Newark star-eagle., 1916-01-31
MIDDLE AGED FOLK
FIND LIFE HARDEST
East Orange Pastor Tells of
Perils Between Youth and
Old Age.

In the course of his sermon at the
Mum Avenue Church, East Orange.
yesterday morning, on the subject of
''The Mi1dleAged," Rev Robert
Brewster Beattie, pastor, called atten-
ton to some of the dangers that con-
front those who are living in that
period of life between youth and old
age He said that while there we're
many sermons preached to the young
and some to the old, very few were
addressed to that large majority of
people who comprise the bulk of
every congregation.
He took the ground that theirs is
the hardest task. He declared that
the burden OF responsibility rests
most heavily upon them, ana along
with the responsibility comes the
reril of the way. He pointed out some
of the dangers that confront such
people
"One danger of middle age is the
loss of some of our IDEALS declared
Mr.. Beattie. "In youth We dream
and dream and dream, build our air
castles, start our balloons, let loose
our airships. blow our soap bubbles.
We say Wait till | get to be a man.
or woman. and then l will be and do
so and so But by the time man.
hood or womanhood has arrived the
dream has passed.
"The ideal has gone! Life hits
ideals hard Listen to the conVersa-
ton of a group of midde-aged men.
not society talk, not talk for effect,
but club talk, talk over the luncheon.
talk in business circles. There is not
much place for ideals or idealists.
They have passed the dream days.
made their way. are independent.
self-reliant. well and strong and fit:
far from the cradle and evidently far
from the grave, and living in an in
tensely practical world they must fit
themselves into 1t. 1t is all right for
our children. all right for our parents.
this ideal; all right for poets, dream
ers, preachers. but not for fUll-blood
ed, middle-agcd men of the world.
"A subtle materialism is the danger
of the middle-aged. He is in danger
of being blinded to the unseen by the
dust of the seen, by the mist of ma
terialism. the fog Of practically. You
often hear contemptuous references
made by practical men of today to
any suggestion of idealism. If they
are going to follow any program il
must be down in black and white;
plans and specifications must be
there. sworn to before a notary. bear
ing the proper stamp or stamps with
signature certified, and 1t must be
hacked by the approval of men before
they will have anything 10 do with it.
This is a business world, business
age.
I'VE are business men: there is no
room for sentiment. If it pays, we are
with you; If it works. count on lis: if
you can't prove that don't waste your
time with us. We are not idealists,
figures are what we want, and facts.
But figures and facts are gay deceiY-
ers. Statistics are most misleading.
You may say this is worldly wisdom,
but allow me to say that is the kind
of wisdom that has brought the world
to pretty pass.
'When q man surrenders his Ideals.
laughs at his dreams, says they are
not worth while, he is not a man. He
is middle-aged machine that viii
soon be worn ont and be thrown on
the junk heap. Such a man is com
hitting spiritual suicide. Lite be-
comes a drearisome treadmill, and lie
one OF the trcadcrs. To the middle
aged life is very apt to become conf
monplace and earthly, because of the
loss of ideals
Men are not looking for an ideal
situation in industrial life. The ques-
tion of economic justice is one to be
discussed in the classroom, to be writ.
ten about by professors and preached
about by fanatics, but il doesn't work
in the market place No business can
be carried on successfully where it is
practced and this in spite of revela-
tions to the contrary. An industrial
and social democracy are dreams. Tho
sermon on the mount is beautiful and