Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1877-08-15
Akfanoria Q6azette
WEDNESDAY EVENING, AUGUST l.
The lyush TO the cities.

A mob Of half starved men is ptiful sight;
a mob OF Of idle vicious men i5 sad commeo
tary on our civilization. and IN all orr large
cities We are frequently called upon % eontem
plate both pictures
| That such coullon Of affairs exists is cot
the fault Of the cities or Of the public at large.
There are more people in the cities than csn
ful employment, and these people ATE III Cas
cago and other cities by their own choice. Tue
facts that came to The surface last week as Il,
the number 0! people out Of employment We're
appalling, but will they prevent one young mau
| from the country from carrying oGt his pct
scheme Of coming 10 the city? Will one taru.
| er's boy, With good hame and plenty to 60
| read of the great masses who have bad honea
little to eat and nothing to 10, and be deferred
from coming to the city? Not ore. The rush
will continue, and our cities will continue to hs
burlered with more people than can tlnd en-.
ployment iu their borders.
Boys and girls born aud raised in the country
have an insane desire to live in towns. They
dwell on tho bright side Of city life SO much
that their Own Lille in the country seems always
dull and prosy and city life always charming
and bright. They magnify the drawbacks on
one side and cxaggerate the pleasure on the
other. They dronc over the dulnsss OF oouu'
try life and decline to see the dark side OF city
life at all. 10 this way they encourage
dislike for what is in their possession. and
cultivate an nsatiatc long ing for what
their fancy makes existence in the city.
A boy hesitates to round out his lile on the
farm. 1t is 10 some way beneath him and hs
goes to the city to realize his ambitious schemes
and becomes clerk in dry goods store, or
laborer in some mandatory, or driver OF
street car, or brakeman on j railroad. lie
comes from home where he was, 10 certain
sense, master Of his own movements, and cutters
business where he works harder, where he
lives less comfortably, and where he Is always
10 a subordinate position. lie comes trom the
farm where his living is assured, and enters
field where position ever SO humblc is diff
cult to secure aud hard to retal1; where no
takes great chances of being thrown out Of en-
ployment under most embarrassing and dis
tressing circumstances. lie comes from a To-
cality where there are no beggars, no poverty.
stricken people, 10 men presuulps to dictate
as to when he shall labor, aud where aud how,
aud enters calngs 10 which nc ceases 10 Dc
masters of his own actions
The boy that does this sort of thing is lndeh
nitey multiplied, and he keeps doing 1t all the
time. lu nine cases cut OF ten lie is d!suppolnt'
ed, but he never acknowledges this, and other
boys, knowing nothing OF the dlsappolntments'
and trusting only the boys exaggerated state
follow his footsteps.
Let the boys aud girls, the young men and
the young women remain in the country. pa
tiently and thankfully. Let them dlsabusa
their minds of the false notions they have iorn'
cd of ctv life and look at facts.
A Young man employed on q farm has TO WorS
hard. He would have to work harder IN nearly
any occupation in the city. He has to work IN
the hot sun and in the rain and snow. IL may ns.
atmosphere of some manutacLory, or would Do
| exposed to Just as inclement weather rs on ina
farm farm hand getting SIS per month ana
mis- board is making more money than no woutH
in the city at $40 per month. And yel, Whilo
farms hands are scarce lsborers in the city arc
ever abundant, and camoring for work IN every
department Of business.
In addition to this influx from rural districts.
cities receive the larger share OF Immigrants
from ether countries. Tho poorer classo3 clustoI
in suuald localities Whcro tIero IL iiLle comior.
and little 70 do, whom outside of tho cltlos are
broad farms where there is much comfort ana
much to do, or new lands inviting hom TO the
possibilities Of ownership. While every depart
| ment Of labor in The cities Is o"erstocked ln"U'
| ants of acres Of public !srd' await owners "A'
occupants. ;.
| People have perversely looked in one !!recl1on
for employment 1hhy must ADOPT dihareh'
rule, and look in all directions They have ex~
pected to ind employment where !aboreFS are
mos. abudant they should look for it whore 10
horers @ are scsrcest.- Cicaqo Inter. Ocean
Captain Cfapo's wife writes shat they wou'a
not undertake to cross the Atlantic again ~
cocklcshell for considerable. She fan!ed Twice
during tho voyage, slept in q wet bed Tor seVeh
weeks, and had aches 10 every bone OF her
body. 1--WE had seven gales OF wind, she
writes, "the lest one being very hard and the
seas running mountains high. 1t lasted irou
Saturday afternoon till Tuesday morning, but
God was with us, and lie calmned the sea So
that we we're able TO make fall. The next
mornug God spoke to me ard sa'1' am
with thee; don't fear Trust IN rle, ana wiz
land thee sale on the shore. The tears droo'
u,a aomp mo fona Ill En rain ~