Smyrna times., 1874-12-16
.MSSce eIIUW e OUS.
An American FOlly--Lack of Thorough
ness.

A New York paper thus sympathiEes With
that class of penpe who try to live by their
wits aud fail. 1t says:
These are the needy men of brains unsuc-
cesstu writer's, teachers, clergymen, and law
yers; men who do not struggle in the contest
for bowl OF free soup, who button up their
hunger under threadbare brOadclOth. They
make no stir in the public prints, run no can
didateS for Mayor, organize no parties ON the
platform of general division of all property
but their own, form no unions, indulge in no
strikes. They are incapable of helping them
selves by any but individual effort, and must
be until the fullness of time shall bring about
a trades-uniOn of poets or strike of paragrs phi
writer's The class is by no means small. Not
a daily newspaper in any large city that is not
oVerrun with more applicants for work on any
terms than could find standing.room at one
time in its Office Not school but is bssieged
by men and women ready to teach at starva.
ton wages not a school where teachers do
not cling to their posts as with the grip Of
death, even when unwiSe Commissioners re-
duce their pitlful salaries Not position in
the country requiring brain work for which q
score OF rivals will not fight 6ercsly when death
or chance makes a vacancy; and for every
SUCCESS there are nineteen failures. A mourn
full company this. OF capitalists whose only
! fortunes are of rejected manuscripts and desul-
tory knowledge. The ranks of the unemployed
| intellects are not so formidable, perhaps, as
those of the unemployed hands, but their
stories, if they could be made known, are no
less piliful. Men of talent and education feel
the rough jostllng of want more keeny than
| the men who are accustomed TO give and take
knocks. Men who are trained to refinement
and then through their own or others mistakes
find themselves ndrift on the world, are
educated as the poor blind are-until they
learn to be proud and sensitive, and then arc
turned into the streets to peddle broOms.
But improvement is possible for those whC
will help themselves, not because they vii
then BE- helped OF the gods, but because they
will then need no other help than their own
The thirty-nine points and thousand and on,
apple atiOns of the old, old sermon are one anC
the sams-superfciality, the American sin
The vast majority of these unfOTtunates are 81
lacking in thorOugh and SO poorly grounded
in their trades, that tho first rude push shake
them for their places, aud they are stranded il
utter hslplessness. The men who are thorough
and painstaking and we'll equipped, do not neet
to seek; they are sought after. Railroad
compete from them, insurance companies an
banks are glad to get them at any price, an
occasionally there is President shrewd enoug
to ask one into his Cabinet. Any man VIII
knows how to do even one thing thoroughl
and well, rarely fails to iud an opportunity t
do it
Another thing. 1t would be well if larR
number of persons now engaged in brain work
or in endeavoring to obtain it would retire tror
the business-ior want of capital. There ar
various people who are trying to lecture VIII
would make excellent clerks or salesmen {
any wares but their own numerous brieHsi
attorneys who would succeed admirably 9
lawyers managing clerks or court reporters
countless newspaper people who would be MOI
useful 10 the lower walks Of agriculturc-fC
there is absolutely no limit TO the number (
those who think themselves fully qualified [
edit newspaper, without once pausing to col
slider whether they have the requisite traiuinI
sptitude and ability. A whole army Of seril
blers and gabblers might be gathered to reel
force the useful trades, ii they could
brought to recognize the impertinence of the
intellectual efforts. For many of them
persist in Abrain work" is an affront to con
nonsense, and the popular favor which sou
of them secure is a dark and discouragir
mystery. But probably more Of them are il
posing on themselves than are attempting
decisive others. The 6ddles Of number
our fellow countrymen are turned entirely t
high.