Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1857-05-07

things. We got "hlgh" over the matter,
and the old Major having mellowed into the
communicative stage, informed me confden-
TALLY that Lucy's husband was not worth his
salt.
WHO IS REALLY INDEPENDENT
In one of the statutes passed in the reign
Of Henry the Eighth, idleness is character
lied, in good Saxon English, as being "the
mother of all SIM" 1t was the philosophy
of those medieval times, in fact, to regard
it as mans duty first to serve and honor his
Creator, and next to be skilled in some craft
or business, so as to avoid coming on the
Commonwealth for support The acquisition
even of learning was regarded as but a Sec
ondary Importance. A citizen, it was held,
might be good citizen even though he could
not read Homer in the original, but not if
be wanted the ability to maintain himself
The last was absolutely essential the first,
as general rule, was not If through thrift,
energy, and industry, the ordinary citizen
acquired competence, then the study Of the
liberal arts might be properly undertaken.
But, till then, the first duty of every one
who was not heir to large estate, was to
learn some business. 1t was in this way, to
quote again the words of the old statute, that
our forefathers took care that their children,
when grown up, should not be driven from
want or incapacity 'fo dishonest courses"
We have made great advances in many
things since that time, but we doubt if, in
this particular, we have not gone back. Not
that our generation attaches too much i'm
portance to the schools and school.masters.
It is impossible to have books, readers or
teachers in excess. But those old times GER
tainly surpassed our own in the dignity they
impaired to labor, and in the public opinion
which expected every man to have some
craft or profession by which to earn his bread.
Education was then considered to include
something more than book-learning, and was
regarded, in its true sense, as the forming Of
the entire character. The first requisite for
the respectable citizen was, that he should
be able to maintain himself, because, with
out this ability, he could not be really indie
pendent, and was liable, through idleness, to
fall into evil courses Hence the child,
from earliest infancy, was taught to look for
ward to life of active work as the highest
dignity of manhood. Hence every citizen,
whatever his rank, 'spulled at the laboring
oar" each in his own sphere, it is true, but
not the less industriously for that. From
the King on his throne to the peasant in his
hut, all worked and all worked hard. There
were no drones in those days. The class Of
men with which modern society abounds, the
class that lives only for show, luxury or plea
sure, was utterly unknown. The rich did
not consider that their wealth entitled them
te spend their lives in selfish idleness. The
poor were not tempted to look on labor as
disgraceful, and to prefer comparative star
vation to comfort and independence.
At present it is different. At present
false notion extensively prevails that if Ia
boris not absolutely disgraceful, tits at least
o mark of gentility to have nothing to do.
Under the influence of this absurd idea hun.
dreds of parents who have acquired but mod
crate fortunes are bringing up their children
in elegant idleuess, forgetting that that es-
tate which supports one household will not
sustain those of dozen descendants, and
that even if it would, wealth can take wings
and fly away. Then great cities, in conse-
quence, are crowded with men educated to
great expectations, but now literally penni-
less, and who live, in consequence, from
hand to mouth, the honest of them starving
for more than half their time, the dishonest
practising all the arts of swindling and final
ly of crime. Even parents who have no for
tunes at all, often bring up their sons in idle
ness. "1t is vulgar" they say, "to put
them to a trade" And thus plentiful
crop of shiftless, purposeless, vagrant, good
for-nothing young men are annually turned
loose on society. to infect other young men
by their example, to live parasltlcally on the
community, and to die in the almshouse or
Jail, If not under the gallows.
He only is truly Independent who is mas
ter of his own fortunes. No man is master
of his fortunes unless he has learned some
handicraf, studied profession, or acquired
habits of business. Such man, even if
he should be rich and afterwards become
poor, can never be otherwise than indepen-
dent; for he is secure of his daily bread,
can keep out of debt, and need fear to look
no fellow being, therefore, in the face. 1t
would be better for modern society if it cul-
tivated healthier public opinion on this
subject; if it insisted that every child should
be brought up to do something for a living;
ifit honored the worker more than the drone,
and rated the honest laborer above the rich
and idle sensualist. Sun.
A'PECULIAR LAwsUIT.-A young man