The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1853-08-09
BAD sTARrsl AND N ohss q

coME.-A young man in this city late.
" attempted shooting himself, with
a pistol, giving as reason for
doing SO that he had no means of
living He had written to his friends
Tor funds, but not receiving any. he
determined on sclfdestruction. We
know nothing of the Individual, and
only gathered the above particulars
from some Of the daily papers; but
the case suggests some important con-
siderations.
l. Why is it SO many boys are
suffered to grow up in our country.
without practical knowledge of the
means Of m honest livelihood? In
other words. why are not boys,
all boys, everywhere taught to work? Is
there any disgrace in being able, from
early education to earn an honest liv-.
ing by the labor of ones hands, when
ever it may be necessary? Do not
parents do an injury to their children.
and to the community at large, by
raising them up and thrustne them
out upon the world unprepnrcd to
earn competent subsistence? Are
their sons too good to work? Alas for
want Of correct views on this subject,
and of useful, honorable employment.
hundreds arc led first to drinking and
gambling houses, and then to disgrace
and ruin.
2. In country like this, where op
enings for industry and enterprise are
SO numerous, where every healthy man
may do we'll if he will, why should
men, and especially young men, com
plain ota want of the means of iv
ing? 1t is certainly not because there
is nothing to be donc-not because
they are either too proud or too
lazy to work. That's it. A false cd
ucation, connected with faIsc views of
their own important selves, lead them
to conclude that honest labor is deqra-
ding. Yes, degrading; though they
will not often speak out, thus, this is
the feeling. To soil their pretty hands
and dirty their fine unpaid-for cloth
es, is stoop to which they cannot sub
mit-thcir pride will not allow it:
hence they arc too often ready to
resort to almost any course rather than
60 honestly to work. In all this there
is u radical error, which in most cases
may be traced to the influence Of
early education. The parent was,
perhaps, some thrty-scvcn and
half cents better of than his neigh
bors, hence he, weak mar, was led to
suppose that his son was only suited
for some profession, at the very low
est, to ego into some business, as it
is usually termed-that is, to stand
behind some counter, cut tape, and
measure calico. And this, in the es.
timation the over fond and deluded
parent, is "morc respectable than
the various handicraft pursuits of the
country. How upon the face of
the earth did it ever enter the heads of
men that it was more respectable to
stand by counter than by
work-bench-to measure cloth than
make the coat--to shave notes than to
shave timber? How, We cannot i'm
agine. Out upon such ninnyisn,!, say
we! Let our sons be taught that
idleness is disgrace, and that 10 man
has a right to live upon the com
mon stock without contributing his
share to the support Of the whole; and
then let each and every man ''lay to"
and do something useful to himself
and others. lfhc cannot do this, let
him do that, but let him never be
idle, but always usefuly employed;
then he will not be so anxious to hur-
ry himself out of this world, bad as
some pretend to think it is