. The law makes
suicide a crime but is the old man
born With talents buffeted by the
waves of adversely until down and
no longer able to rise, proud spirited
but helpless in : % and weakness
and poverty to .. -0lamed it he tries
a surcease of sorrowP