Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1874-05-01
EXECTTIYE MANSION
Ne Place for Young Nen.

( y veteran newspaper editor, who has
! spent most of long life in Washington,
and who knows well whereof he speaks.
writes thus to the B0rderer, which is pub
lished at Las Cruces, IN the territory Of
/ New Mexico:
| Multtudes Of young men are constantly
/ importuning their members to secure places
/ for them in some of these Departments
But those ambitious youths forget that
these marble edidees are government asy.
lums where superannuated politicians may
safely glide through the declining years OF
well-spent life, and come at last to the
joys of a political paradise. But for young
men never. If you have son whose
soul is above plow shares, pruning hooks
mining picks, saws and hammers, try to
satisfy his aspirations with some steady
| employment near home-make him hunter,
/ trapper, herdsman, hotel porter, halter,
boot bIacs-auYthing you please educate
| him into a lawyer, d0ctOr priest or peda-
gogue send him to gather Arizona dia-
mOnds, under an escort OF Apaches send
him % !iIlibueter in Cuba send him to
/ hunt the North Pole, or as a missionary to
the Cannibal Islands, bur as you love your
soul, don't send him 10 a Washington de-
partmeut. This is the place where young
man will evolve backwards into a cabbage
head if not into a monkey and if there is
anything in the world that will thoroughly
unfit him for the active duties of life, it is
ten years running in the we'll worn grooves
of government crcumlocutiOn office
Every word contained in the above para
graph is true, and every rejecting man at
Washington knows it to be so.-We re-
member hearing Mr.. Buchanan express 81
mlar views at Wheatland after he had TT
,ired from the Presidency, and to illustrate
what he said he told us story, which ran
substantially as follows:
On one occasion, when he was n member
| OF the House of Representatives, a young
man from Pennsylvania, the son Of warm
personal friend, came to him bearing a let-
| ter from his father, and begging for an ap-
pontment TO a cerSship in one of the de-
partments. The young man had Just been
admitted to the bar, and AIr. Buchanan
ter and higher life. He had before him
the disadvantages and dangers of the life
upon which he seemed so desirous to enter.
and he urged him to go somewhere and
make start in his profession at once
The young man plead the want of imme-
diate resources, and urged that no could
more fully tit himself for the work of the
future during the leisure hours when he
would be of duty. Finally Mr.. Buchanan
yielded so far as to agree to secure him a
clerkship, coupling the promise with the
understanding that the young man was
only 10 consider it as temporary stepping
stone to ultimate advancement 10 his pro
| fessiOn. Mr. Buchanan gave him express
notice that he must expect TO vacate the
place at the end of two years. The two
years passed quickly by, and Mr. Bucha-
nan might have forgotten the matter If he
had not met the young man soon after the
time expired. Having met him, he at once
reminded him Of what had passed between
them. The young man had already be-
| come enerVated BY office holding He liked
| the easy life he led. The idea of going
! forth from his quiet nook in one of the de
partments TO battle with the world terrified
him. Earnestly and piteously he pleaded
to be retained, but the statesman saw
what was best fOg the clerk, and he was
assured in the most positive terms that he
would De removed at the end Of the next
quarter. Before the time set had expired,
application was made tn Mr.. Buchanan fer
s0Re one to edit weekly newspaper in Al
ALBANIA. Sending for his young friend, he
| advised him to take the place. and finally
persuaded him to do so. The Young man
went reluctantly, but he lived to thank his
heueiactOr. From the editorial chair be
soon stepped into fine legal practice, and
rose to the supreme bench Of his adopted
State. Had l suffered him to continue at
his desk" said the ex-President, ''he
would have lived from hand to mouth all
his days, eking out precarious existence,
with all the manhood eaten out OF his ma
ture. ''-Lnnrdster TnfelliCercp-.