The Russellville Democrat., 1875-04-08
DISTRIBUTE OF MANUAL LABOR.

| prolific cause of business stagna.
 tion and general prostration oi
 enterprise assigned, than the dis
 repute into which manual labor
 has so surely and rapidly fallen.
 Public prosperity is promoted or
 depressed, just exactly in propor-
 tion as the productive industries
 of the country are encouraged and
 followed, or frowned upon and
 abandoned. This fatal and false
 idea of the dshonor of manual
 labor-an0 moro especially agri- cultural labor--seems to be one
 of the sure and most unfortunate effects of the education of the
 present day. The highest ambi-
 tion of the young man of the
 present age, is to get into college.
 And what for? To fit himself for
 some profession, or some avocation
 in life whereby he may avoid
 manual labor.S Hence the supera-
 bundance of jack-leg lawyers,
 quack doctors, third rate preach CTS, hair brained and hair -combed- in-the-middle clerks, and insig
 nificant commercial tradesmen.
 The idea of quitting the college and entering the shop or following the blow never enters the brain of the young man nowadays. That would be disgrace.
 The notion that education would be wasted, that talent would be thrown away and usefulness de- stroyed by going upon the farm, is most fallacious and damaging idea. Educated labor is just what we need to bring out our agricul- tural industries, and to make our land blossom. There is too many n-producers-too many living without labor. The equilibrium of labor must be restored. The honor of labor must be vindicated. There must be more sinew and muscle put in operation, and de- voted to the productive industries. The mind of the rising generation must be disabused of this ruinous dread of manual labor. The young men must be taught that it is not more honorable to hang around the cities, fitting away their lives about it's Vaccinations, like the poor moth around the candle, than it is for them to seek the rural homes of the agricultur- ist, and employ the powers of body which tlIcIr Creator has gtvcn them in the tillage of the soil. Suppose the thousands upon thousands of young able bodied men who are to be found in every city eking out existence at non productive and improbable call ings, which scarcely yield income sufficient to feed and clothc them, should turn their attention to the development of agriculture, min ing and stock-raising. What a change we would witness! What an increase in the aggregate value of farm products! What an i'm petus would be given to public prosperity. The one great cause of the unproftableness of enter prises where large numbers of la- borers are necessarily employd is the cost of the bread and other articles of food they eat. We must have food for the millions at less cost. Here lies the key to national prosperity and sub stantial growth of the great in dustries. To obtain this much desired end, we must have more laborers, and fewer idlers. The thousands of idle and unemployed young men who lounge about the cities and towns must be induced to go to work at productiuc labor. The farm is the place for them, and they must learn that there is nobility in labor.
 A bill granting amnesty for all offences committed during the