Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1867-07-31
COUNSEL TO BOYS.
BY HORACE GREELEY.
CHoosINdA VOCATION.

ask my advice as to the propriety of stud
ying law and | asked him, in return,
"Do you think our country is in present.
need of any more lawyers ?" have for.
gotten the terms of his response but it
clearly implied that / had asked very
strange if not an irrelevant question. l
think lie r. garded my query as a sac SUI;
yet 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 useful
ly as though they grew corn or shod hor-
ses and yet, the demand for lawyers is
one easily satisfied, and likely to be still
further restricted as the mass of men be,
come WISER more intelligent, and upright.
If every one should become lawyer, no
matter how good, the human race would
be in danger of starving to death.
Our current system of higher education
tends directly to overcrowd the three pur-
suits which are popularity designed "the
professions" A boy who has mastered
the quantum of mathematics, with the lit
tie 1t n and the less Creek which Sc
cure him a college diploma, greatly feels
that his learning (?) would be wasted on
a farm or In any mechanical or manufac-
turing pursuit-that he might as well
have saved his time and money, unless be
shall aspire to become doctor of Law,
Physic. or Divinity. Hence, "the pro.
f ssions" are enormously overpowered, and
their votaries too ofteu unemployed or un.
derpaid. There are New England town
ships Of not more than four hundred fam
lies, few or none oS them wealthy, which
have from six to eight distinct religious
societies, each of them requiring its sep
arate house of worship and clergyman
And the newest village of twenty to for
cabins, on the western virge of civiliza
tiou, bears concurrent testimony. in tht
plethora of its lawyers and doctors, to tht
overcrowding throughout our country, Of
'the Professions We are not yet 3
learned or cultivated community: yet the
proportion of our entire population which
is diverted from productive industry tc
the socalled intellectual vocations, is ex
ceeded in Italy alone.
We cannot all be farmers; nor is it de-
sirable that we should be. There is {
more urgent need in our country of "cap
tains of industry" in other departments
especially those Of manufacturing ant
mining. IF there we're to day ore hun
dred thousand young men in the Union
thoroughly qualified to direct operations
in these departmepts--to convert wool
cotton, Aax. etc, into serviceable fabrics
at the smallest cost Of labor, and to de
tect, trace, value, open and work minera
veins and other deposits with the accura
cy Of Science and the prescience of Genius
there would very soon be room and worl
: for them all. While. therefore, judge
, the farmers life, on the WHOLE preferable
to any other, as afording the surest prom
isc of competence, comfort, and freedom
from torturiDg anxiety. do not urge OIL
, wish all my readers to become farmers
AN engineer who locates or levels rail
road so as to save ten thousand days
work in constructing it, is just as truly
, working man, and essentially producer
: of wealth, as though he welded a spade
} or followed the plow. For the narrow
{ vision which recognizes workers only IL
those who live by muscular effort, | have
, pity which is allied to contempt
/ But say this emphaticaliy, to every
youth who values his own peace OF mine
| and perfect yef.respect. " Choose SOM
, pursuit wherein your livelihood will IL
! no considerable degree be dependent OIL
other mems good opinion" Otter thing
5 being equal, this is of the highest mo
!. meat. You may say that great soul
F. strong In it conscious rcctitude OF purpose
Z. should be unaffected by the ebb and hoV
! Of popularity; but can you fancy tina
| the pastor. abruptly dismissed by the SO
e ciety he has given the best twenty year
/ Of his life to build up--dismissed yer.
D probably. becuase of his resistance to som
7 gust Of popular passicb, some ostenta
! tious display Of popular vice, which
g was his simple duty to withstand-doc
+ not feel the irjustice, the ingratitude
s He would be more than human not to fee
k it. even though compassion should, afte
0 the FIRST flush, be stronger than indigna
b tion. / exhort you, young friends, as
o corner stone Of a life Of manly, useful en-
T deayor, to choose some pursuit wberei
i your success will. in the smallest degree
!. be dependent OF popular appreciation
secure your livelihood by this--sipcc q