Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-03-30
About that Young Men i'm Detroit.
There was a young man in Detroit,
Who knew good thing when he saw it;
And he marched up and down
All the streets of the town,
R1rf a frnnd +hir,rr in

W AO 6ACN SOOu IlllIg WUen he saw IL,
and he marched up and down
All the streets of the town,
But saw no good thing in Detroit.
Tbs intelligent reader will see a great
deal to admire in the foregoing poem. In
the first line we learn that the city of De-
troit is not entirely without inhabitants,
there being at least one young man there,
or rather, there tcGS young mau in De
troit; be may not be there at the present
writing. II is to be regretted thst the poet
does net inform Us further with regard to
this young man. As it is, we are left in
perplexing doubt as to his cognomen; his
age; his pecuniary aud social position; his
politics; his religious views-in fact, we
learn nothing from his poem regarding him,
save the bare fact that he was in Detroit.
We would take a mournfuI satisfaction in
knowing Why he went to that city and how
long he proposed staying, but even these
facts ere strangely withheld from US.
"Who knew good thing when he saw it"
Here we have an inkling as 10 the Young
mans mental powers. 1t is not every one
who knows a good thing when they see it,
Some people are surrounded by good things
all through life, and yet ego out with the
tide" without having for one moment re-
slzed that fact. With this young man it
was different; be knew a good thing when
be saw it. 1t may be that he had never
seen good thing (the poet is strangely re-
ticent upon this point), but we are assured
that he was capable of distinguishing good
thing from bad thing. Herein he differ
ed from our first parents previous to their
little en- erpIise in fruit, as we are told
thnu din O. hot tiyroo t-rnrrr
from evil.
The line last quoted recalls to the mind
Of the reader who is familiar with the pro.
auctions of the old English bards those
lines so full Of solid wisdom and sage ad-
vice:
when you get good thing, save it, save it,
When you get black cat, shave it, shave it.''
Many an Honest, industrious youth has
amassed 6 fortune BIZ adopting as his motto
the sentiment Of tn t little poem.
But to return to our Detroit youth:
"And he marched up and down
All the streets of the town"
Here we have an exhibition of industry
industry aud enterprise. Our young
man "marched up and down" The poet
does not say so directly, but we are led to
suppose that the object this young man had
in thus marching up and down, vas to fiDd
"good thiOg." What bis precise idea was
with regard to that good thing it is not ours
to know, but doubtless he was an eminent
ly practical young man, and iHdnlged in no
romantic, visionary schemes. Perhaps The
good thing he had i'll his minds eye was a
wife; possibly twas q trotting horse, a
double barrelled shotgun, a pair of DO king
gloves, or q -, but all this is mere con
lecture.
The fact that this young man did not sit
down on the curbstone and wait for his
good thing TO come along, speaks volumes
for his energy and ambition. There are
a great many young men in the world Who
would have'becoms discouraged at ''march-
ing up" without being able to find the
good thing they were ia search of, and
would have given up in despair at their
lack of success. But we are assured By
the poet that our young man was made of
better metal. Failing of success in march
ing up, he marched down again. Nor did he
stop with che street, but included call the
streets in town" in his pedestrian exercises.
Then, too, the fact thst this young man
walked, entities him TO our highest praise.
There are young men residing 10 Nashville,
who, under similar circumstances, would
have hired hack, and then beat the hack
man out OF his fare.
1t would be gratifying to know, in this
connection, just how many streets there are
in Detroit, as we could then have formed a
much better idea Of the task our Young
man had on hand. If any of our readers
possess a map OF that city, they IN ght be
able to satisfy their mind iii this regard, but
the great mass of our readers are doomed
to 90 to their graves in total ignorance with
respect to this very important matter. This
reflection is gloomy one, and has depres-
sing Influence upon the mind of the writer.
But saw no good thing in Detroit"
Sometimes it is very unpleasant to be
forced to tell the truth. Doubtless, in this
instance, the poet would have been gla to
have stated that the young man Whose ex-
periences we have followed so closely, and
whom we have come to love, had been re-
warded by finding a great many 'good
things" But our poet is not one to sacri-
fee Tie truth in order to tell pleasant things;
he is not that kind of an individual. We
have every reason to believe that so indus
lious, persevering and enterprising young
man as the one described, would have
found good thing in Detroit if there had
been one in The city, and as we are assured
of his failure, we are forced to the conclu-
sion that Detroit is utterly devoid Of good
things, however distssteful such conclusion
may be.
The most unpleasant feature of this little
poem, however, consists il the fact of our
being left in total Ignorance as to the subse- |
ouent career of this young man. 1t
would be gratifying to know that victory
perched upon bis banners in after life, and