Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1867-08-08
Counsel to noys.
BY HORACE GREELEY.

/ once startled young man, without nj
all intending it. lie had written to ask my
advice as to the propriety OF studying the
law; and asked him, in return, "Do you
think our country is in present need OF any
more lawyers?' have forgotten the terms
of his response; but it clearly implied that
had asked very strange II not an irrele-
want question. think he regarded my
query as sarcasm yet l was never more
sober and earnest.
1t is doubtless desirable that there should |
be good lawyers-honest, capable, judicious |
and such lawyers may achieve honor and
wealth as worthily and useiully as though
they grew corn or shod horses and yet, the
demand for good lawyers is one easily salts.
fed and likely to be still further restricted
as the mass of men become wiser, more in
telligent, and upright. If every one should
become a lawyer, no matter how good, the
human race would be in peril Of starving to
death.
Our current system of higher education
tends directly to ovcrcrowd the three pur-
suits which are popularity designated "the
professions. A boy who has mastered the
quantum of mathematics, with the II little
Latin and less Greek" which secure him a
college diploma, generally feels that his
learning (?) would be wasted on farm or in
any mechanical or manufacturing pursnlt--
that he might as well have saved his time
and money, unless he shall aspire to become
Il doctor Of Law, Physic, or Divinity. Hence,
'thc professions" are enormously over
crowded, and their votaries too often unem-
ployed or underpaid. There are New Eng
land townships of not more than four hun
t,'red families, few or none of them wealthy,
,vh sch have six to eight distinct religious So
cia,;ess, each of them requiring its separate
house n worship and clergyman. And the
newest v, uage OF twenty to forty cabins, on
tha Western verge Of civilization, bears con-
cnrrcnt testin >oHy, in the plethora ofits law
vers and doe 'ors, to the oyercrowding,
ihroughout orr country, OF ''thc profes-
sions.R We are n, Il learned nor yet cul,
tivated community; yet the proportion o
our entire population ,Vhicn Is diVeflen IRON
productive industry to ae so-Gai,eu inlellecl
nal vocatons, is exceeded ~ l.aiy aiohs.
We cannot all be farmel'e; nor is 1t desir
able that we should be. 1Nere Is more
urgent need in our country of captains o
industry" in other departments, especially
those of manufacturing and mining. !
there were to-day one hundred thousant
yoUng men in the Union thoroughly quall
fled to direct operations in these depart
ments-to convert wool, cotton, flax, etc.
into servicable fabrics at the smallest cost o
labor, and to detect, trace, value, open an,
work mineral veins and other deposits VIII
the accuracy of Science and the presclenc
of Genius, there would very soon be roor
and work for them ALL While, therefore,
Judge the farmers life, on the whole, prefel
able to any other, as aifording the sures
promise Of competence, comfort, and FREQ
dom from tortnring anxiety, do not urg
nor wish all my readers Ia become farmers
An engineer who locates and leyels u raj
road so as to save ten thousand daya' wor
in constructing il, is just AS truly II worliil
man, and essentially a producer Of weaill
MS though he welded spade or followe
the plow. For the narrow vision whit
recognizes workers only in those who liz
by muscular effort, have pity winch
allied to contempt
But l say this, emphatcally, TO eye.
youth who values his own peace oi mi
and perfect self-respect, "Ch0ose some p't
suit wherein yoir livelihood WiH IN
., uisiderobie degree be dependent
9TH. '~nlen's good opinion" Other thin
heinz EQUAL, that is Of the highest momei
You NAV say that great soul, strong y
conscious =, Solitude of purpose, should
unaffected by the cbb and flow of popllari
but can you fancy that the PASTOR abrup
dismissed by the society he mas g,a glYcah
hest twenty years OF hls Bie 10 pu''a W
dismissed, very probably, because , OFT, OF
resistance to some gust o. popular pass,;;
some ostentatious display of popular W
which it was his simple duty 20 Withstand
does not feel the injustice, the ingratltuc,
He would be more than human not to
it, even though compassion should, after
first flush, be stronger than Indignation.
exhort you, young friends, as the corn
stone Of life of manly, useful endeavor
choose some pursuit wherein your sucs
will, in the smallest degree, be depens,
on popular appreciation Secure you, i
lihood by this-since no one has yet reiu
to buy farmers wheat or beans, in orde
reprobate his religious or political opinl
and then give such time or means as
can spare to the instruction and admoni
of your fellows.