The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1874-07-04
W'trGlp HERALD,


up0n Wifu iuprnIfIfiDSs
White one NJ llir pliolmt Fud4 Wfm
puIlimn government IL the Unllgltlcn'
mont NJ tie mnssos NJ the people,
whereby liberty may be more certainly
preserved, an evil arises In fostering,
through temptation, M undue desire
Tor office aud power When wc llnd
for every OIllcc IN the land, however
small, numerous anxious applicants.
II h evident that some other useful
branch Of industry Is deficient. In
other words, II every man had useful
aud paying occupation, II would he diff
flcult to m the minor offices with COM
pctcnt NEE. No prosperous mechanic
would abandon his business to fill II
small local Office. Our towns become
nurseries of men without such fixed &C.
equations, and when periodical cleo
tions come round, are Hooded with as
pirants for place. 1t is an evil Incl
dent to our peculiar condition and in
stitutions-not an evil by any means
in every sense, but perhaps, to speak
more strictly, the evidence of I'M i'm.
perfectly organized society.
Could matters he so arranged ~ that
the people would have. to look out in
good faith for suitable men to fill pub
lie stations-to select them somewhat
in the way of drafting them on ac-
count of their iitness--a great step
would be gained in republican progress.
But this, in our day, is impracticable.
But the mode of correcting the real
evil though not the work of day or II
year--nor indeed of Il decade of years
is worthy of sober thought by the peo-
pie. 1t has occurred to us that the
only practicable remedy is for parents
to educate their sons literally, and
teach them or have them taught thor
oughly some useful occupation of agri-
cultural, mechanical, scientific, artistic
or other branch of useful and honora-
BILE industry. Such men, properly
trained, will not abandon. their voca-
tons for the wild hunt for office, yet,
when called out by the popular will,
they would be qualified.
The south is lamentably deficient in
mechanical skill, as was too painfully
manifest during the late war. The de-
ficiency was one of the greatest, per-
haps the greatest, element of our weak
ness. We had brave and hardy sol
ders, but not the wlIerewith to sustain
them on equal terms with the more
fortunate section. The diversified la
Dor of the north, with so much mechan-
zeal genius and skilled labor, won the
admiration of the world and enabled
them finally to triumph. While we
trust time will never more see our land
envcloped in the flames of civil war,
we may still draw wisdom from the
lessons taught through blood. Let
more of our noble youth he
thoroughly educated and taught
mechanical pursuits, engineering,
manufacturing, etc. Our climate
and productions are eminently favora-
bic. 1t can only be done through the
young. All the preaching and writing
conceivable cannot operate upon the
fixed habits of matured age in these re-
CARDS no more than you can reform
the character of the adult wild Indian.
The work must be done through the
youth of the land, and to succeed with
our southern boys, with inherited no
tons on the general subject, they must
be literally educated in connection
with their occupations. The vacations
must be made attractive. Blend the
two thoughts practically together, and
within ten years revolution can be
effected in the south whose happy eff
fects will be seen in the increased pow
er and grandeur of our portion of the
union.