Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1869-04-14

"WEDNESDAY, April T.
Ia view of the quadrennial struggle for Office
which occurs in this city, and with special refer
enee to the difficulties which now environ Presi-
dent Grant, highly cultivated foreigner, who
had resided in this country many years in diplo-
matte position, and acquired an intimate bnowl-
edge Of and admiration for our resources and in
situations, the other day said emphatcall ~" 1t
is especially astonishing that any young man, in
such q country as the United States should allow
himself to take much less 10 seek, public Office "
These words have been as literally true MS now
ever since the days of Jefferson, but at the present
time they possess ten-iod eloquence and power
and deserve to he sounded in trumpet tones thro
Fall the land
/ Speaking generally there are so many more
and infinitely better opportunities for fame and
fortune in the United States, that the strife ioi
official position among our young men not onlS
excites surprise, but pain. \ paccman rarely
becomes Independent in means, and much NOR,
rarely is he independent in thought and action
! While there are exceptions the rule is that bis
manhood is sacrificed to the demands Of the office
However able and accomplished he may be, hi
. hAlAANhN' 7'iAhhi NAA'NNAH ltlhuu tnt uhilpW HOT
lion Of his position, and he soon comes to be re
garded as but barnaele upon the body polite
But the results of holding Office, especially I,
our young men, find their fullest and worst de
yelopment in this city. Here they are congregnt
ed BY thousands from all sections of the country
bereit of the hallowed associations and influence,
Of home and friends, and denied the advantage
and stimulus of society and is it strlnge tina
50 many Of them rush madly to ruin? But wha
is the future Of those who are not thus lost2 G,
through the departments and you will find thou
sands fitted by nature to fill any position in soce
ty Had they given themselves TO active and self
reliant life, many Of them would haze amasse,
fortunes, and many more attained an enyiabl
name. But now they can barely subsst in tn
tread-lnill life they have chosen. Al opportuni
f ties of improvement are gonc--ambition is extin
STANDARDIZATION of thought and action are sur
pressed, and no bow of promise spans the future
Not few venerable men may there be found VIII
have occupied their desks since the administra
p ton Of Gen. jackson, and some are near aki
to names that shine brightly in the nations hi,
tory. But no step of progress has marked thei
official life, and most have kept their places at tn
cost Of theirmanhood, They have pronoun,
, ed the shibboleth Of each successive admnstra
ton and TO have suddenly yibmted. within tn
last eight years, from Buchanan to Lincoln, iron
Lincoln 10 Johnson and now from johnson bac
to Grant, must leave their little sefrespect re
naming in sadly demorali1ed condition.
Could anything be less desirable TO IL youn
man than such position, ~ such cost? An
this too when there is so tempting field open t
, him all over onr broad domain Education is oil
lered literally free, The earnest young man ma,
becomea skilled mechanic, good lawyer, oran &C
complished engineer, by a few years of hard stud
and toll. Thus armed, he can 20 TO any quartz
OF this vast empire, yea, Of the world, and earl
wealth and renown. There is not now a State
thank Providence and Union Wlor, in which h
is not free to 60, and sure to find employment, an
may achieve distinction. The whole boundles
, West is now open % civilization with all its vas
resources Of mineral and agricultural wealth, an
dawning political and social power. And shal
our young men turn from such golden opportuni
ties as these to petriy themselves in the post 0
a department clerk or a castom-house mental
God forbid
Apropos to this subject the chaplain Of tn
Senate yesterday morning prayed that the dsap
pointed oihce-seekers might go home and turn
their attention 10 the industries of the COUNTRY
thereby securing their own independence an,
prosperity, and aid in paying of the public debt
We think this supplcation must belong TO thai
somewhat too numerous class which are more es
peeially addressed to the audience
Mrs. Grant held her first reception Yesterday.