The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1867-04-17
What . Gentleman may do with his
Hands.


There is a vast deal of idleness in the
South. Alarge number of our people
are trying tollive by wits large mum
Der are only nominally engaged in bust
ness, lounging and drawing through each
week large number are roaming loose
waiting for something to turn up. We
doubt if one half Of our population are
engaged in real hard work The absolute
necessaries Of life cost SO little in a tenn,
perate climate, where land isabundant and
rich, and the population sparse, that. it
is not difficult to live on half work. The
production Of the South, we doubt not, it
all the muscle and brain in the South
were fully taxed, and the labor properl,
directed, could be just about dou led. =
There are young men pretending to prac
tise law or physic, young men instructing
half dozen pupils, young men selling u
few yards of ribbon per day, young men
who have no business there at coiege
young men farming -allof whom ought
to be differently occupied. There are
young men clerking itin hotels and bank
ing companies where there is not full EN-
ployment for them. There are young la
dies by scores engaged III reading novels
or entertaining beaux. There are ali
sorts Of agencies-ten thousand shifts to
live, no matter how, so that it is not by
nsunutst' laLor In word the market o,
head work is glutted in the South while
the hammer, the plane, the trowel, the
hoe, the axe are crying for stalwart arms
to grasp them.
The idea is that trade is not just the
thing for young man who considers him
self as good as anybody. It is thought !;
better thing to be a jack-leg lawyer or to
murder people with doctors diploma or
to weigh butter, than to builu mouse or
make sewing machine or construct a
steam engine. The agent Of somebody's
Vegetable Pills is thought more eligible
match for your daughter than on intelli
gent man who prints a newspaper or a
book So it is foolish and often fatal
pride makes thousands shrink from the
mechanic arts and those very men who
by life Of honest industry have secured
q HIGH pOSlUtOu III JIG Community dHU d
respectable competence for their families,
turn their backs upon their occupations
and trim their sous out for something that
will not soil their white hands. +.
n Farming in the South is the most
prolific source Of idleness, for we have
few towns. In all directions you meet
not very handsomely dressed young gen
tlemen On horse back who inform you that
they are farming" 1t is vague, float
ing term that means, perhaps, strictly that
they live in the country and, may be, over
look hand apiece. They have tradi-
tional idea that the farmer must confine
himself to head work They sit on the
fence until dinner watching one horse
plough, and come to court, and read the
market reports in the Saturdays CHRoN1-
cLE-and artlessly think that they bolong
to the great agricultural fraternity -and
rail at the freedom for being so lazy.-
The FIRST thing you know, one Of these
young fellows gets married and has to
borrow clean shirt to go to his wedding
We shall not prosper in the South until
all these folks 60 to work, nor until la
Dor with the hands is properly estimated
How does the mere fact Of being lawyer
or farmer or banker make man more
of 'gentleman" than if hewere carpen-
L T. L