The Portland daily press., 1876-03-18
OMce-Seeking.

Some one has said that larger portion of
the male portion of American citizens are at
some time of their lives engaged in Office
seeking than in any other vocation. The
person making the observation was doubtless
cync, an enemy Of the Republic and so far
as literal and exact statement is concerned
not disciple of George Washington. We
must all admit that there is some reason for
the observation. The American citizen, big
and little, rich aud poor, of the first as well as
the last families, delights in official position.
One seeks office because he has morey and
Graves for honor. Another strives for Office
because he has no money and feels the need
of bread. Let there be vacancy in any of
flee and from ten to hundred applicants ap-
pear. The ordinary term eagerness but
feebly sets forth the quality of their seeking.
Frequently it is more than seeking; it is ag
olizing tor Office. Such virtues, such deserts
such supe.human excellencies as they Sc
forth! Were the old Roman custom ior of
flee seekers TO parade the streets in white
gowns, how very white and long and full
would the garment Of our average applicant
for official honors require 10 be to set forth his
manifold merits!
But here we are appalled,. Think of the
spectacle of all of the ofice-seekers in Wash
ington or even in Portland appearing in white
flowing robes in the streets on asgiven day!
Not only would the disciples of Miller who
have been watching so many years .or the
sudden and very unpleasant termination of
mundane things, conclude that their day had
come, but everybody else would be surprised
and dazed. 1t would, on the other hand,
prodnce a corner in bleached cottons and set
our Manchesters a-running at an unwonted
speed to produce wearing apparel for the Of
fice-Seekers.
But so grave matter cannot be dropped
after few light remarks. There is no ques-
tion but that there is too much office-seek.
ing. Time, lots of 1t, is wasted-time that
might be money or bread. And, first, what
is the cause OF the great desire on the part of
the American citizen for off cial position !?
By what means have so many citizens been
tnrned in that direction? We think it is
easy to see how part of it comes about. If
parents do not stimulate their children to
seek Office when they have grown up, one of
the first and the most constant lessons they
get at school is in that direction. The teach
er 100 often incites the boy by telling him
that this aud that president, congressman,
governor or other official was poor boy and
good one. No one who has attended
country school can fail to recall the little
speech of the committeeman and how i'm
pressively he repeated at every visit to the
district school, the declaration that some of
the boy within sound Of his voice might be
president, governor. or congressman some
time in his life if he would but strive for it
how the more pretentious school official
would inspire and even fire the youthful
minds with his sophomore eloquence about
''excelsior" and positions of honor and trust,
and never word to encourage them to be-
come quiet and intelligent citizens. What
crop of town assessors that committeeman
sowed who urged teacher to take up a GER
tain principle in arithmetic so that the boys
might be able to ascertain from the valuation
and amount of tax to be assessed, the per-
centage Then there is the boys literature
these attractive but really .mischievous books
dedicated to boys, such as the 'Bobbin Boy"
the "Tanner Boy' and scores of others-all
has a tendency to make the readers discon-
tented with home and aspiring after some
thing beyond, generally office. Is il not fair
to say that all of this sort of teaching is per-
nicious-that it renders useful employment
and everyday work so irksome as to be aban-
doned when begun ard so distasteful as not
to be entered upon whe it can be avoided?
But office-seeking does not pay. It is the
most wretched business man can undertake
if he is looking for a means OF livelihood.
First the chances are not over one in fifty or
hundred that he will succeed; aud, second,
if be is the fortunate man this year the next
time the term expires he has to make the
same desperate contest. IF be fails he isn't
happy and frequently sulks. If be has en-
ioyed the emoluments and honors one telw
and is rotated he feels quite miserable. If be
is retired to private lite at the expiration of
two or three terms, he is frantic. He really be.
believes after so many years of official life that
he has acquired sort of" "divine-rightof-k
title and has right TO think that the purposes
for which the government was instituted have
been thwarted when he is required to step out
and likely to retire from Office political dys
peptic. If he does not there is enough of the
sanity about him to suggest him as cand :
date for political canonization. But this is,
not the worst of it. When a man is obliged
to retire from Office after few years, he finds
himself not only poor but without business.
During the years be has been in Office he has
got out of the regular channels of other bust
ness. If he left trade for office, otheis
have taken his trade aad his customers. So
with other empioyments; if he was an ''in''
in Office he is an "out'' in business.
Lastly, any man who is looking to official
employment for livelihood, can obtain a
more satisfactory one in other directions by
the exercise of the same industry, persever-
ance and prudence At first he may not get
as large an income. but once in the way Of in.
dependent support by his own efforts, his
condition is likely to improve from year 10
year. He has the satisfaction, too, of know
Ing that be is his own man, and that it does
not rest with one man or the defeat of par
ty to take his bread from his mouth. Office
seeking and even office-holdng is the poorest
business in this country. We warn our friends
10 let it alone. 1t brings vexaton, anxiety,
sleepess nights, disappointment, p ,litico-dys-
pepsia-in short, everything which man
who desires to be,good and happy will, if wise
flee from. 1t is the wretched state of perpet-
ual Micawberism.
Dr. BACON publishes in the Congregation
dliSt letter addressed to Prof. Egbert C.
SmYthe. urgino the Andnunr chnrch 10 an