The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-04-09

THE REAL WANT OF SOCIETY.
More Work and More Production
Golden Words OF Wisdom for
Young Men.
From thc U.icU HcruIi.

moro work and More Production
Golden Words OF Wisdom for
Young Men.
From the U.icd HcruLi.
The current OF population tends with
Increasing force, from the farm to the
village, from the village to the larger
town, thence TO the interior city and
J thence again TO the metropolis. Young
men crowd behind counters. into offices;
act as agents, as book peddlers; try to
become ministers and lawyers; are
anxious to do anything rather than set
tie down in good honest work on the
farm or in the factory or workshop. All
these vocations are honorable in them
selves. and are in a sense necessary to
the community. But they add nothing
to the national wealth. They do not
help people to feed and to Clothe their
families. They do not assist in devel-
oping the resources OF our soil, OF our
mines, of our forests. They do not
cheaper food and the cost of living, SO
| as to ameliOrate the condition OF the
poor. Those engaged in them consume
articles OF necessity without producing
| them, and so add TO the burdens of So
ciety. Whatever tendency there is In
our country, to make the poor poorer,
and the rich richer, Is due more than to
any other cause, to the diminution of
production in its ratio to the popula-
tion.
The remedy for this evil is not in
legislation; it must be found in popu-
lar action. False notions of social
| standing must be corrected. Society
| as we'll as individuals must stamp the
idler who wears fine raiment which he
does not pay for, as far less worthy to
be received and esteemed than Is he
| who wears only what he earns, and
c onscientiously seeks to be useful to
the community as we'll as himself.
Young men go to ruin every day by
aping habits and associating with COM
panions that are the corruption .of
wealth; and thus throw away credita-
BILE and happy future for the glare OF
present idleness and dissipation. They
are pitied by the prudent; are scorned
by their associates in folly; and ad
vance In years with tastes and habits
which they can not crafty, 10 worry
out poverty which see6s TO conceal
| itself, and adds meanness 10 Its misery.
True independence comes ut once to
! the young man, who Is both able and
willing to work. His earnings are be-
YOnd his necessities, are commonly
| superior to those of clerks and attor-
neys and agents. The average pay or
| good mechanics, in this country, Is
| greater than that OF the professional
| classes. This is true whether we COM
| pare employers and employed among
mechanics, with all lawyers and doc
| tors and minister's, or if emitting the
| chiefs of these professions and the great
employment in the other class, we
reckon on the earning OF the younger
| men in the respective avOcat1onS. BE-
sides the personal profit, which ought
| not 10 be chief consideration, the in
dividual who is wisely engaged In pro-
ductive industry, has the assurance
that he is not a drone in the hive, but
| is every day adding something to the
general fund, something to the re-
sources of the country. The conscious
ness attends him that he Is eating no
| riT1CY T0n DnTmQnt9
| belong TO others; and that his course
does not contribute in any way to crush
the poor to deeper poverty.
| Especially is the notion foolish aud
| evil, that n literally educated man
oucht not to engage in productive work.
Education which does not render its
| Dossessor more useful to himself and
| 10 the community, is unworthy the
name, and is Il curse. In so lar as COL
| leoes and seminnries inculcate in any
way, indispositlon to do honest ana
| manly work with the hands, where
that offers itself to graduate, they are
| mischievOus. Educated men are need
| ed on our farms, to beautlty ana en-
| rich them, to add all that science can
give, to the labor upon which our race
| must always mainly depend. They
find occupation and reward in every
branch of industry, to comOlnelnteiIl-
gence with machinery, and TO develop
still further invention for ecOnomlZinS
manual labor.
The need of our country is more than
ever, productive labor. OF lawyers, of
doctors, of agents, of clerks, the supply
| ia greater than the demand. Our land
| in the districts most settled, is only ha!f
| cultivated. Our ores lie idle, and their
wealth unused. FactoFles IanS uisn IoF
the need of skilled and careful work
men aud managers. Food and cloth
| ing. roofs to shelter our heads, and the
| little comforts of life, all become more
| and more expensive, because more
hands grow idle, while more mouths
| are to be filled and more bodies to be
| protected.
It is not tariffs that burden us; taxes
even do not eat so deeply into the mar
row, as does the fashion OF being
| ashamed of digging and plowlnR' OF
welding the hammer ana Inc plane, OF
| controlling and attending machinery.
| Count as public enemies those who turn
| Young men from productive labor. NO
| matter how much wealth, real or an
ticipated, one may enjoy, the person
who has health and youth, and does
not pursue a regular vocation, wrongs
| hinself and society. Occupation con-
firms health and strengthens character
| II ia a shame that with our vast re-
sources, with land and water, forests
and mines equal to the maintenance ana
enrichment of the population OF Lne
| globe. prominent officials report that
our poor are growing poorer. For
people will be measured in good part.
bv the condition of its masses, and OF
its poor. The ratio of production to
population, must be kept equal, 1t
ought to be increased, or we shall not
command a solid and lasting prosperl-
to. Our great want, then, is an in
crease OF productive industry. Young
mon will be wiser and richer and more
patriotic, If instead OF sinking real
work, they persistently resolve TO pro-
duce more than they consu me.