New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1853-05-31
For the c 1
What is Young America I?

What is Young America?
DEAR CREsCENT-You have politely expressed
a wish to hear from me again, and am amiably
disposed to crafty you, especially as l lacl
information which you are able, and, no doubt
willing to furnish. l presume you will hardly
dispute the proposition that editors are bound
to be thoroughly informed, not only on such mat
tiers as are Of interest to the public generally
but on every subject under the sun and are
moreover bound to give that information when.
ever called upon to do so. They are slaves of a
lamp like Aladins, but with this important diff.
terence--that instead of having but one master
every subscriber thinks he has right to rut
them up whenever he is at fault. Theyipre, OIL
ought to be, perennial springs of learning from
| which fathomless ignorance may drink tc
safety. Such at least is the opinion of my
aunt Patsy, from Greenville, Ohio, who informs
me that country editors come quite up to the
| description have given; and 81 of course" she
adds, city editors must be superior to country
ones
Before proceed any further in this matter,
| let me entreat you to set every Objectionable
| sentiment or expression which may disfgure
| this epistle, to the account of the same aunt
Patsy, who is sitting close to my left elbow sug-
costing alterations and improvements, and won
dering whether | am ever coming to the point
She belongs to the unpopular class called strong
minded women, which she has fully proved by
preferring single blessedness to becoming the
spouse of a rheumatic old widower, with small
| fortune and large family, or a voracious old
| bachelor who was captiyated by dish of
| chicken gumbo, introduced by my aunt to the
Greenvillian. Her greatest ambition is to be n
leader among the literati of her native town,
but she always goes in for woman's rights.
| though not to the extent of Bloomerism, on
account Of certain natural impediments which
she calls ga strong understanding; and she
has long been aching to sc nfuse fresh yigor into
the political system of Greenville" This brings
us to the point in question-what is meant by
the terms Young America and " Old Fogy -
My aunts mind is deeply agtated on this
subject, and my attempts to clear up her diff
culties have been anything but satisfactory.
She says what she wants is definition, not
illustration; for she can't carry my examples
up to Greenville and exhibit them as specimens,
suggest that the term Young America
means simply " the progressive principle of the
American nation embodied > or, in other words,
" the lncarnate go-ahead- a. tiveness of Yankee
ism This my aunt bluntly pronounces mere
verbiage," and is about to leave the room in in
dlgnation, when | anu struck with n bright idea
" The Crescent, aunt, the Crescent is"
What Z"
% Young America
every well, then, my dear, write to the Cres-
cent, and request them to explain the term and
define their position. You take the paper, and
have an unquestionable right to demand this of
them"
Here was dilemma. 1t was to no purpose
that | insisted that you had been defining ever
since you had been in existence: and suggested
that you might consider her notions about the
rights of subscribers decidedly old fogyish she
put me down by observing that 'eIt's a pity
when charming women talk of things which they
lon't understand
Then her brow clouded, and her countenance
assumed what some one has described as an
g injured look" | suceumbed Instantly, and
promised TO write for the desired information,
provided she would take the responsibility,
which, being strong minded woman, she read |
ly did.
She now awaits the result with great anxiety, |
being in haste to leave town, but too much in |
crested in the political system of Greenville .
o return there without some invigorating cor
hal, such as she imagines Young Americanism
o be. Yours, expectant. Fanny
We'll, tell Aunt Patsy, that Young America |
5 a human specimen, wears striped pants
moking large cigars, runs rather ahead of the |
machine, can't see what Spain wants with Cuba, |
md INDUCES in Fillibustersm as a pleasant |
node of seeing foreign parts led. Ores.