Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1872-06-19
NEW SERIES--V0L. l3, NO. 25
Smart Men.

Smart Men.
| The New York Methodist says the
course under which America groans
is its smart men. Tho typical Yankee
is universal genius, who can build n
saw.mill, teach singing.school, make
n temperance speech, run for Congress,
practice law, would preach, if ii only
paid WELL and, finally, perhaps ends
his days on the bench Of a Supreme
Court, where he dispcnscs Justice, to
tho amazemont Of mankind lie is,
above oil else, handy man. His
usual rule of life is to get tho place
ho wants first, and the fitness for it
aftorward. He is the product of a new
country, whose chef need in organic.
ing civilization 10 men, and must be
content with the best that can be had.
Up to n certain point, the "smart"
man has some value, but as society
becomes well organized and requires
thorough work, he grows to be one Of
its greatest dangers. Usually quick
but shallow, and intent on the main
chance, he is as apt as not to be lax in
principle, and untitled by his laxity for
grave public trusts. The "smart"
man in the legislature is a fluent talk
er, who, by ringing the changes on the
moral commonplaces most in vogue,
has caught public attention, and made
a cheap reputation for himself. En-
tcring into public life for personal
profit, he pursues it in the spirit of un
attorney, and votes for the interest
which pays the best retaining fees
If office is lost, hc enters that congen-
ial sphere of labor, tho lobby, where
he can literally apply to himself the
words of Dickens Joe Bagstock
"Wide awke is ]. B., and dcv--ilish
sly
During the war, tho "smart' man
entered the army, and aimed, of
course, at the highest rank-nothing
less would content his ambition
Onco fairly epanletted, he astonished
tho world by his many devices; in.
vented powder. boats to blow up forts,
and, finally, as Gen. Grant said of one
of them, got himself "bottled up" so
tightly that he could not move. We
believe that this venture was rather
unfortunate for the ''smart" man. lie
was convinced himself that stump
speaking was not the best preparation
for fighting battles, and retired from
the service more mcokly than he Ell.
tered it.
Since the establishment of peace,
the "smart" man has come TO the front
again. Carpet bag in hand, he hiod to
the South, where hc exhibited himself
as the great philanthropist of the age
How he loved all mankind-ospecially
tho black part of il! Once fairly in
office, he played such fantastic tricks
that even harlequin could not rival
him. The best OF his tricks has been
tho filling of his pockets with the
money of the people. To be sure, the
people pretty plainly call him thief,
but what of that When so assailed,
he has only to mount the stump and
repeat his adhesion to the g.l.or.i o. us
principles of the Republican party
Who daro impeach patriot 50 sound
on the main question: 7
One OF the weaknesses ofthe "smart'
man is TO bclittlo his origin, so as to
gather from the contrast of it with his
aftcr.life the greater glory. Now,
there is a beauty in an honoroble sue
cess wrought out under conditions of
poverty, such as that OF Webster, who
leaned his head on his fathers shoulder
and wept when told that he could go
to college; or of Lincoln, who gather.
cd the rudments of knowledge by the
light of the cabin.fre but these men
never paraded their early struggle for
the purpose of selflaudation. But
the typical "smart" man is not salts
fed unless he can make himself 1--WE
must quote Dickens again) very
"bully of humility" In recounting
his early history, he can never GET
down low enough. Al the very least,
he was barefootcd boy; but If he
was actually picked out Of tho gutter,
he has mover ending theme of self
glorifcation. He understands the lot
of the hard handed, hard dworkcd poor
OF the land. Is he not one of them ?
And though Providence has since
favored him, he never forgcts the hole
out of which hc was diggcd Not he.
How unc,uously he dilates upon the
thcmel How well he plays the dem
agoguel And what tickling consci-
business he has all the while of his own
smartncss
The "smart" man gets into the
Church, too, where, instead of ground.
ing himself in all sacred learning, or
going about, like his Master, doing
good, he becomes an ecclesiastical in
triguer and dexterous manager of con-
ferences and conventions. But as this
is the worst specimen of them all, we
will reserve his portrait until another
time.
All of these illustrations point to
the evil of shallowness in culture
The "smart" man is a smattcrer who
has never reached the settled and cs.
tablshed principles of knowledge
Hence he will legislate without an idea
of political economy determine ques.
tions OF theology by intuition; assai
tho moral institutions of society with.
out knowing what he is doingj bc a
quack in medicine, prctcndor in
science, and cbarlatan in everything
OF men of this type, in their various
degrees, our country is full. Their
assurance is usually cqualied by their
ignorance. Tho cure for the evii Is
broader and deeper culturo--such a
training, in fact, as will lead men
down to the foundations OF human
knowledge.
, Too TmN.--Tho Pittsburg Post
says that the report made in Con
gress by Mr.. Sargent of California,
white washing the navy department,
.N....