Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1871-02-08
From scribner's lIonthly.I
WHERE ARE THE YOUNG MEN !

I WhEhE AXE IhE 1UlNh MN
There are curious facts noticeable in
the Eastern StateItO which occasional
allusiOn is made in conversation and
the Hewspapers-factsw which illustrate
the scarcity OF young men Of a certain
class. At q very fashionable summer
resort the small number of young men
and the comparative plentifulness of
the young women are matters OF no.
tOriety. There are many good reas-
Ons to be offered for this disprOpOrtiOn
OF the sexes in such plsces-the press
ure OF work or Of study upon the
men, at period Of life when their life
IS not wholly at their disposal, being
the principal one.
II 1t were only in the resorts Of
summer recreation that young men
are scarce, the fact would not be note
I worthy particularly. They ought to
nave something to do, and enough to
! do TO Keep them from spending a
I great deal Of time in the pursuit Of
pleasure. It Is a startling fact, how
ever, that the young men Of the first
class, or those regarded as belonging
10 the first class, are as scarce in the
/ towns as they are at the summer
7 hotels. The marriageable girls among
Eastern families Of the best position
are in overwhelmingly larger numbers
than are the marrisgeable young men
in the same position. Something OF
this Is due 10 the ravages made by the
late war among the ranks of the
young men. Something more Is due
20 the emigration westward Of great
numbers Of them, so that in some OF
the Western states the men outnum-
Der the women. Whatever the causes
may be they are sufficient to establish
marked inequality in the number Of
the sexes in the class to which we
allude. There are many social circles,
In every Eastern city and considera-
0le town, embracing great numbers Of
beautiful and well-educated young
women, in which there cannot be
found brilliant or even particularly
desirable match among the men. Two
or three haekneyed beaux, whose
hair remains black by reason Of the
barber, and whose teeth are sound BY
reason Of the dentist, do the polite for
two or three generations Of beauties,
and are so busy in. the service thai
they forget to marry, and so pass
away, while, shrinking into a thrift
less maideahOOd, with hearts unwOn
and charms unapprOpriated, the sweet
life or the woman dries up, and sinks
to the dust from which il rose.
Now to US this Is one Of the most
sad and serious things connected with
our social condition; and it has q
world to do with the uneasiness Of
women, manifested in various ways
the universal seeking for something
with which to fill up life, and make
it significant.
But we have a practical reason for
calling attention TO this matter: and
this we propose to present in a state
ment relating to a large number Of
young men, usually assigned to the
second class in society. While our
fine girls are bemOaning the lack OF
young men, and the scarcity Of beIux
who are marriageable and who mean
marriage, there is a class Of Young
men whom they do not recognize al
all, yet who will furnish TO the next
generation its men Of enterprise, OF
power, Of position and OF wealth. It
is not the sons of the rich who will as
a rule, remain rich. The sons Of the
poor will get rich I; and there are to-
day, drudging in offices, and counting
rooms, and store houses, and machine
shops, and printing establishments,
the men who, in % years. will con-
troll the nation socially, politically and
financially. Every man Of them
means to be married; they will, as a
rule, make excellent husbands; they
are all at work trying to win success. |
They are men who would be easily
improved by recognition, and by
bringing them into good, intelligent /.
society; yet they are as little noticed I
as If they were so many dogs. Virtu- {
GUS young men from the country 90 I
into the city, aud live for years with /
out any society, and are regarded by .
the fashionable young woman with I
indifference or contempt; but those .
young men have a hold upon the
future; and when their success is I
won, in whatever field Of enterprise it !
may be, the fashionable will be glad .
to claim them as belonging 70 their
own number. We regret to say that, I
as rule, the young men for whom q
position has been won by virtuOus [
and enterprising fathers amount to
but little in the world; and we rejoice
to say that companions chosen from
those who have their fortunes to make
and their position to win, are those to !
whom a well-bred woman can gener-
ally with safety intrust her happiness
and herself
If there IS anything in all these
facts, thus brought into association,
which points out a duty to "our best
society" and urges its performance.
even by selfish motives, il will be
readily perceived. The hope of the
country is in this second grade Of
young men. They ought to have bet
ter social privileges. What bette:
capital can a man have than youth,
virtue, Intelligence, health and en-
terprise? What better claim than
these can any man present for admis-
sion into good society? To young
men Of this class, now almost wholly
neglected, the society of educated and
women would be a rare
and fruitful privilege fruitful to
themselves, and quite as fruitful to
those whose courtesies they receive.