Iditarod pioneer., 1914-01-24
HUMAN FAILURES GIVE UP
 AT AGE OF THiRTY-FIVE


 for number of charitable institutions in | New York city, says that 35 seems to be the deciding age for men of the class with whom 1 am dealing. Up to that age these men try to keep up good appearance, but at 35 they commence to sag.
 Take, for insta ance, the Bowery derelict At 35 he begins to think of himself as an old man, and feels that all effort is useless life for him is practically over. Then com mences in earnest the process of degenera- l ton.
 There are no born derelcts, but more l than half the homeless men in New York 1 city are naturally feeble minded. This. together with the influences which have been at work throughout their early life, has made them what they are. At 5 life becomes serious problem to them. Their natural disabilities and many failures be-
 in to crush them. Then comes the final ccllapsc-the mental and moral break down.
 "Another thing that strikes me with con siderable force is that 35 seems to be the commercial dead line Many firms will not hire q man after he has passed that age" | A manufacturer who employs hundreds of men admitted that the last statement was correct He admitted hat there is con siderable hesitancy on the part of employ CTS to take on men after they have passed the age of 35.
 "Ghere are many untraned men in my rlant," he said, land the unframed man IS always a big problem. Up to 34 or 35 l these fellows knock about from one place to another, living 8 sort of hand to mouth existence Men of this class are generally more resourceful when they are under 35 than when they have passed that age, and hard knocks begin to assume 8 more serl ous aspect.
 "They then realize that they have not another 35 years of active life and are more impatient of failures and more easily dis couraged They are also much more inehi- cent and less dependable. That is the real reason we do net like to employ them"
 A doctor connected with one of the city hospitals who specializes in the treatment of inebriety, says that 35 is the age when many men become confirmed drunkards. He states his case as follows
 Man is primarily a biological being and he drunkard is simply normal man plus alcchcl If man begins to drink at about 24 or 9 and continues to do SC steadily he ! generally becomes confirmed drunkard at about 35. If he passes that age in safety there is little likelihood of his ever being 5ent to psychopathic ward.'
 The principal causes of nebriety, this doc tor said, are malnutrtion, nervousness and nagglng wives.
 The man in charge of the application bu- reau of large charitable institution which handles approximately 26,000 cases of home less men a year says:
 By the time 8 man reaches B his per manent habits are formed. He is either we'll started on the road to success or he has arrived at the point where deteriora- ton begins.
 Most of the homeless men, vagrants and tramps are ccngenitally weak They cannot be classed as feeble minded, but are simply mentally unfit to cope with the conditions i our present day civilization.
 "A large number of them are what may be termed casual workers, and as they grow alAer they become less and less efficient, until at 35 they lose confidence in their ability to make a living
 After B these men become less able to adjust themselves to conditions and people about them and are not at all cordial to new ideas and new methods
 Another explanation of the magic 35 IS given by Chicago psychologist:
 Thirty five as the age of degeneration may be explained by what l call the theory of the cycle z It has been said that the body changes every seven years; this sep tennial change may also be said to be true of the mind. Thirty Live. you see, Is five times seven That gives us five mental changes to account for.
 During the first seven years of child's life heredity rlays the most important part, from 7 to II environment IS the chief in huence. from 14 to Fl education IS of rrme importance. At 21 the man be comes an individual and begins to think for himself During the next seven years poll ties love affairs and his work occupy most of his thoughts From 2S to 35 is the neriod during which most of his permanent i habits are formed.
 1 it is about this time that he marries and begins to be settled in life At 35, if he has not made good he realizes that his chances for success are very small indeed. The en thusiasm of youth is gone and there is nothing to bear him up against failures, and he goes the way of least resistance becomes