, 1877-11-24
Situation for a "centleman's
Son" Wanted,

Situation for a "centleman's
Son" Wanted.
Rev. E. L. L. Dashien, of New
York, delivered a:lecture in the
Allen street M. E. Church in that
tcity last week, during which he
made the following illusions TO
the shabby genteel class who
think 1t more honorable to
sponge aliving than to earn one: ::
The defect of the civilization
was that there were but two
c1asses-the very rich and the
very poor, and but very little
opportunity for man to rise
out of his class. But among us
no advantage Of birth can make
the rich mans son succeed, or
keep down the earnest perse-
vering youth with the disadvan-
tages of friendliness, orphanage
and poverty. The lecturer sub
mitted as good question for a
debating society, (Which is the
greatest enemy Of the race, the
most wicked man or the most
do-nothing man?" In his opin-
ion it might be the latter He
did not believe in the idea of
whipping the wickedness out Of
children. He loved the mis-
chievous, rollicking, fun-loving
children, and did not like those
little old children who looked
old, talked old and laughed old.
The problem Of the age is to
save the waste Of force. There
were some young men who took
any form, like. the gutta percha
faces on Broadway. They spend
life IN earnest efforts to get out
of somebody's way. Such young
men needed to be fed on gun
powder and blood for a month.
(Laughter) The most do-noth-
ing man is the most wicked man.
The most goddess life is the ann
less life. Men who are boasting
Of their ancestors are like pota-
toes-they have their best part
in the ground. (Applause.)
The lecturer proceeded to con-
slider the advertisement of an
imaginary gentleman's son who
wanted "respectable, light work,
as he is not strong, and, being
brought up in atfluence, he re
quires a liberal salary for his
support and he might have
added, "an opera glass; cigars
and perfumery thrown in as per-
quisites.'' ''The pay must be
heavy, with good prospect
ahead" Could such a young
man be accommodated? We are
too much in the habit Of talking
Of the course Of labor But
the benefcent divine law is. that
we get by giving. Nothing de-
grades a man so much as sub
sisting on the toll Of another,
and true charity will help the
needy to help themselves. No
life can be deemed successful un-
less it be contribution to the
age in which a man lives. Ey-
cry man owes something to So
ciety. Running all through So
clety is this law of reciprocal in
fuences and mutual dependen-
cies. Yet each, though part of
general plan, preserves his own
separate identity. There is no
such thing as absolute independ-
ence in the world-all are de-
pendent on others.
Whatever a man is. he leaves
his full length and breadth mark
upon society. What is society,"?
1t is an aggregation of individ-
uals. A man is none the less
responsible because his influence
is UNCONSCIOUS. We are all on
one side or the other. We are
too fond of prlzing our franchise
and forgetting the citizenship,
which is Of immensely more sig
niticance, more potent than fran
chise. The young man must re-
member that however long and
wearisome and dark the strug-
gle may be, the right will tri-
umph. 1t is libel upon our
country to say that men can
succeed only by tricks, and Jug
glery and humbug; that the
sharp, wiry man alone can sue
ceed and rise. No, it is libel
upon this country and it's gener-
GUS trade. 1t is a memorable /
time in a young mans life when
he hears those two voices, one
saying, "Success at any price;
honestly if you can, but success;
the world owes you a living,
get it,. set It by some means, but
get It," and the other voice say
ing, "Do right and wait for the
future" Success is not the price
of luxurious ease. The youth
n