Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1879-09-30

which the foeth Of America comes little
later, a. to . distssteful task which he would
fain avoid, but which he feels that his own in
tellectual pre-eminence and the expectations
Of his fellow.men compel him to take up
that he IL especially delightful. He knows
that the world is very badly governed; how
badly few persons besides himself are thor
oughly aware He agrees with The Weekly
Lolltpop, that it is the duty Of educated per-
sons 10 protest against the ordinary and COM
monplace way in which the governing is done,
and the commences and vulgarity of the peo-
ple who are doing it. Seeing that there is
choice between the two parties, and that one,
with occasional errors and plumbers and mis-
steps and stumbling, is made up for the most
part of sincere and honest men who are trying
to do the best they can with the materials they
have, and are reaching out after the ataina5le
good instead Of beating the air vainly for some
impossible IDEAL while the other is low in its
aims, mean in its motives, dishonest in its
purposes, and bad in all its record, he says
with The Daily Breeeh- Kicker and The Weekly
Loiiipop-"The duty Of educated persons at
"this juncture ia to administer rebuke that
twill be remembered to the party that occa-
q" sionally does wrong by contributing to the
"success Of the party that never does any
"thing else" This is the first view which
the Youth Of America takes Of the politics OF
his native land. He is alarmed at the stream
Of tendency which he cannot turn, and is too
polite to dam, and shocked at the excessive
vulgarity of the politicians, whom he instinct
lively avoids and only cOndescends elegantly
TO despise. Having violent desire to impress
himself upon his age, but being painfully CON
scisus Of the danger of losing his indemnity by
merging himself in either party, he stands Off
from both in judicial attitude and delivers
himself of wise and phiosophic judgments.
He " rites letters to the newspapers directing
attention to the fact that great party. which
has in twenty years put down gigantic con-
spiracy, wrestied and thrown the ragamufiins
who undertook to drag the honor and credit
Of the Government in the mire, and pretty
nearly cleansed itself Of the stains of the en-
counter, 10 not yet quite immaculate, and
asks II il would not be better, on the whole,
to hasten the purifying process by turning the
Government over to the conspirators and re-
pudiatsrs.
Later on, the Youth of America, frenzied
to desperation by the neglect Of the old par
ties, and their failure to nominate either the
angel Gabriel or Charles Francis Adams for
the Legislature, impressively announces him
self a. the author of several essays on the
Decay of American Craftsmanship, which he
believes the public has been studying ever
| since they appeared, and expresses his willing
ness to become 'nucleus" for new party
organisation. He calls npon all the Young
Men Of America to rally round him in per-
son. II convenient; or, If not convenient. to
write him letters about how things look in
their neighborhood, and whether they don't
think it worth while to make one supreme
effort to rescue the race. 1t is at this point
that the Youth Of America eliminates. 1t is
At this dizzy elevation that we most admire
him. Here, with one hand reckoning to all
"coming time, the other bids the tardy world
"move on" There are frivolous persons, we
know, who deride the earnestness of the Youth
Of America, and jeer at the figure he cuts as a
nucleus" We join no such levity. We only
regret that he Is SO transitory and evanescent.
For, the Youth Of America, in this view of
him, 10 but a procession. From the dew OF
youth he passes out into the ripeness Of expe-
rience and the philosophy fold age, and looks
curiously behind him. lie is a ''nucleus" but
once, and that only for an instant. And as he
steps over into the realm beyond, The Daily
Breseh- Kicker and Weekly LottipOp lead up
his confident successor. For the Youth OF
America may come, and the Youth Of America
may become . nucleus" and go, but The
Byeeeh. Kicker and The Loiiipop flow on for
ever. 1t may be that the Youth of America
will sometime bring the millennium without
attending the primaries. That day does not
seem near 1t hand, however. If ever the
Youth of America finds the country bringing
ito politics TO him to be purified, we conjure
him, by all he holds dear in agriculture, to
stand right still for few minutes till it can
bring its potatoes to him to be dug