The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1917-12-11
I Middle Aged Men Score
The War IL Giving Them a New
Chance In the World.
From The New York Mail:
A man is as old as he feels;
"A woman as old az she looks


From The New York Mail:
A man is as old as he feels;
A woman as old as she looks.
Ancient proverb
Probably no fiippant statement
made by a man Of science ever did
so much harm or brought woe and
suffering to so many persons as did
Doctor Osler's reported declaration
that men are no good after 40. The
doctor didn't say It. What he said
was different and was a Iabored
English effort at tocularity; but the
statement as said to have been made
| threshed out time after time by
newspaper and magazine.
1t was unfair. 1t was cruel. If
You meet a man and tell him he APP
pears i'll he may smile. If twenty
| persons tell him so within an hour
the chances are he'll be i'll or think
he Is. America was in the humor at
that particular moment to coddls the
young man. It was in the early flush
of a great prosperity. Young men
had come to the front suddenly,
having had spectacular success.
Much was made OF the fact. Their
success was ascribed in large meas
ure to the ~energy, spirit, resiliency
Il
careless America had come to the
conclusion that, while csler exag-
gerated, he wasn't so far away from
the truth.
Upset the Real Facts.
From that time on the man Of
middle age or beyond has been un-
der q handicap. 1t has been not only
in the unwillingness of employers to
engage any but young men, but in
the doubt, il not despair, that has
crept into the brain and heart OF the
middle aged man.
What q shame! A man should be
at his best at 40. As. so. There were
times when men were not consider
ed mattsre until they were 40. The
knights of old, warriors bold, If ever
men were bold, men of valor,
strength, resourcefulness, were in
their prime in the foFties.
What the economic loss to Ameri-
ca has been through this shocking
libel on the men OF middle age will
never be known, but it must be
tremendous.
Today there is a change. The door
OF opportunity opens, or should be
opened, to the middle aged man. The
war, and the consequent scarcity of
male labor, have made many persons
think OF the middle aged man who
formerly, through silly prejudice,
would not have given thought to
him.
Downtown the bankers, brokers,
insurance men and others have been
experimenting with the middle ag91
man. They have taken him in, herr
and there, as clerk or office hoy"
Don't smile. The report is he makes
the best office boy in the world. He
was started at trihe more pay
than the former office boy got, but
advance has come to him rapidly.
Advantages Of Middle Age.
The middle aged office boy isn't a
cigarette smoker. He doesn't shoot
craps. He is polite. attentive, reli-
able. He isn't running around the
place sky-larking with other kids or
trying to flirt with a giggly girl
clerk. He's a sane, reliable human
being, not an untamed, unmanage-
able aand irresponsible cub.
In the shop and factory IL is the
same. The middle aged man is not
a clock watcher. He values his job.
He respects his boss. He does not
think the boss is the enemy Of man
kind. He is faithful.
A great, a terrible injustice has
been done to the middle aged man.
1t is useless to discuss the matter IL
discussion brings only sympathy. 1t
should bring more. And justice, OPP
portunity, only can be had by -
agency that not only viii open the
door to the middle aged man, but
keep 1t wide open.
Make way for the middle aged
man. Give to him what should be
the inalienable right of every man,
a fair chance. He hasn't had it.
Open your heart to him, too. He
needs, deserves encouragement. He
may be a bit doubtful of himself at
first. He may be like the man made
i'll by being told by so many persons
that he looked i'll.