The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1869-11-18

10 one o,f his AZ 4 letters. Ae.rleton' u

l. 1u one OF mis- last letters "CaIleton
tells Of an evening spent At supsrior
Our party was kindly and hospitality
entertained by the people Of Superior,
aod to those Who think of the town a.
being 80 far Northwest that it IL be.
yond civilization, I have only to say
that there are few drswing.rooms in
the East where more agreeable company
can be found than that assembled IN
one OF the parlors OF Superior few
places where the sonatas Of Beethoven
ana Mendelssohn can be more exquis:
iteiy rendered upon the p'anoforte, By
LADY who bakes her: eyn bread and
cares for her family without tho aid Of
q servant. -. =
IT, It is the glory Of our civilization tha {
it adapts itself to all the circumstances
Of life. I have 40 doubt that if Mn
ME, OF Winnie, or Georgian, or almost
any OF the e.pale, attenuated young L.,
dies who are now frittering away their
time 10 studying the last style of PAN
n'ers, OF drumming Capt. Jinks, or
reading the last vapid novel, were to
have their lot cast in the West-on the
frontiers Of. eivilizatioa-@here they
would be compelled to do something
for themselves or those around them,
that they would adapt. themselves to
circumstances as quickly as 7oung
lamb tossed into a pond. It rvims at
once, and SO would they strike out man:
tuliy s1d soonanfuHy to introduce =
new adjunct, and make for the shore If
they were put in. :,
Eastern young ladies under our civ
ll'zatlon lead an aimless life: If a few
thousand Of those Hho. have flushed
their education at the boarding school,
and who have nothing particular to do,
and 20 prospect Of doing, anything, and
if an equal :number, Of pale5faeed young
men Who are selling, colsets, hoop p-skirts
and petticoats to these same young la
dies-if they were by stress of time or
force of :circumstanees :;conpelled: to
strike out for themselves on these fex
tile acres Of the NorthHest-to do farm
work and house work, they would be
far happier than now, and worth moro
to themselves and to the world, aad
they would succeed
l dare say that nine out of every ten
young meo. selling dry goods in retail
stores IN Boston have, high hopes for
the future: They .re going % do
something by-andb BY When. they get
on little. further they will show. Us
what they can do.; But the chances
are that:they will never get that little
further on. The tide is against them.
One thing We are liable, to forget; We
measure ourselves by what We are 90
ing to do, whereas: the world estimates
US by what We have alreday DONE; The
young man. who has measured off rib
bon several years, as thousands have,
Who are doing no better to-day thap
they did five years ago, in all probabiIi-
ty will be no further along-except in
vesrs-6ve years hence than they are
now -: .~.-.> ..*:
How any young man Of spirit can
settle himself down to such life, when
all this vast region Of the Northwest,
with its boundless undeveloped7 re-
sources before him inviting him on, is
one of the unexplained mysteries of
life. They will be Nobodies: where
they are; they can be. Somebodies in
building up new society.
l did not ia.end to ramble in this d.
rection, but the memory of that de-
lightful evening in Superior parlor-
superior in more than one sense, the
sweet music Of the hour, by one accus-
toned to the re6nements Of life, con-
versant With other languages than her
own the reflection that she had ac.
commodated herself to the present situ-
alton, and was doing her own house.
work, set my thoughts in this direction,
and thepen: would have It's way.
CARLETON