The New York herald., 1921-04-10
Better Wear Than Rust.

Better Wear Than Rust.
The results cleaned by DR.. A. l..
GoLDwATER in his survey relative to
the influence of activity on length of
life are not surprising. Only the
night before the conclusions of the
survey We're made public New York
had very good exhibition of active
old men. We saw on the stage of
the Town Hall, discussing the older
city as compared with the new, six
New Workers whose longevity is not
as remarkable as their industry: DR..
STEPHEN SMITH, SS; DR.. LYMAN Ar
BoTT, So; DR.. SIMON BARUCH, 81 ;
HENRY Holt, 81; DR.. G. II. PARK
HURST, rs; Major PUTNAM, rs.
Half century ago DR.. SMITH, who
had established public sanitation in
New York, could have retired with
more glory than the average profess
sional man ever wins. DR.. ABBOTT
was famous as pastor of Plymouth
Church more than a generation ago,
and at that very time DR.. BARUCH
had national fame as diagnostician.
The other veterans could have retired
twenty years ago with enough dis
tinction to satisfy most men. These
six men have continued to be inter
ested in life long after the traditional
seventy years. All of them are still
more or less active in their chosen
professions.
Perhaps the fact that these wise
and happy oldsters are professional
men has a good deal to do with their
pleasant longevity. Most successful
professional men, and particularly
doctors and writer's, continue to be
interested in their special fields long
after activity therein has ceased to
be a necessity. They--and the pub
ic-are fortunate in the fact that
their work is their hobby. When the
Town Hall called witnesses un the
subject of this city's improvement the
six who stepped forward were min
listers, physicians and writers. Where
were the famous old business men?
Maybe the octogenarian business
men were too busy in their counting
rooms or on the golf courses. There
are. many of them who still stay in
harness. There are others who have
retired and are happy in some chosen
activity. 1t may be golf, fishing, trav-
elling, philanthropy, collecting or
farming. SO long as 1t keeps them ac-
tive mentally and as active physically
as their bodies require, any hobby will
do the retired business man who can
not keep up his interest in white
goods. sole leather or raw sugar. But
IL he cannot find hobby he is doomed.
1t is the history Of retired men, as
several of DR.. GoLDwATER's inform
ants testify, that they soon disappear
to the society of the angels.
Nature does not do all the debating
in mans intercourse with her. Man
can name to nature, to great ex'
tent, the period of his existence
When he drops his old work and sits
down TO that most killing of tasks
doing nothing-it is signal to ma
ture that the end may approach. III
spite Of this there are thousands OF
business men who retire without Q
thought of what they are going to dc
to occupy the mind and the body
They take the brain and the muscle:
that have served them well and store
them in the damp Of idleness to bt
consumed by rust.
If any man of 60 or 40 who has
acquired n competence thinks Of re
firing without having planned good
campaign for his later years let hin
ride up Riverside Drive and look a
I the men who retired just because the.
I thought it was time to quit. They si
on the benches in the sunshine or ride
J back and forth in their cars. Theil
\ faces are the saddest in the world
/ They might be amateur gardeners
book collectors, almoners. workers fol
\ civic betterment, fly casters, chess
\ fends or amateur cabinet makers
or they might be happy back at tn,
factory. But they are nothing bu
waters on the inevitable.
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