The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1912-07-19
Is There A Dead Line?

The other day successful editor remarked that
the average man over 40 useless to the advance
ment of the world too old to do things, too conser
vatve to dare Youth must have its way and it
was the part of wisdom to trust youths vgor rather
than maturitys counsel
There is much to be said on both sides of the
question. One may remark that Alexander conquer
ed the world before he was 81, but Napoleon was
beaten by man past 40 and Jackson was as at the
battle of New Orleans. The fortunes of the south
ern arms were entrusted to Robert E. Lee, aged 54
and certainly no one will claim that any commander
could have done better while the northern armies
failed again and again until Grant, who had turned
40, also turned the scale of victories.
Joan of Arc died at 20, having done her work, but
Mrs Eddy was a failure at so and afterwards found
ed worlds religion. If Chatterton died at 20 and
Bryant wrote "Thanatopsis' at l9 and Poe's genius
was compile under 40, still Longtelow published
"Hiawatha' at AZ, Tennyson published the '1dylls"
at 49, Dante's ''Divine Comedy" appeared at about
his iftieth year and Millions Paradise Lost" close
to his SiXteth.
Lincoln was near so at the time of the debates
with Douglas, which can almost be said to have be-
gun his career, and John Brown was SO when he led
the raid which was to ransom race. Peary was So
when he reached the pole, and, Columbus was Sc
when he sighted the shores of America. Darwin at
so barely got into the "Who's Who" of his day. but
then came ''The Origin of Species, and later 'The
Descent 6f Man" and -Darwins became the great
name of the nineteenth century. Edison was 40
away back in 1887 and it hardly be said that his
work has waned since.
jefferson was only 33 when he wrote the decara-
tion but certainly he cannot be said to have weaken
Ell much after 40 while Adams was Al, Morris was
AZ and Franklin was 60 at the signing of the decara
tion Washington was "A ct the time. 1t was the
youthful Hamilton who was the conservative at the
making of the constitution, not the elders of the
olution.
But it is claimed that it is the NEW things which
the man of 40 fails to attempt that while Shakes
peare and Wagner did their big things before and
after this imaginory dead line," they were not
equal to starting something" This is only way
of saying that is apt to build upon the founda
tion he has laid but yet De Maurier life long
toonist, turned author at 60 and wrote "Trby."
Michelangeo turned his attention to engineering at
50 in order to fortify Florence, and at 20 took up
new branch of art successfully.
Tom Johnson. though a pheriomenally successful
man at no. did his great work and fought his great
fight after that age forsaking his early ambitions
and ideas. And now comes Woodrow Wilson, sc
whose entry into the husky fighting demanded by
reform politics is within the memory of our primary
school children.
Of course in certain way the statement of the
successful editor quoted above is true. The
AVERAGE man" of 40 is incapable of doing big
and new things, but so is the "AVERAGE man. of
20. The moral is don't be an average mani But to
the man who is capable and willing, gifted with or
binary horse sense and grit, he need not settle
back because he is 40. AS matter of fact, he is
Just getting able to do things