The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1873-03-20
[From the Scientific Americana
Invertebrate Men.

When o young man, more than ordina-
rily useless to himself and friends. had
no occupation, he used to sit down and
write a letter to Horace Greeley, pre-
tending that he wanted work, would do
any thing to get it, and that, if society in
general, had not turned against hina. ne
would be able to prove himself capable
of great things: To beg he was ashamed,
and dig he could not, because it made his
back ache; so he sat down and ernptied
all his woes on Mr.. Greeiey's head, and
really felt that he had achieved some dis
tinction if Mr.. Greeley replied and told
him to go out West. 1t is needless to
say that he never went, although he
should have gone, in common with thou
sands of his congeners who herd in cities,
lie in wait for the hapless advertiser, and
precipitate themselves, not as individuals
but as a horde, upon any one who dares
seek assistance in the columns of the
daily papers For, be it known. tho
young man of the period is as useless a.
he is ubiquitous. He cannot longer
stand on street corners, for that's against
the statute but he can live on his father.
his widowed mother, possibly even his
school-teaehing sisters. pretending the
while that he is always seeking employ
ment, always laboring In the vineyard in
one form or another. e fast rala
lofIQldQ useless
non-producers is brought out by the result
of three or four months advertising at
various periods for a young man to fill
certain post requiring an ordinarily facile
pen, knowledge of simple commercial
forms of expression, and familiarity with
business routine; yet 1T Will hardly be-
credited that out of hundreds who ap-
piled and were examined, scarcely ten
could be found who gave even promise
of succeeding Vague, uncertain, indi-
rect; willing to work for anything and st
anything, having no especial fitness or
adaptation for any particular line, they
formed the rank and file of the noble
army of incompetents who hcw the wood
and draw the water for their betteIs.
And yet the advertisement in question
was specially worded to exclude this very
class! Knowing that there are ten incaPa-
bles in the world for one expert, 1t called
for an exceptional man, and the very
class who rushed in were those who ara
said to rush in where angels fear to
tread. a
The question presents itself TO every
thinking man: Where do all these young
men come from2 In what school have
they acquired their aimless. uncertain.
vague ideas of duty, of work, of applica-
tion, of achievement? What do they
expect to do in the race of life before
them? Do they mean to be entry clerks
all their life long? Do they mean to be
book-keepers at 81, 900 or s., 600 year
forever? Will they stand and wait upon
the ringing of bell, and answer some
great mans nod and beck2 Will they.
pending an engagement for even their
superaous ability, continue to wiring the
hearts of aged parents. hardworking
sisters and relatives as poor as theyg
These are questions hard to answer, b0b
safe to answer in the Affirmative. The
riddle, never solved, "Wh shah be done
with them"-is a serious IF Satan
finds business for idle hands in this city.
he must do a thriving trade, Judging
from the applications received for 3
clerkship.
1t is a sad and solemn question, not to
be lightly dismissed on q moments re-
heetion, a question reaching further than
mere technical or professional education.
Schools may abound in the land and col
leges shoulder each other in line across
the continent; but the aimless, uncer-
tain, purposeleSs man will still exist
unless, from his youth un, his parents
exhort him to stand on his own feet, to
rely on his own arm, to think for himself,
to follow some one line and make himself
perfect therein. Then shall sturdier
manhood be apparent, q nobler race
spring up; and ii one seeks assistancO
and casts forth his drag net, he shall find
it filed with applications that give some
evidence on the face of them of the
writer's ability to perform his undertalS-
ings. 1t matters little whether man
be a hewer of wood or drawer of water;
there must be such; but it matters
greatly whether man be competent or
not for the line he assumes.