The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1871-07-27
For the anderson Mteiligencer.
What a Young Man can Do2

Professors, ladies and gentlemen. The conver-
sation of the party was rather suppressed. No
one showed marked signs of grief, yet none
were talkative. ALI preferred to be silent.
Among this group was young man of tall
stature, with light brown hair, and eyes OF
pure blue Although only about twenty-five
years old, his appearance was commanding.
That morning his countenauce bore marks of
deep thought-the mind was wandering upon
the wings of thought to thousand objects.
This was Major -, commandant of the corps,
for it was a military institution. Now, in a
few minutes he was to bid adieu to these friends,
and to this place where he had spentfve years,
and return to his distant home to see that
mother whom he had not seen during these
five years.
With the view of illustrating the subject, let
us trace the history of the past five years. In
1866, when about seventeen years old, and
when the whole South was PROSTATE by the
effects of the war, and when colleges and schools
of every grade were struggling for existence,
this then STRIPPING boy, his father having been
for several years dead determined to have an
education, even if he should have to acork his
way through. But Texas did not at that time
afford to an aspiring youth the encouragement
nor the advantages to secure an education.
Traffic, farming and stock raising were the abb
sorbing pursuits. A poor young man, strug-
Cling for knowledge, was looked upon as
silly anomaly. Accordingly, this young man
left his home, his mother, and all dear to
childhood, and started toward the North. His
purpose was to go on until he found college
or school suited to his circumstances and de-
signs. He first went to the city of st. Louis,
the great city of the West-passed on, how
ever, and entered Kentucky. Here, with forty
dollars in his pocket, he was received on trial
by the Superintendent of the Institute he is
leaving. He went hard to work, and was soon
given primary class to teach As he pro-
pressed in his studies and in the confidence of
the Superintendent, he was given more ad-
vanced classes, and thus he continued keeping
up his studies, and at the same time teaching
few cadets, until he graduated at the head of
the class. After graduation he did not return
home, but received the appointment as COM
| mandant of the corps of cadets. During the
two years he held this position he studied law
and entered the bar with honor. And now, on
the morning mentioned, instead of an awk-
ward, and we might say, comparatively an
| ignorant stripping of IL as when he came, he
is an accomplished scholar, and lawyer OF
promise.
| How this change? and what accomplished
so much? Persevering labor did it all. With
forty dollars he commenced his course, and
not only did what most young men think
hard task-complete collegiate course OF
study-but with his own labor made the money.
| Of course the Superintendent of the institution
must have favored him, to some extent, in
giving him opportunities, but it was individual,
constant exertion did the work. How proud
his mother will be to receive her son, thus en-
nobled and cultivated. This is not an imagi-
nary romance but they are wrought facts,
which illustrate practically what may can and
aciU be accomplished by young man aesen he
tries. 1t proves that, as in the days OF Frank
| lin and Noah Webster, that if a young man,
though poor and without friends to start him,
will determine, and carry out the determine
ton by persevering effort, can rise from obscu-
rity and comparative ignorance to high stan
dard of intellectual culture and character. 1t
| is q lamentable fact that q majority of the
Young men of the Southern States, especially
| in the upper agricultural districts, have given
up all efforts, and apparently even the desire
to be educated. Several causes have induced
this carelessness in regard to these things. AT
the beginning of the war many youths who
left school to 60 into the army, at its close
came home too old, or at least they thoughtso,
and too poor to 60 back to school, and hence
decided to "settle down." Therefore, the great
marrying fever which pervaded all over the
South. Another reason was the preference of
which would cost labor. Many young men
knew that by hard work, and by denying them
selves of many useless expenditures OF dress
and pleasure, they could accumulate money to
carry them through college. But they rather
preferred to get some easy place-sOme clerk
ship or agency by which to dance along upon
the surface of what they supposed to be refined
society, keep up appearances by dress, smoking
fine tobacco, etc,-preferring present ease to
cultivated mind and elevated character.
Another reason is the false idea that state
of intellectual culture is not compatible with
manual labor. The physical nature demands
physical exercise, and the notion that an edu-
Gated man mustnecessariy choose profession,
and must not farm and drive the plane or ham,
mer, is destined to be broken up. Young men
must learn to work and get an education, and
work, too, after they have gotten it. We are
glad tha. many of the best young men of our
State have gone to work, but there is still a sad
lack of the skillful, energetic enterprise char
acteristic of the Northern youth.
Again, many of the young men of the South
think that if they have not the means, as it
were, to swim in while at college, they are too
poor to undertake q course, consequently do
not try at all. This is altogether wrong. They
say ri can't" Let them resolve they WILL.
HAVE an education, thorough one; and that
if necessary they will work years for it, and
deny themselves, all the while, of all the use
less pleasures which only glut the animal and
There must be change of mind among our
youth. How many young men from Anderson
| Gount,r aro nrosecutinn q colieniatn cnnrsn