Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1912-07-26
IS NBN TOO OLD
At FORTY YEARS?
ADVANCED BY NEWS
PAPER Man FINDS CONTRA
DICTION on ALL SIDES.
ABE LINCOLN WAS FIFTY
Edison, LOngfellow, Shakespeare and
Many Otliers Accomplish Much
When Old.

The other day a successful editor
remarked that the average mon over
forty vas useless 10 the Advancement
Of the world, too old to do things too
conservative 10 dare. Youth must
have its way. and It was the part OF
wisdom 10 trust youths yigor rather
than matUrity's counsel.
There is much TO be- said on both
sides Of the question. One may re-
mark that Alexander conquered the
world before he was thirty, but Ma
poleon was beaten by man past Tor
~. and Jackson was forty-fiye at the
battle OF New Orleans. The fortunes
OF the southern arms were entrusted
to Robert +. Lee, aged fifty-four, ana
certainly no one viii claim that any
commander could have done better.
wi,e the northern armies failed again
and again until Grant. who was past
forty. also turned the scale OF VIC
tories.
loan of Arc died at twenty, having
done her work. but Mrs. Eddy was
failure at fifty and afterwards found
ed worlds religion. II chatterton
died at twenty and Bryant wrote"
rThanatopiss at nineteen. and Poe s
genius was complete under forty. still
Iongfelow published 'Hiwatha at
forty-eight. Tennyson published the
"ldylls" at forty-nine, Dante's 'Di-
vine Comedy" appeared at about his
fiftieth year. and Notions Paradise
Lost close to his sixtieth.
Lincoln was near fifty at the time
of the debates with Douglas, which
can almost be said to have begun his
career, and John Brown was fifty
nine when ne led the raid which was
TO ransom a race. Peary was fifty
thre when he reached the pole, and
Columbus was flfty-siX when he sight
cd the shores of America. Darwin at
tIfty barely got into the Who's Who
OF his day, but then came THE Origin
OF Species" and later The Descent
Of Ban" and Darwin's became the
great name OF the nineteenth CEN
tury. Edison was forty away back
in 1887, and It can hardly be said
that his work has waned since.
jefferson was only thirty-three
when ne wrote the declaration, but
certainly he cannot be said to have
weak ned much after forty while Ad-
ans was forty-one, Morris was forty
four at the time. II was the youth
ful Hamilton who was the conserva-
tive at the making of the constltu-
ton. not the elders Of the revolution.
But 1t Is claimed that 1t Is the new
thins| which the man Of forty falls
TO attempt, tha while Shakespeare
and Wagner did heir big things both
before and after this imaginary dead
line they were not equal to starting
something This is only way of
saving that man is apt to build upon
the foundation he has laid. but yet
Du Maurier, lifelong cartoonist,
turned author at sixty and wrote
"Trilby." Michelangelo turned his at
tention to engineering at fifty-five In
order TO fortify Florence. and at sew
enty took up new branch OF art sue
cessfully
Tom Johnson though a phIomen-
ally successful man at forty, did his
great work and fought his great fight
after that age. forsaking his early am
bitions and ideas. And now comes
woodrow Wilson. fifty-six. whose en-
try into the husky fighting demand
ed by reform politics is within the
memory of our primary school chill
dren.
OF course, in a certain way. the
statement of the successful editor
quoted above Is true. The average
man. Of forty Is incapable OF doing
big and new things. but so is the "ay-