The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1852-11-22
From, The Neto York Tribune.

Want I'm Cities.
In the thinly or moderately peopied country,
every one who really wants TO work can generally
find something to do-not always indeed what he
would prefer, nor just what he deems best suited
to hs capacities or most worthy of his genius, but
still something. For q few weeks in winter, il is
often difficult for those of least capacity to End
work at ALL throughout the greater part of our older
States; but generally, We may say that man in
the country may find work within few days If
he energeicaly seek il, and ia ready accept any
honest employ ment in preference 10 idleness.
In the cities, the caee ia widely different There
employment 10 rigidiy limited, while the donna nd
fur it Ia unbounded. II work could be found in
New York for five millions Of huriIan beings they
would all be here, and At least 40 many more,
within three months. So long us there is cha nee
OF finding work hero. the stream of cmigr ton
sets towards the city from both sides-inland and
over sea--and we should have u population Of two
millions forthwith If we did not starye each other
out
For this tendency toward the cities-iusane M
| it might ut first sight be onsidered-there arc
many causes-many excuses. A man has set up
for somebody in his native town, and has turned
out nobody-his pride will not permit hun to re-
main there the level to which he has gravitated
he flies to the city for employ ment and subsist
ence. He would rather curry horses in a livery
| stable here than work farm shsres there. So
the young woman who was reared in competence
II not afttuence in the country, but who finds her
self reduced by the death or bankruptcy of her pa
rents to the necessity OF selling her labor for q
living, would rather live on bread and tea in some
double bedded garnet OF u millinery esta bshmept
in the city than expose herself to the sneers of her
school mates by working in any hireling capacity
| In her native town. Then there are tens Of thou
sands who mistake Inspiration of lazness for that
Of genius, and HE TO the city In the mad hope of
| living here by spinning verses or comet thing like
1t. when they should be digging potatoes, &c. for
| which there Is a real demand and in which they
| have ability to be useful! 1t does no good to warn
sue h asprants that there 10 room for them here
| that their coming will only expose them to the
| tenPtings OF dissipation or crime. and that ult
mauly they will be driven out Of the city by sheer
want II not taken out by the sherid-they must
| come and "see for themselves"-so they do. Cali.
fornia is said (of course truly to have ruined
many thousands but New York has witnessed the
utter wreck Of more hopes and aspirin tions than
| ever California did, and will continue to witness
| such Tragedies to the end of time
| "But Is there a chance for nobody in tho citie.3
Are there no successes to chequer ny ailures1
| Certainly there are successes-have been and
wilt be. There are persons all over the country
who may yet come here and boswell. Men who
| have abundant means, and know how TO enplov
them to advantage. can do we'll almost anywhere.
| But poor man who migrates to the city should
lie sure that be possesses-l. Youth; 2. Health and
Bodily Vlgor; 3. Principles and Habits which arc
absolute proof against indictments to dissipat ton
or knavery; 4. good trade or handicraft for
which there is demand in the cities; and g. Means
to support himself while he makes acquaintan ces
possesses all these may justiiably come here and
| try his luck with US He should lay aside enough
to take him back to some place whore he knows
that he can earn an honest livelihood, and say,
"When have spent all but that, shall paddle for
| homes" and then he may look the city square in
the face, and return it's stare OF indifference with
look Of hearty Independence.
| single man Of good habits, who has q rood
trade that Ia In demand here, and with this Van.
| kec knack Of doing almost anything, can gener-
ally exist here, if he has few dollars wherewith
to keep starvation at bay while he looks for work.
but for man who has accumulated wife and
| children but no property, 10 bring them hero ex
pecting to earn their living, is sheer insanty-is
criminal folly. Rent, fuel, and aborninably
| secured foothold. printer, carpenter, mason,
blac ksmth, tailor, or other mechanic who has no
family, can exist here on two dollars q week If re-
duced to the last extremity; but a decent shelter
| for the smallest family costs at least that sum- To
| come here expecting to make position and sup
port a family on a clerks journeyman's wages
| is blunder which no man 10 justified in ma king,
and we generally decline answering the letters
| that reach us from men who wish to make the ex.
pertinent. II they might innocenty, because jr-
norantly. tempt the hazard, We could not limo.
| Gently aid them.
Finally, men do greatly mistake In supposine
that city is the place TO live indolenty. We have
idlers here-gamblers, pckpockets, and rogues of
infinite variety-we have men who have Inherited
VI aequneo 81 niocu pIoPo'y tnat tney arc above
the necessity OF working; but he who has no pro-
| perty and yet would make an honest livelihood,
must work hard for it here. much ha rider than he
need to live in comfort in the country. Our me-
chancs rarely lose day when they have work,
and they take hold as though in earnest. With ali
our idlcrs. we doubt that there are seven hundred
thousand people any where else who do 81 much
work every year ns do those whose homes can be
overlooked from our City Hall clock And, while
competition for employ ment is steadily on tho in
crease the cost Of food and shelter is also ncreas
ing. And we see no chance for permanent i'm
provement SO long as tho rush to the cities shall
contnue-so long as the great majority prefer
dencc and security of tilling the earth for them
selves But this opens wide prospect on which
| we will not enter TO day.
! EXPLOSION or THE Buckeye BELL.-The Coum.
bus (Obio) Journal publishes the following d sas-
ter on the Musk ngum river, already noticed,
| which deatrnued fifteen Exea.