Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1870-03-15
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US "pHANNSS ~ "Nas
Nobody Is insensible to the compli-
ment of the esteem of his companions
and the young are especially suscepti-
BILE to the pleasure which is conferred
by hearty welcome. In this lies the
danger which especially threatens our
young men and boys. Aud the more
quick and clever they are, the greater
is their danger. The ambitious Roman,
who declared that he would rather be
the chief man in a village than the
second in the empire, betrayed in that
declaration, the fact that lie was very
much like most other people. The
sentiment is common enough. The
difference among those who have 1t is
in the mode In which they seek to
crafty 1t. Some men generously strive
to excel their equals, and seek for dis
tinction among those whose opinions
are worthy Of respect, and whose ell
dorsement is Of value. Others, and
there are too many such among the
young, and unfortunately the gifted,
unwilling to incur the labor of reach
ing real excellence, step from tile en-
pire into the village. In other words,
they descend where they are sure of
pre-eminence and flattery, where they
can take rank at once, and be sure OF
the qualification of their vanity. But
the same love OF praise is felt under
the ferociously red shirt as that which
moved Cesar under the imperial pur-
pie. And this is among the secret mo-
tives which spoil so many Of our prom
ising youth. Nobody loves vice for
itself, or INDUCES in it for the mere
pleasure of companionship. 1t is the
emulation in evil which makes it
seductive, and the admiration which is
accorded to superiority in coarseness,
in lewdness, in profanity, in obscenity
and in violence which eggs on the vain
boy or youth to proficiency in evil
habits. And so the downward course
is followed, till the victim Of debased
ambition finds in the police reports his
roll of honor, and IS as proud of men
ton in such connection as the soldier
in his honorable record. There are
others besides "roughs" who should
take warning. Whenever any person,
boy or man, finds satisfaction in the
convivial friendship of those whom he
knows to be his interiors. he may be
sure that his vanity Is putting him in
peril. We use the word interiors here
in its strict. not in its conventional
sense; and mean by it those who are
inferior in good character, and more
especially In morals. By the praise OF
interiors we mean the plaudits Of those
who are Incompetent to judge, and
who admire in au inverse proportion
to their power to initiate. Perhaps we
shall make our meaning more clearer
by IN illustration. A few years ago
there was u fayorite writer of fiction,
who selected sea subjects for his
themes. lie wrote things which gave
the promise Of wonderful excellence
but which are now forgotten. Had he
p~ersevered he might have won both
wealth and reputation. Both his name
and his writings are now forgotten.
And why? lie formed during the
greater part Of his life one Of the units
in that curious conglomerate, the crew
of a man-oEwar. He was an oracle
among the sailors. From quarterback
to cooks galley he was n favorite. His
"yarns" never failed to delight his
shipnates; and his published stories
made him more of a hero than
the most successful naval COM
mander. This VAS his fame. He
| gloried in it. On shore he was
useless and helpless and neglected; at
sea, though not even an able seaman,
he expanded to the small hopes Of his
small ambition. And with this he was
satisfied. 1t was his "village," where
he was chief. In the great republic Of
letters he might have risen to high
eminence; but the easier triumph of
being the admired of the ships crew
satisfied him. So there are others who,
| with the worlds prizes in their reach,
have been content to lord it over small
| social circles, and to exercise their
commanding talents just enough to
show that they could have done much
more. There are In the annals Of
literature several instances of men to
whom the possession of genius cannot
be denied, but who, from small ambi-
ton, have fallen very far below their
opportunities. Almost every n of
our cities has a local celebrity, who
might have done something for the
world to admire-if he would. All
men fortunately are not wits OF nov
elists ; and all distinction does not lie
in that direction. But In all lines of
life unfortunately there arc men who
despise and abuse their own excellence
and capacity. The skilled workman,
or tho accomplished scholar, or the
shrewd business operator, is content to
throw away his advantages for the
cheap praise Of unworthy companions.
And many a young man who has the
opportunity for a successful life before
him is willing to forego all for the
fattery of people whose cheap admira-
tion he should despise, and for the
friendship of those whose friendship is
temptation. But, as VIZ said at the
opening, ascertain what a mans good
opinion is worth before you bid for it.
"stooping to conquer'' may do for the
theater, but not for the sober realities
Of life.
The Amador Ledger says that lately
the Sheriff, while hunting for some
stolan c~,1nhuraf dtsonynra1 c~avarol