Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1877-06-09
Altfanorla Q6axette
SATURDAY EVENING. JUNE 9. 1877.
What Shall we do with Our Young
Men.

The Knoxville Tribune says This is hard
question 10 answer. 1t has often been asked
and as often failed of satlactory answer. Ii
is easy TO give advice; far more difficult to heed
it, It is easy, too, to tell ou1 young men to
60 to work, but it is not So easy Tor them al
ways to find it~at least the kind they may de-
SIRE One trouble with many Of them is, tt =
are too much inclined to seek soft places"
They arc rot willing 70 commence life at the
bottom round Of the ladder and climb upwards.
They prefer to skip the lower one and reach
the upper 0ues at The first bound. Here they
commit q bhlnIcr if they will allow Us
to say 90 1t is always the best and surcst
policy TO get right down to the earnest and
practical duties OF life just as we find them, Do
matter how rugged they may be, or bow dis
TASTEFUL Take hold Of them and grapplc with
them, aud trust to good luck" and persistent
labor to get up higher. Promotion or ccva-
ton will soon come along and reward all suc!;
efforts. Pride is playing the wild with too
many Of our young mcu. They are shunDlDg
these earnest and practical duties Of lite simply
because they regard them beneath their cloth.
They forget the fact that all real business men
and men of wealth and Intelligence havca much
higher opinion 0l the young man who Is dis
posed to work himself up step by step, by bard
aud pcrscvrrng toll, lllan Uf the one who Is 100
proud TO do SO. Ibe former will command at.
tcn,ion aud assistance ia due time, while The
other will neither have employment nor friends.
We could give Instances right here III AuoX.
vile OF men who twenty-five years ago, were
hard Iaburers, and toiled by tho day a. 81 cts,
that arc uow worth thousands Of dollars. We
know i prominent railroad ecntlcmen, now
vastly rich, who cunliueuced llic lG The noun
talus Gl Virginia as L c"mmon o0rn-lleid hand,
aud resolved only eight dollars j mooth for his
services. He was SO faithful anu tthtent, ho"'
ever, that his employer found MIN lndlspensa'
blc--lbat be could not well ST along without
him, aud, therefore, raised bis wages. From
ibis position he soon stepped 10 higher one,
aud that Hugniculed his cespUr ;lililes, Dut
brought with ii larger cVmpensat!oa: lie was
then youos. srut 4ul sis1ious, aud Ras not
ashamed II !abcr 10 ATTY 0f It's .orps. What
ever his hard found 80 90 that ne dld with his
might. Did be disgrace Emseii IL the eyes ol
his fellows? Not at ali. lie commended hln'
self by his Industry aud his willingness 10 work
wherever he might b. put. To-day he Is ludc-
pendent aud has the coohicD3c aod esteem OF
all who know him. Young man, go and do
likewise. Don't b. afraid OF s1iiiug your hands
or your clothes. If you cant be 4 clerk in
store, or lawyer or physician, you can at least
be laborer on farm; and If you can 99oIy
command eight dollars 4 month, take 1t and re-
solve by your Industry and fidelity that yGu Will
exact higher wages the next month. Horace
Greeley once remarked that 100 many young
men were vainIy striving to do that which they
could not do. aud that which they could do
they were 200 proud 10 do.
Again, why vii! so many young men from
the country como to the towns and cities 10
search OF 'easy Places when their fathers
own good farms, aud where they can ind use
ful and remunerative employment? They DO
wropg 10 this thing, as they will tlod out 10
short time to their sorrow. They bad better
stay where they are and stick to lnelr, pIoWs.
1t will be far batter for them 10 the end.