The evening world., 1921-06-04
Men Over Fifty Are Leaders in
Majority of Activities in The
Chief Lines Of Endeavor.
FORBES MAKES SURVEY
Finds Average Age of Half a
Hundred NotableS in Bust
ness Life Is 81 Years.

The popular conception that this 10
the era OF the young man, that age is
4 handicap in the struggle for success
in life because OF tho Increased speed
OF modern methods, is seriously qucs-
toned by p. G. Forbes in the current
number OF the magazine, Physical
Culture. After recitinE numerous
instances of the value and benefit to
the public OF the accomplishment of
men who have passed middle age and
arc still active, Mr Forbes declares:
IF were pinned down to naming
which decade is commonly the most
productive in a mans life, I would
depart radically from all tradition and
all popular assumptions Of the pres
cnt day Instead OF naming the
period from forty to fifty / would
name from fifty to sixty or from fifty
five to sixty-fivc, with an inclination
to lean toward the latter"
Men over fifty hold a great majority
of the positions in leadership In ousi-
ness, finance. transportation, politics
and education. Many men over sixty
and not a few over seventy are the
undisputed leaders In their special
lines Of endeavor. Mr.. Forbes once
analysed the careers of the fifty fore
most figures In business and finance
and found that their average age was
sixty-one years.
Mr.. Forbes calls attention to the
fact that the average age Of the
twenty-eight men who have been
President Of the United States was
between hfty-four and ffty-five at
the time they assumed office. Only
six were under fifty. President Har-
ding is nfty-six. The average age Of
our Presidents at death has been
little short of seventy years.
The author presents example after
example OF men whose greatest
achievements were reached when they
had come to the period that Is COM
monty included IN the phrase "declin-
ing years" Here are a few Of them:
George F. Baker. almost unknown
to the general public but, neverthe-
, less, the most powerful banker in
America, is eighty-two years old. He
attends to business every day with all
the spirit and initiative OF a man
half his age Mr.. Baker did not begin
to do really big things until he had
passed beyond the half century mark
Ebert II. Gary. Chairman of th2
United States Steel Corporation-thc
biggest industrial job anywhere
seventy-three years old. He retired
from the bench to take up this stu
pendous position when he was fifty.
three years of age.
Samuel Rea, President of the Penn.
sylvania Railroad. was fifty-cigh'
years old when he was elected to tha'
position and Is now sirty-six.
MORGAN DID NOT SHOW REAL
ABILITY UNTIL PAST SIXTY.
]. Pierpont Morgan ST.. while hi
was power in finance from his earl,
manhood. did not. Mr.. Forbes de
clares. begin to show his real abilit!
until he was past sixty. He organ
lied the United States Steel Corpora
ton when he was sixty-four. and hi
most productive work was done sub
scquent to that time.
Alexander ]. Cassatt was what il
generally called an old man and ha,
retired from business life's activitie
when the directors OF the Pennsyl
vania Railroad elected him Presiden
Of the system. He conceived and bull
the Pennsylvania tunnels and ter
mlnal long after he had passed tn
age of sixty.
Chauncey M. Depew with more tina
| four score years resting lightly upo
! him Is still active In the managemer
; of the New York Central.
+. H. Hartman was an obscur