The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1874-01-23
Our Young Men.


country fur many young men to con-
clude, if they do not secure situations
behind the counter" that they are pc
ruliarly unfortunate. True, we have
comparatively few who are doing them
selves credit 10 the practice of the learn
ed professions aud farming, but we have
whole armies of them who seem to have
no other ambition than to become
knights of the yard stick Merchants
form necessary element in a community
ty, and their business is best learned by
81 serving the trade as a clerk Ger
tainIy, then, We must have young men
in training to take " the places of our
older merchants, but we do protest
against having most of the good talent
of the country devoted to the sale of
calico
Laying aside the argument that mer-
chandizing, as shown ley the statistics,
is a hazardous business, we feel very
safe in saying that many other pursuits
open up a brighter future for young
unexpectedly those without means
brighter from the fact, that they are
more progressive, more intellectual, more
independent, and afford better pay in the
course Of acquisition. The securing of a
situation as q dry goods clerk should
not be considered so necessary step to
respectability for undoubtedly the aver
age salesman is more closely confined to
business, and receives proportionately
less pay for his services than almost any
man in the CT immunity who has a regu-
lar calling Now we would not have all
our young men become doctors, lawyers
and preachers, for while the sick must
be relived, the laws upheld and the in
terests of religion advanced, the country
stands sorely in need of more skilled
labor. As the natural resources of our
State continues to be developed and our
prospected railways constructed, there
will be pressing calls for capable young
men in such vocations as civil and miu-
ing engineering,
We want the young men of Tennessee
to qualify themselves to fill the best
places to be opened to them by the de-
Velopment of the country. We want
more of them to become intelligent far.
mers and stock raisers-to become better
posted in "book farming to study
more closely the nature of the soil cult
waited, and to be able by scientific ere
search and actual experiment to know
VI neither, of certain qualities of the same,
there is an excess to be neutralized, or a
deficiency to be supplied, in order to
bring about desired result in the
yield. He is benefactoT indeed, who
by his skill is enable to produce
two ears when before there was only
one"
Is not the present an suspicious time
for more of our young men to turn their
attention to the acquisition of such knowl.
edge as will enable them to accept posi-
tons which, from their very nature,
will afford good salaries : We are aware
that this sounds little too much like
work, but ordinarily persistent toll is
necessary to reach success in any thing
We are also met with the assertion, that
most of our young men are poor, and
must seek positions which afford imme~
date relief, though in small way, to
their pressing needs; and as a consea
quence, they cannot spare the time re-
quired to obtain such knowledge as will
demand a lucrative position. Now it is
certainly true that the wages paid APP
preutices, seeking to qualify themselves
to fill such positions as we have indica-
ted, will compare favorably with the
wages paid those who without capital,
are seeking to become merchants. In
deed, there can be no loss at the begin
ming, and they have the advantage of in
ere asing in a greater ratio as skill is acN
quired, and to this advantage is added
the comforting assurance that when the
trade is we'll mastered, it will with good
habits command good pay. Fortunately,
facilities are not wanting to the poor
young man for obtaining a knowledge Of
those sciences which are applied to agris
cultural and mechanic arts. In many
of the States, our own included, schools
nave been founded which not only offer
the best facilities to poor young men,
but also assist them by certain modes
of credit or by free tuition. If half the
exertiOn were made in this direction,
that is generally made in the pursuit Of
positions, which in this country are cons
sidered little respectable, we should no
longer send abroad for skilled labor, and
our young men would work a revolution
in our notions of gentility.
In a word, then, we must make labor
more respectable. We must encourage
our young men to become skilled arti-
zans as we'll as shrewd statesmen. And
while we wish to have full share of
eloquent lawyers, safe doctors, Jealous
clergymen, and patriotic statesmen, we
heartily desire full quota of men capa>
bic of giving proper and profitable direc-
ton to the Drawn and muscle which is
to enable our own country to keep pace
in happiness and prosperity with the
greatest nations of earth.
The son of Napoleon l., instead of
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