Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1868-05-16
MISCELLANEOUS.
THE CITY AND COUNTRY,
by HORACE GREELEY.

presume IL 10 already WlueIy known tDat
] haIitually and systematically discourage
the migration of young men to our great
| cities. Let me say why do SO.
Strictly, however, what do is to decline
promoting or encouraging the migration of
young men to our city. I would leave it
as free and open to them as it ever Was to
me. came hither, not quite of age, with
| a to'erabie knowledge of my trade, (print
ing) resolved TO make my way here, il
could-if not, to make my way .tr0m here,
directly. ! knew NO one living within two
hundred miles, wrote to ask help or favor
| OF no one; l came in quest of work-found
| 1t pretty sOOn-t0uk the worst that was 90.
ing, because those " ho were here before me
had secured the best-and gradually fought
my way to q better position.
think it was the 18th of August, 1881.
when landed in this city; and it was just
about ten years thence that first felt assur-
ed that l could stay in New York till |
chose to leave, unless l should, meantime,
be carried out by the undertaken.
There is class of country bred persons
who can, sometimes, do well in great city.
almost from the day they enter ILL., This is
the class OF thoroughly capable, energetic,
temperate, thrifty mechanics. who have not
yet married. Any one of these may drop
porous year, when work abounds and every
thing is thriving, and find employment at
good wsges, of which he may save half if
he will. True, his expenses will overtake
his income If he stays here until surrounded
by a swarm OF children but why should he
stay here so long 2 If the develop qualities
which insure him leading position and
liberal income, he can we'll afford to STAY
II not. let him be of in season to have his
children country-born. To rear sons and
daughters in narrow, crowded city quarters,
on the stinted allowence of a mere Journey
man or laborer, is not to treat them fairly.
Give them air to breathe, hills to roam over,
and woods to frequent, so that they shall
grow up in health and vigor. The city is
hard enough on the poor man it is entirely
too hard on the poor mans children. But
for our common schools, / would advise
them to get away, even though they had to
run away.
But there is an innumerable multitude of
boys, or young lawyers, clerks. journalists,
ETC., who look wishfully to this city, or to
some other great city, seeking therein
employment, as stepping-stone to consd.
Grafton, position, atfluence. These l habi-
tuslly discourage, TO their sore discomfort.
and even at the cost of invokeng their
iHoiSHatiou' "uy dnsWeT:
l. Because the cities are largely over.
peopled. There are, always, thousands
here, willing to do anythin9," they cay /;
which too often implies that they know how
to do nothing well. Every new conner, of
course lessons the chance-small enough at
best.-that these shall gain here substance
Now, ii these could be driven out to some
purpose-if they were not too old to learn
bou hoI
knew what they could do to their own ard
others advantage, or where to put them-I
would not SO strenuously object TO tue com
ing in of Others to crowd them out of their
last hope of earning decent livelihood
AS it Is, must
II. Because this is no place in which TO
learn. Living is very dear on this island.
1t costs more to lodge person decently
here, than to board, as well as lodge him,
in rural township A great world known
lawyer might come hither and thrive from
the outset; a young, undistinguished law
yer must expect to be many years working
his way up to business by which he may
live in comfort. A skillful driving mechanic,
who is still single, may generally get ON
here, but this is no place for u boy TO learn
trade in, unless he has parents here " ho
can support him Mt least for his first year
He who can do three average mems work
will probably go ahead here; hut woe to
the youth who comes hither hoping 10 learn
to be clerk or saesmant He has scarcely
a chance.
III. In the world, as God made il, there
is room and work for all. If one hundred
thousand new clearings should this year he
opened in the wilderness, which still covers
so large a share of our conntry--if so many
more dwellings should be planted On the
hitherto virgin prairie, and the plow and
cultivator set in motion around each OF them
there would be no glut In our fond mar.
kets--no surplus Of corn or cattle 10 GO to
waste. Wheat and beef have rarely been
dearer Tin coin) thaa they are TO day. But
goods are superintendent almost every here.
Manufactures are depressed and stsgnating
tor want of msrkets cities are fall of suf-
fering because trade Is dull. and because
there is very little to do. There should,
there must be heavy migration from the
cities and villages to the broad, free country
Ito the West, the South, the Rocky Noun.
tsins, the great Plains, or whateveE else