Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-09-06
letters to the Editor
a.. ~ sixty.five Years

Inv ~ =, ,hs Eveaino Pnblio LEDGER.
nv Ssa. s. Justice Clarke, of the
Sir,-sMs,. Sirs..os supreme Court, the junior
Unl.s;. member Of that august hsc,,sa m
ss'oc'''b has resigned his post ;Sss, Decause,
buna,. in his letter to Htes'ucni uoa,I
q sls,.' ,,a" "he may have time TO read
HGai'bso 'bsooks which he has not hao time ne
pany pVT IN n busy lifc, to trayel ana TO
b sad !" nneighbors and some public
kre I in ways in which he could not
s.ss' ss them he while holding important
public on1Gsl, 1Glarke will be sixty five years
Jusllce cnuple of weeks, and his
~ ,na,onby ID Of life" is that he has
"pnlloSsotIh"cs thc age when he has the right
racnssu ssa. w uimself from imperative
dailes' ,,s will quarrel with the dis
No .Sod lad iurist's decision to lay down
hntu.nIt he has borne. however much
hs pu,aedi disagree with his opinion that
We masy a. vears Is a stage ut which q
aIVi,nt tbe full enjoyment of physical
.i ..a mental health Is entitled TO % speho
sau r. rsmaining years In dolce lar MEME Mn,e
~ That virtually amounts to that. true, w.
:. li ,slis the President that he wants 70
~ .snS nn in his reading of many books
.s.t ns he has lost in that line OF diver,
.r.' .ion or what you will. in his period OF
pniG,ih W. his a. probable pcrusal of the career
y William MI Ewart Gladstone. for one
= !ae.mnIe Of many that might be cited,
i..Ir !n.tiss Clarke will discover that Eng
;u' ;'sS's Grand Old Man, who lived to
snu loo old age of nearly four score
!ns ,% ,sp found in the midst Of his null
.auua,ro,,s aau labors, In which the direc-
..uu,f .,su ~ a mighty empire was four times
W. .Sa. bIs control, and in which his deeds
uaust " ussttotesmanship and diplomacy were
..,isious. time for omnivOrous reading
p1 w t6e production Of an enormous lit
.,.,r output. Also that much of his
,.sd;ne and production was accom-.
,iaS ,,I;shsS long after Mr.. Gladstone had
lp.sssJ p,,SuJ the sixty five year limit, at
rihib rrhicb Mr.. Justice Clarke secs fit to
nrrender his high Office; and that for
tro decades subsequent to the. age mem
toned by the retiring jurist the English
sant's hand was not entirely relaxed
iom the ship of state.
Ir. Il Mr.. Clarke chooses. in his plan
IA catch up on lost reading, he may
turn N to the record of that wonderful
american, Thomas Alva Edison. who,
Il the age of seventy five. is still ac-
tiyely exercising his inventive faculties.
and .puts in his leisure moments by
dropping into literature by the pro-
polnding of "qucstionnaircs' and such
Ike that have had many of the wiscst
heads Of our country gucssing-and
sometimes laughing good humorediy.
And right here in our own city John
Wanamaker. who is as busy and rs en-
,rsetc and full of vim and enterprise
iM literary acumen as he was at sixty
Eve. And
But why extend the list. so full of
shining examples that show Mr.. Justice
Clarke 1T fault in fixing sixty-five rs
the age at which men may reasonably
lu aside serious work? Even though
be be member of the country's SUI
preme bench. his decision in this regard
will not fail to be questioned by a good
many thousands of Americans.
UNCLE DUDLEY.
Philadelphia, September i, 1922.