The Portland daily press., 1873-06-25
The Collegiate Crop.

Durlnp the next four weeks the colleges of
the country will hold their annual commence
ments and turn out into the worlds market
their annual crop Of young men. In quaint
ty the yield will doubtless be about the same
as usual and the quality no more wonderful,
unless we accept the expectations of the young
men themselves, in which case it will be the
most brill ant and successful that the world
has ever known. OF all the young men in the
country. those who can write class of '73 after
their names are to-day the most hopeful.
The future upon which they lift their eyes is
ROSY hued The drouth, the threatened short
crop, the depressed lumber market, the dark
ways of Wall street that make havoc with le-
ultimate business, the greed of monopoly and
speculation that infuses stagnation into use
full industry and deadens enterprise, the hum
drum lives of thousands of the older sons of
their alma mater in the sharp struggle
for bread, nor even the advancing cholera,
give the slightest tinge of the sombre to
their outlook. Nevertheless candor compels
us to state that there is the most indubitable
proof that there has been just such collegiate
crop put upon the market in each of the past
fifty or seventy-ive years.
Doubtless the graduates of 1873 will have
the same unexpected revelations. The bril-
liant man who has carried everything before
him in college and counts upon the full tide
of success in life will in few years be found
toiling for bread in some pursuit that sug-
gests anything but classics. The talented
young man who has been eloquent in the col
lege society debates will not be found among
the Websters, but in some quiet country viii
lage, somewhat seedy, and eagerly looking
after such scrip as he can get by making JUS
tlce writs. The ready fellow who could
dash off sparkling essays and poetical effu-
sions will possibly earn his bread by reporting
for the daily paper or be driven to such des-
peration that he will write stories for the New
York Gusher The fellow who took the prize
for the best written essay last fall, in four
years may have learned that the world does
not invest largely in that literary commodity
and may become successful teacher or, the
victim of hard fortune, copying clerk
or much worse in the departmental
tread-mill at Washington. The young
man who in his day dreams
outshone Beeche- and Chaplin will be con-
tent to break the bread of life to rural
fock-and may he do it faithfully. The ele'
CANT man of the class if he returns to meet
his class at the end of three years may posi-
bly, confess that he is making wealth as the
owner of some useful, but as many young
men foolishly think, vulgar patent right. 1t
may be car-coupling, rat-trap, a washing
machine, or lucky composition for backing
boots. The butt of the class--the fellow of
rough exterior and the stranger of the tailor
and boot-maker in ten years may turn up as
the member of Congress from the last new
state of the West May his hands be clean of
jobbery and his heart as free from guile as it
was when he left his verdant hills.
The young men who graduate this year,
like many of those who have preceded them
must not hope to secure conspicuous or hon
orable or lucrative positions at once or per-
haps at all. The statement will possibly
be unwelcome; but however brilliant they
may be, the country has not first class mis-
sion for every one who would like it. There
are, however, thousands of places where they
may be useful and obtain very good bread by
worry hard and common place labor. There
never was greater need for literally educated
men than at the present time. There is
deal of hard work to do. There is not much
glory in it nor much fame to be achieved in
doing it, but the best interests of the country
require it and it is the duty of the literally
educated man to roll up his sleeves and go in
to it.
In this practical business, let us expect
much fiom the collegiate crop of 1873.