Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1847-07-02
TERMS % SO i'm advance.
WHOLE NO.
RISING IN THE WORLD
MECHANICS AND PROFESSIONAL MEN

=,
which contain some striking truths, which we
commend 10 the attentive perusal ofspur rea-
ders: =
We saw it stated the other day, that men,
her of Congress, from Tennessee, was former
ly7a Tailor, and the inference to be drawn
from the statement was, that he had risen from
Tailor TO a member of Congress Itstrikes
us that all such talk is excessively deleterious
to our republican society. The result of it is
to teach mechanics that they are inferior to
those who get their living by their wits, and
that in order TO rise in the world they must
abandon their business and seek their bread in
some of the fashionable professions The truth
OF it is, however, that although the learned
professions are necessary, yet the producer,
the mechanic, the great taboring class, must
OF necessity stand first and foremost, IN the or
der of worldly things. Now pray, show us a
worthier man than your Tailor, or your Shoe
maker, or your Blacksmith, who labors hon
! estly through the day in his vocation, doing
like man, what he finds to do, what, in the
matter of making clothes, patching boots or
snoelng horses, 1T as necessary should be DONE
Can this man rise from business to any other
mat ne may follow as mere means of get
ting living? Your law profession, your
,oe00ioh' oul ulVIIlIy profession,
so far as they are used as the means of a Hring O,
to make bread and money out of, what better
are they, what higher are they than your pro-
fession of Coat-mending, your profession of
Horse-shoeng, or your profession of Shoe-Ha-
king? Talk about thrifty, honorable me-
chanlc rising to a halfstarved pcttifoger.
whom society calls lawyer, or to spiritual
bland guide of divine, or to maker of rotton
wood cd n nh bob
We are no preacher of aggraranism The
learned professions are all right, proper and
useful and necessary; but what good is to be,
nay, what evil is not, accomplished by indu-
cling the shoemaker, the blacksmith, the prin-
ter and such like. to understand that their bu-
sness is lO1rer than that of the learned pro.
fessions? Is it not better for them to know
that their professions are also necessary, and
that it is the manliness With which then labo,
an the calling, and not the calling, that shall
bring them ''consciences void of offence to:
wards God and man, and entitle them to the
consideration of worthy and honorable mem
bers of society,"
You Law teacher and YOU teacher of Rel
gion, and you Physician, you are all necessa
ry. The mechanic has no time to devote tc
anything more than the general principles O.
your professions; he must trust you in thu
matters you profess, and he does trust you
but none of your airs, gentlemen! for the ole
shoemaker and the jacket builder are iustsaI
necessary as you are. They need YOU ant
you need them; let it be SO understood then
and so agreed. You know great deal thai
they do not know; but they are up to you, fo
they know great deal that you do not know
and without their knowledge of shoe making
and such like, you would be poorly off
1t ought to be said, however, to portion O
the laboring people who are continually cry
, ing out against those whom small demagogue
represent to them to be aristocrats, that yol
often, do very great wrong when you her
such cries. You do, also, still greater wrong
when you fancy that every professional man
1eels above you. 1t is, nine cases out of ten
mere fancy for we tell you, and you mus
hear US, IN this matter, for we are defending
you, now, it is all mere fancy. You will NEE
now and then, a thing of starch and rattan
who gives himself airs and turns up his nos
at you; but who made you fool that yol
should mind him? Do you get mad and fee
envlous toward your cock turkey because h
spreads his wings and struts about YOU an,
fills your ears with his gobble gobble COB
BILE! We tell you that no true man ever feel
: above any other man. You fancy sometime
as you stand in the door of your workshop
and see a man ride by with rutfle in his bosom
and gold watch in his pocket, that he is al
aristocrat and feels above you This follow
} as a matter of course by no manner or means
The ruffie, the gold watch, Sc, may be mer
matters of habit, of education, things to whcl
he has been accustomed from childhood, an
, which he thinks as little of as You do of you
apron and plain Dover unbleached.
The true aristocrats of the country are tn
producers. Itwould be better perhaps, if Their
were not so many who live upon other PEG
pies productions. But class of this kind W
must have, and so long as the producers fee
them it is well to allow the matter to pas
without making much trouble about it. Their
is portion of our population who understan
their position. They perform their requisit
q labor, in their business are contented, happ
and envying nobody, looking with green eye
upon no other mans business better than their:
u These men cannot rise from their occupatio
to seat in Congress. Their position is tn
: highest already in society. These men al
II the noblest among men.
: There is another class who feel differently
+ + They perform their part with grumbllnS; fu
u of envy and jealousy; continually longing 70
e some higher employment, and wishing the
: stood on the more elevated platform in society
e Wrong as ali this is, yet the blame is not al
ways to be charged upon them. 1t is charge
able, in the greatest measure upon another
{ and the most pernicious, and contemplate
e class in society. That class who are stufe
with false notions of dignity, manliness, an
worth, and who seek always 10 impress upo
their children that no man can be man VIII
= gets his living by any other than what the
+ are pleased to term the higher employment
: They are Mortified at the idea of their son ia
> ling in love with shoemakers' girls, and to a
II low talors to set up with one of their daugf
T.. tiers would be greater sin than connivanc
II at her death. If a son desire from taste 10 be
{ come mechanic, their eyes protrude wit
: borrow, and this vicious inclination must b
) broken or the boy is ruined. He must be ec
}, ucated, sent to college, made something OF
d He is consequently put to that for which h
has no inclination, and the boy who migl
: have made magnificent mechanic is mani
r, featured into fool in the ''higher walks
: life"
/ We go for the utter extinction, root a
} branch of this most miserable class The
:, are not fit to live. There is no sucn things {
= rising, except in honor and worth. A ma
may commence life filing saws. He files h
saws faithfully. He is temperate, hone
: and worthy man, as much SO as it is posslb
for him to be. By-and-by, he finds he has
:, y capacity to file other things than saws; an
u farther on, by mending with files he learns
make with files; still farther he becomes
machinisi, and making learns to improve ar