Evening journal., 1911-10-28
MARKED DOWN MEN
BY The REV. r. L. JACKSON

Among the most beguilins things
in the world are what we call bar
gains. Bargain counters are, l was
about TO say, the most ravishing rem
devious of civilization. To put it
more mildly, they are irresistibly en-
ticing. chance to buy something
that has been parked down is ter
rifically teasing. You may not want
the thing, you may never want it,
but to forgo the opportunity of buy
ing it at a reduction seems such an
unenterprising way of doing. The
fact that it is marked down should
suffice to constrain you to buy it.
1t is significant that hats, and shoes
and clothes, and what not that finds
its way to the bargain counter are
not the only marked down things to-
day. Human beings are also mark
ed down and offered for sale by mod
ern society. The so-called efficiency
movement has resulted in a revalua-
tion of the working forces of society
with the consequence that many men
have had their value reduced. With
the demand for a maximum Of out
put at a minimum expenditure OF
money there has ensued a speeding
UP of the worker. Those who can
stand the strain incident to this
speeding UP process are persona
] grata par excellence with the pow
ers that be while the others are eth
er discharged or being retained, are
candidates for the marked down cate
CORY. The most promising candidates
are the men in OF past middle life
Either they are not worth as much
by reason of the greater demands
that are made upon a strength that
is diminishing rather than increasing
or on account of advancing age it is
taken for granted that they are
worthless. It seems to be assured by
many concerns that because a man
is in his fifties or sixties, no matter
what his strength or health may be.
he should be marked down If not all
4 together gotten rid Of OF course
T there are many exceptions to this,
but this is the way it is generally
looked at. And let man with hair
conspicuously gray or white get out
of a position and how next to impos-
sible is 1t for him to find another
The unspeakable pity Of It is that he
may be where he never was in such
need. of work and work at a good
ooAdAy d@ hC unAOl lundlCAJ nOW| HnQd
himself There is nothing more
heart rending than the spectacle OF
man with a growing family depen-
dent upon him unable to find a lu-
crative position.
In discounting the older men So
ciety is doing a very foolish and
> wrong thing. Gray hairs should not
spell incapacity necessarily. On the
contrary other things being equal
they should stand for unmistakable
capacity. In the profession / rep
resent the best preachers are past
fifty years of age. They are the men
Of the greatest real eloquence and
power and yet the average church
wants young man of twenty-five OF
thirty. Twenty-Five years Of hard
study and wide, deep experience in
dealing with men do not count Hap
PLY there Is a reaction setting In
3 in favor Of older men. II means a
new and better day for the church
In conclusion let me say that we
: are putting the cart before the horse
in sacrificing men for money A
civilization that converts human be-
ings brings into impersonal instru-
ments for the purpose of making
: wealth is preceding wrong end to.