Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1873-10-18
From the Jackson Courier.
LABOR FOR YOUNG MEN.


In every section of the Southern
States, there are multitudes of strong,
healthy young men who are idle, on
the alleged ground that they can get
nothing to do. For every vacancy in
light employment, such as clerking in
a store, or writing in public office, or
acting as commercial drummer, or SER
wing as collector. or agentof an insur-
anee company, there seems to be fifty
anxious and eager candidates, more or
less, IN every city, town and village
Ofeourse, when such stations are filed.
there must be multitude of young
men disappointed, they await patiently
Tor another opening, unemployed in
the meantime, aud hoping and believ-
ing, like Mr.. McCawber, that some
thing will rturn up" to their advantage.
Amongst our young gentlemen, who
have never been accustomed to man
ual labor, there is too much love for
LIGHT employment, and rather too
much repugnance towards the perform
anee of hard, unskilled hand-work.-
This, we rather believe, arises in many
instances from that very erroneous
idea, pretty extensively entertained
whilst the peculiar institution" of the
South was in full operation, that labor
is disreputable, and that handicraft is
rather too low pursuit for GENTLE
MEN" s %
1t seems to us, that the melancholy
] Present, with all its deprivations-ail
Its stern requirements-all its pressing
wants-Ought to remove, from all in
lelligent minds, this false idea that la
Dor Is degrading. Sensible people !
know that labor is honorable, and that /
to be a skilled artisan, and to work |
hard for support is high credit to any !
young man, however high his lineage. |
1t IS our purpose to point out, in this |
article, to all young men, of good phys |
Ical structure and good health, mode |
by which every one of them can secure
employment, and ultimately become
pecuniarily independent. Let them
abandon the towns and citles-cease
to wait and hope for something to turn
mp and 60 to work with their hands
1t any kind of hard labor, practicing
close industry, strict eeono-
my and entire sobriety. This road
will lead to fortune in the end.
Look at the thousands and tens of
thousands OF acres of productive lands,
here in Tennessee, and in all the South
,rn States, absolutely abandoned and
yrown over by weeds and briars, mere
y for want of labor! Look at our
magnificent forests, untouched by the
which should be brought
nto cultivation and made to wave with
lelds of golden grain, or bloom with
he snowy riches of our great Southern
taplel There is work enough in the
ields, young menl To philosophical
mind THERE may be realized tranquil
ty, repose, self-approval, profit and
espectability.
Young men ! grasp the shovel and
Zoe, delve with the spade, seize the
Iandle of the plGw, swing the bright
xe, and fell tie mighty trees of the
orestl Produce something. Don't
emain mere proftless consumers
lult the assemblage of drones, and
Din the working bees. Desert the
owns and go out into the rural dis
ricts, where the bounteous earth is az
rays sighing to yield unto honest labor
he rich rewards contained in her gem
rOus bosom. Learn the mechanical
rts. Do these things and there will
e no more complaints about "a want
{ employment. ;