Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1865-05-16
RICHMOND WING.
TUESDAY MORNING.. MAY 10, 1866
THE PLACELESS.

"There are fifty applicants fer every va
eaney, aud no more will be received, vas
plaesrded on the post Office door on the IN
sugllratiOn OF our new postmaster the other
cav. In any large city there are dozen aP-
p6caatS. YES. A hundred within half day
after tie publication of any vacancy. On
the incoming Of new Governor or PreSl-
dent. the "place" seekers are numbered by
hundreds. thousands, and tens Of thousands !;
and sometimes the UOutSide pressure" is 50
rssi,tless, that the very highest officers in
the Government feel themselves obliged TO
favor persons VINO are strangers 20 them, IN
preference to Ilen 10 whom they are under
special aud personal Obligations, and whom
they know 10 be fully qualified for all the
duties OF the station. Public men who have
Offices in their gift often feel themselves com
PEELED 70 bestoW them on persons whom they
know are not the best adapted to the position,
As rewards for past political services, for pre-
sent political influence, or for those eoncilla-
tons Of opposing parties which seem 10 thehi
are indispensable TO the Situation oil anAlEs'
Yet oppoSed 10 these accepted applicants are
men OF integrity undOubted, OF rennemeni' oil
a culture. and Of once social position,
which ought TO guarantee success, brought
10 this SuppliAnt attitude for 'place' 0y
sion, OF by the perfidy OF men, against which
no human foresight could provide. Re
Gently hizh name in this CON munity, which
bye wears sgo welded the wand OF power m
financial circles, Was handed in for ''place
of trust and profit. Gray headed and bald
and bent he craved the 'lDhuence" OF III
ruen,ial men with hot tears; and after weeks
and NJ oUtbs of such debaSement, and OF ago
nizing suspense, he failed OF his object, the
poor-house looking himself and helpless
family full in the face. Young men and
Young women. within = week Of this writing,
r,vs o..n driven into suicide IN New York
c,tv. having vainly sought places" until
ON the verge of starvation, and 10 escape
Il, took the rope and the poison. Why
All this Because they grew up without Il
positive occupation, without having been IN
structed in any handicraft. There's truth in
Frankliu's saving, that the parent VII"
brings up son without calling, teaches nm
10 be thief" Let that father, then, Who Slsh-
este be assured that his son shall not iangmsh
in = peniteniiary, orperish on gallo"S, give
that son 4 trade. Let the mother who de-
sires 10 make IL certain that the daughter
she so much loves shall not pine away IA
some cherries hospital, aye, some insane
asvlum, teach that daughter perfect use oil
her needle, or betteEs tno shlAA IA H9Nt''-G
OF 4 sewing machine; and more, how TO Keep
a tidy house, hOw 10 prepare 3 comiortaDle
meal: how 70 spread a well appointed table
L. DO al these things with thoroughness.-
Such young woman can never come l"
want. can newell fail 10 lind = well-paying
place IN this country. There are q thou
sand families in New York any day who
would consider themselves ''tortunate" IN
having such seamStresses, house-girls, nurses
and cooks At twenty per cent. higher wages
than generally prevail. A good mechanic
can always find work for his "yictuals and
clothes" with increasing wages IS his ndel-
ity and skill become known, and thus pre-
vent that distressing sadness, that deoaslng
cringing, that eating out ell liie's gladness'
which wither the heart and waste away the
health, until the friendly grave ends the tor
ture.-H HAIRS v. L. J0,TRa! OF Health.