Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865, 1858-10-15
rHE MERcHAYr.s rIREsIpE.

THE MERCHANTS FIRESIDE.
Napoleon never gave the vanity Of tho
English aristocracya harder or more tell
ing thrust than when. he described Eng
land as a "nation of shop Keepers The
sting point lay in the fact that what the
military men said was, Is and ever must be
true. The strength of England lies, and
has ever lain in her trade, Take away
that, and she would dissolve away into
nothing, quick as the changes in pano-
ramic show. One would suppose, there.
fore, that instead Of being ashamed OF
trade, her chief men. her ''learned seign-
ors' and doctors, whether of politics, laws
or divinity, would take pride in that
which they must know is the very corner
stone of their greatness. This is far from
being the case, however, aud every sprie
of nobility appears TO regard contact with
shop-keeping as social plague-a badge
of disgrace -f,
In recent debate upon the Indian bill,
as to the terms of admission of cadets in
the army, Lord Ellenborough took oeca-
sion to. sneer at the erich grocers and lin
en- drapers,P meaning thereby the whole
commercial class, as quite unworthy to be
allowed to come into competition at all
with the professional classes and the ele-
CANT drones of society who consume, but
do nothing but create Speaking Of the
influence. of the institutions in which the
children of the more wealthy receive their
education in comparison with that brought
to bear upon the children of the "profess-
ional classes at home, his lordship went
on to say: i.p as u se
''But the education obtained in these
examining colleges is not the highest spe-
cies of education; that which is attained
at home by the example and conversation
of good parents is by far the highest
You cannot compare for moment the ed
ucation which the sons of elergymen and
officers get with the education obtained by
the sons Of rich erocers and linen drapers,
who will be successful in these competitive
examinations. Depend upon it, this is a
great and most injurious social revolution
Such sentiment uttered in this coun-
try would fully entitle the speaker to a
leather medal and an extra pair of long
ears. Even in England the facts are
against him. Msny of the most cultiya-
ted and vigorous minds that England has
ever produced, who have advanced her
fame, her national prosperity, and exalted
her literature, have sprung from those
same shop keeping people Sir Robert
Peel, the greatest English statesman of
modern times was trader and the son of
a trader; Golden and Bright are traders
Mscauley is the son of those whom his
Flunkeyship would exclude even from the
right to compete on equal terms with the
pet classes. Grote the best historian of
Greece, is engaged in mercantile pursuits
so was Rogers, the poet; Wakley, the
chief thunderer of the london Times, and
indeed the most vigorous, pushing minds
of the kingdom, have sprung from the
same class. When Lord Ellenborough
shows himself competent to approach the
shadow of Macauley, or to write a leader
in the London Times. it will be quite time
enough for him to sneer at s'rich grocers
and linen dealers l'u 'l d
But his sheer suggests an important
thought for the thousands of American
mercants of every kind and degree. What
is the influence of the merchants fre-side
in this country? Amid the whirl ,and
hustle which the intense activity of Amer
lean minds engender, is not the ire-side
in this country in some danger of being
overlooked, forgotten2 Is it not already
neglected to degree that bodies no good
to the country The anecdote of New
York lady who congratulated her husband
upon the failure of the chief part of his
business during the late crisis, because he
would thereby shave time to become ac-
quainted with his family" puts the matter
in strong light. 1t may have been, and
doubtless was, joke, but there is many q
truth thus told, and we doubt if there are
not many merchants and business men in
all our large cities who, if not unacquaint-
ed with their families, at least scarcely
know what the true and full significance OF
home is. Their lives pass in perpetual
and exhausting struggle that leaves them
not moment, or scarcely the power, to
think of anything else. Is there any
sense or philosophy in this2 Shall man
make himself mere drudge, veritablC
packhorse, and allow, himself to be con
stantly spurred and booted on, for---what Z
If he takes no satisfaction as he goes along
cui bono? When is he going take it2-
What is the effect upon his family and
childrenH Will they rise up to call him
blessed, even if he leaves them 'a fortune
whatever they may mean, and at the same
time by his neglect leaves them nothing
else worth naming2 How long will tho
said fortune last2 Witness the prodigali
ty, prohigacy, and speedy descent into tn,
shades of poverty and degradation, which
the sons aud daughters of multitudes Of
men in this country, who have made them
selves miserable all their lives for the sole
purpose of making these same sons and
daughters rich, under the fallacious idea
that with wealth left to them they could
want nothing This has been so offer
shown by the stern facts of practical lift
TO be mere chimera, that il is about tim,