Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1858-08-07
YOUNG AMERICA.


We have Young England, and Young France,
and Young Italy, and other youths of note and
pretension in the Old World. They are, how
ever but the bright hallucinations of old or
middle age. Young England is nothing more
than the old buck, who, with wig and false
teeth, with white trousers, light coat, and white
hat dreams of perpetual youth, and so dream
ing is knocked over by sudden return of his
old gout or rheumatism. There is only one
really new nationality in the world like Young
Greece, or the sturdy and mutinous rabble that
Romulus gathered round the Palatine. 1t is
Young America. 1t is the lions cub-strong,
clumsy, playful, and harmless till provoked,
when savage nature shows itself rudely and un-
pleasantly. Young America is the Young gen.
tleman just come to his property with an abun-
dance of animal spirits, with health, with much
money and credit with all the clements for
good start. His future, even on this side the
grave is infinite and inexhaustible. Do what
he will, he can never get through his money,
his time his friends, his vigor, everything. lie
may for the present do what he pleases. A few
years riotous indulgence, few madcap adven-
tures any number of questionable friends of all
sorts, any rate of expenditure, will leave a re-
mainder ample for all the purposes of ordinary
life. 1t will be time to be wise ten years hence,
or twenty years hence. What, too, if he has
mote. So let the future take care of ITSELF
This is the calculation on which many young
Lord commences that brilliant career which
forms so frequent and so prominent a feature in
British social life. How he blazes and flares
for ten years! What jolly life he leads =
How he rises from scrape to scrape, still un-
scatched, exciting the hopes of his friends, and
battling the auguries of the cynical! He is a
cat of nine lives. Nothing harms him. With
what stamina he meets illness, loss, hostility,
and even disgrace! But meanwhile he is stead
lily and surely drawing upon his capital. He is
draining his stock of money, health, strength,
credit, time, and friends This is his opportu-
nifty, and this his way of using it. In ten or fif-
teen years at latest he awakes from his dream
to the saddest Of cortaintios. He has wasted
the spring of his life and there remain barren
summer, an Improbable autumn, and dreary
winter. For fifty long years. if he haply live
so long, he will have to brood on the bitter rec
objections of a wasted youth. This is the too
common career of Young England in its per-
sonal and individual sense. What if it should
be the career of that Young England denomi-
mated from its estate Young America,
We owe, indeed, an apology for this warn
ing We are told that England and America
are no longer mother and daughter, but sistors
Well, we are at least the elder sister, and, as
we cannot give ourselves all the airs of youth,
we may as well claim the benefit of seniority.
So, listen to us, Mr.. Dallas. Be advised, Young
America. We admit that for considerable
time you are likely to have it all your own way,
and that you may do great deal without being
called to account for it. You have now, it ap-
pears, got finally rid of that remnant Of your
tutelage, the right of visit, as well as the right
of search. This is great emancipation. Young
Hopeful will now have q latch key; his letters