New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-06-11
PHIL.

PHIL.
Phil came up to town Last February, and found
place in Wells & Syme's establishment on
Pcarl-st.- piece of extraordinary good luck,
as everybody knows how well nigh impossible
it was to find work in New-iOrk last Winter.
Phil had been idle since September, when he was
graduated at college in Pennsylvania. Most
of the young men who were graduated with him
went into the professions, all being linen OF
"mark, and full of genius" in college estima-
ton, and with decided bent toward some
vocation. Phil had no decided bent nobody
(but his mOther) ever saw the prophecy of
great man in his commonplace face set in stiff
black hair and whiskcr; he took no hOnOrs,
had not even sOwed his wild oats in dashng,
spirited way. He used to grow very vehement
about little college affairs, and was fond OF
giving suppers in his room to lot of fellows,
where he made tremendous speeches about
them and told capital stories, just like the
Doctor, his father. who is ono of the most
hospitable men in OldtOwn, and usually
at fever heat about some small matter
The young men used to glance quizzi-
cally at one another when they saw the
photograph of a middle aged woman hanging
on Pills wall, when most OF them had a
cast of Clytie or the likeness of some actress
whom they had seen once in Pittsburgh. He
mentioned that il was his mother, and pres
emily took out of his drawer photographs of
the old Doctor and the boys and little Nell,
as though it were matter Of course that
he should wish to keep them near him all the
time. The fellows voted Maddox "Queer."
But he was very ordinary lad the most of
Ill hos &C
feciOns, if we took the trouble to reach Them
under their transient vanity and conceied man
ners. He had, too, in his slOwgoing brain under
the scrubby hair the same ambitions as those
which fired the handsome, brilliant men who
carried off the honors and fhe ambitions of
any young lad are usually quite as pure and
higher in aim than those of q maiden. For
four or five years Phil had kept the best of
good company old Greeks and Romans, who
keyed their lives to honor not money; Jean
Paul and one or two other giants who walked
apart in the world Carlyle, who told him
how one of these giants could carry the
whole world with him to nights it never had
known before. Phil always expected to be
giant so far as helping his fellow crea-
lures went. His heart would throb
Gas does almost every lad's) at the
story of gallant men who scOrned money and
gave life to great cause There was Agassz,
and Robert Shaw, and StOnewall Jackson and
Greeley, and Livingston who died last year in
Africa. The boy had keen insight, and
knew his heroes in any profession or party.
He too =! He might grade low in Mathe-
MATES and know little about Hebrew par
ticles, but he would make the world cleaner
ha haH -
to have dreams of himself as middle aged,
honored, respected, and his old mother sitting
at his ireside, proud of her son. Probably his
wife would be there; men generally married.
But as for falling in love, that seemed to him
a silly piece of business. But when he went
from college back to Odtown he found him.
self unaccountably at odds with everybody !;
he could not drop into his old boys place. His
younger brothers laughed at his priggsh
ways, his cOnceit (Which was really diff
dence); his father seemed impatient for him
to be off and about mans work. Even his
mother seemed moro anxious that he should
earn salary next year than that he should
play heroic part. lie did not tell his dreams
even to her. The old lady never heard of Plato
or Socrates or Of Jean Paul the "Only one."
lie felt like sailor setting out alone upon an
unknown sea, the far-Off haven of which was
eternal Life or Death, and nobody cared
except to know How much would he make
" How much ~ lie shut his hopes and ambi-
tons up in his breast, out of sight.
Phil has been at Wells g. Syme's nearly
three months. There does not seem to be any
chance for a heroic life down there. Half the
day he tots up sums in addition, and tho other
half takes notes as two men call off "Half
"terce, Smith Bros. )" 1872 bbls., Jones g. Cor
etc. What room is there for mental or moral
giant in thatf He used to think of the re-
sources of city life; the treasures of music. art
learning; the splendors and delights of society.
He has not found them as yet. lie goes home
at y. H. to cheap boarding house. sits down
at long table to weak tea and smoked mack
erel. The tablecloth is dirty, 80 are the hands
of the boarders, all "gents;" their talk is not
OF tho cleanest; it is full Of money, and the
sharp, short cuts to fortune. In old times he
would have been . prentice Of Mr.. Wells, who
10 an educated and good man; would have