Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1875-02-11
Agritnltnral department.
MUSCLE AND BRAIN.

the office, employs his earliest efforts at COM
position in justification of his choice. The
average sentiment would very nearly coincide
with the "Commercal College" prospectus
which says: Muscle and bone are the hewers
of wood and drawers of water to brains"
Now we have no objection to brains. They
are a very good thing to have. The world Is
not in danger of being overstocked with the
genuine article. 1t will not need any combi-
nation of brain-owners to keep down the sup
ply, or to keep up the price. There will al
ways be good demand for the finer and bet
ter grades. But great deal of the talk about
the superiority Of brain over muscle is calcu-
lated to mislead. There has been growing
up a morbid sentiment which is doing mis-
chief, and which threatens disaster. There is
common feeling that there is some antag.
onism between brain and muscle, and that he
who has the first is a fool to live by the Sec
ond If a man does not get his living by his
wits, he is supposed not to have any. Those
who live by physical labor are supposed to
lack mental power The harder man works
with his hands the softer we suppose his head
to be. A young man who had imbibed these
high-toned sentiments was visiting on farm.
He was invited to take a fork and help to
load hay. He declined the invitation with
the remark, that "t needed man strong in
the arms and weak in the head to load hay"
When last heard from this young man was
employing his "strong head" in the delicate
service of "runner" for cheap hotel. A pro-
fessor of college, who held his place by suf
ferance, remarked in public speech, that
"education had lifted him from the plow-tail
to his present position" A farmer sitting by,
remarked, that "that was not much of a COM
pliment to education, for it did not lift him
very far" With great many, to have brains
is to be too sharp to work.
The result is just what we might expect
The fields of muscular toll are being left to
the most degraded, while those of mental la
Dor are overstocked. No girl of any preten-
sons thinks of doing "house work. or even
"plain sewing" She must "teach school" or
give Emusic lessons" No young man of any
pluck thinks of being a farm laborer, and
hardly mechanic. He must 60 to the city
and measure tape-or sit on high stool with
a quill behind his ear and write. This can
not be because the work is lighter If we
should once compare the pale, wearied look
healthfulness of fservant-girls and laborers, we
should be convinced that the contrary is the
truth. But it is thought to be so much more
digniGed to work with the mind than the
hands, that no one who can do the one will
think of doing the other.
We are told that all our cities are crowded,
while farm hands can scarcely be obtained.
The professions are all full and running over.
To increase the demand, physicians divide
themselves into some half dozen different
schools-lttle pills and big pills, cold water
and hot water, herbs and physic. Lawyers
are dissolving into "claim agents" and Gland
agents." and score Of other "agencies,"
whereby they may create a case and pocket
fee. To employ the constantly increasing
surplus of "brain," manufacturers and pub
fishers are sending agents and canvassers all
over the country pedding books and maps
and pictures, hair-dyes and lightning rods.
Every school committee is overrun with ap-
plications, while a competent girl to do house.
work, or reliable nurse for the sickroom, is
sought for as for "hid treasures" | was on a
city school board for several years, and for
every vacancy there was an average of six
applicants A poor woman called on me one
day, desiring to find place to do housework.
I only named the fact to a few friends, and
vet there were three urgent applications for
her services before the next ight. A clerk
left one of our mercantile establishments on
the three o'clock train. Before sundown
eighteen applicants had appeared for the va
cancy. A workman fell from the scaffolding
of a new building about the same time and
disabled himself. The contractors had to
search the whole town to find man to fll
his place. Every town in the country is full
of young men-candidates for clerkships-
living around idle, waiting for something to
turn up." That is, they are waiting for some
body to die or resign, that they may be put
into clerks office and be able to eat piece
of bread" On the other hand almost every
kind of manual labor is at a premium.
Every one must have noticed the increased
demand for muscular labor. The housekeep-
er is at the mercy of her "help." The con-
tractor is at the mercy of his men. The Ia
borer can defy his employer, for there are
more asking for his services than he can serve
He can demand his own price, for the bid
ding is lively over him and he himself is the
auctioneer. The worlds physical work must
be done. Not a pound of bread or yard of
cloth can be produced without it. Hence the
seeptre of the world is passing into the hands
of muscle The man who has mental labor to
sell must 60 begging for work, while he who
has physical labor to offer will have competi-
tors for his services. Counting the time and
the cost of preparation, no men are now paid
as we'll as common laborers. No class Of men
are as independent. They are in demand.
Muscle is in the ascendancy.
We heartily believe in thorough culture
and complete development. But we do not
believe that the end of all culture is "bread
and butter" We do not believe that every
accomplishment is valueless which does not
help to earn a man a living. We believe
that man of mind may honorably and prop
erly work with his hands, and that it is no dis
grace for man of brains to earn his living
by the sweat of his brow. Because girl has
an education it is not necessary that she should
teach school and because boys knows alge-
bra it is not necessary that he should mount
a three legged stool and scrawl characters on
ledger. We deprecate all the cheap rheto-
ric of newspapers and school lectures and pub
lie gatherings which represent education as
raising men from the workshop and cornfeld
to "places of honor and respectability." Any
place is honorable where honorable men work
Cultivated womanhood can dignity the kitch-
en- as we'll as ornament the parlor. Educa-
ted manhood can shine on the farm and in the
workshop as we'll as in the counting-room.
Education is designed to develop the man, not
to make quill drivers and pettifoggers If it
bring out the man it has done its work, even
thoug Oh it leaves him in the field, the shop, or
the mine. Cincinnatus lost nothing IN the
,ro.ll,s oetoonn hananse the Roman MESSENGERS