The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1866-04-28
Advice about Going West.


CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa, April 20, 1866.
am almost weekly in receipt of letters
from old friends and acquaintance in the
East, inquiring in regard to the chances for an
"opening" in this section or State. Perhaps
this letter may meet very many who might be
tempted to write one, and it will save
them the Aecessity and me the trouble. The
character of the questions may be judged from
my answers. s@..s
In the first place, there is nowhere such
place as an Opening" in the sense in which
it is frequently used. There are no places
where there is great need of lawyer, a doc
tor or a merchant, unless it be where none of
them could get living. In this city of about
1000 inhabitants, there are nine lawyers,
twelve doctors, and about one hundred mer
chants, and other things in proportion. So
one will find it throughout the West But,
to day, here at Cedar Rapids, should Young
man of brains, energy and address come to
this city, he would soon find that he had
made an opening for himself The only adj
vantages that the West has over the East, for
new men or young men, are that merit, not
age, commands support or patronage. The
West is not so exclusive toward strangers. If
a man comes here with a purpose to succeed,
and takes measures to that end, he will readi-
ly find friends and supporters. Again. our
population is more changing than in the East,
aud man who has lived in community six
months is often reckoned among the old set.
tiers. Business is not so much inclined to run
along in the ruts, which is one advantage to q
new beginner in a town. Professional men
from the East are always disappointed in COM
ing West, to find SO many Of their profession
in every town. But they need not be much
discouraged, for the industry and economy
with which they have been educated in New
England make themselves gradually apprecia-
ted. ttt 8 ilH $50
Eastern men very often come West, believ-
ing their own sharpness and shrewdness will
prevail over the men OF the West. In this
they always find themselves mistaken. It is
Of the boldest and oftentimes of the most
reckless OF the New England people that q
Western community is composed, especially in
Iowa. In towns OF the size of this and larger,
one will find much culture, social and intel
lectual; but there are many very beautiful pha-
ses of New England society which he will
miss. Hm u y. tthe9 1t.99a<s t.-.-i
Iowa is rapidly growing, more rapidly than
any Eastern Stale; but why? There is more
room. When our population becomes as dense
as that Of Massachusetts, we shall have 10.
100000 people. But it will be many years be-
fore we can support dense population except
on our prairies. The State is an agricultural
State, and it will be only when they are fore
ed into it that the people will largely devote
themselves to manufactures. stg I.lsde,f5
People who are well settled in Maine, and
are living happily with themselves and their
neighbors, do well to remain where they are.
They are leaving well established society,
relatives, friends and associations which, in
mil H. AZ.
will find society, in most cases, halffoimed,
and constantly changing, and among stran-
gers, selfish and bent ON gain, they will find
lew disinterested friends, and less who would
stand by them in the hour Of necessity.
They will miss the hills and beautiful rivers,
the forests Of evergreen mingled with the
lighter green of the harder trees. J.,
However, they will gain farm for less
money, all cleared by nature and fun of nour-
ishment for vegetation They will find COM
munities ready to help them on, so long as
they are industrious and frugal, and this they
will find to greater degree than in Maine.
What then is the conclusion Of this letter OF
generalities Merely that human nature In
Iowa is about the same as elsewhere; that the
same laws applied to case in Maine will ap-
ply TO Iowa only in different degrees; that
the avenues Of business in which men can
get living without labor are just as crowded
in Iowa, as in any OF the Eastern States
That industry, enterprise and economy pro-
duce very similar results in Iowa and in Maine,
only that in some instances, perhaps, the
money comes easier and goes faster. But
will be frank to say that think an Iowan
who has lived in this State twenty years, un-
less he has gained by the rise of land on his
hands, will not as a general thing be as wealthy
at the end OF his twenty years, as would be
Maine Yankee liz the same branch of business
living in his Eastern home. ID ~ IVES.