The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1880-05-13
The Worthless Young Man.
lPhiladelphia rimes.l

|
No man is responsible for Il circum-
stances of his birth. If he is born in a
ri kety tenement house and Graded in q
discarded soap-box, it is nothing to his
discredit. III he is born with a golden
spoon in his mouth and brought up
amfng all that is elegant, he cannot help
and poor and uneducated as the lower
and the dangerous classes. The peop'e
who have money and fine clothes, and
nice houses, with good things on their
tables, are sometimes alluded to as the
upper classes. If those who have these
desirable e things make a wise use of
them, it is well. If they neglect their
opportunities in this direction, they are
ne better members of society than the
poor fellows. In fact. they are not as
good, for they fail in giving society what
1t has right to expect of them.
1t often happens that one of the most
unfortunate of men is he who was born
among wealthy people whose money was
all they had. Wealth is supposed to go
hand in hand with culture, but there
are cases in which the two are not on
speaking terms A boy is allowed to
have his own way while child. When
he goes to school he is bully and a
| tyrant. Priding himself on the wealth
and position of his parents, he domi-
neers over the other boys and refuses to
obey his teachers. Unhappily there are
teachers base enough to tody to such a
boy and to fail to compel him to learn.
| He grows up without habits of dill
gence. He has no application, nor can
| he give thoughtful attention to any
thing he should study. Relying on the
power of his fathers money, he expects
to get through the world without max
ing any special exertion. According to
his way cf thinking, learning is thing
for poor mems sons. For the sake of
making a tolerably decent appearance
among his friends he must pass certain
examinations at school and college. By
paying tutors for special services in
coaching him this is managed without
much difficulty. Tne preparation OF
those parts OF examination which are
written is a matter of regular business
en- the part of poverty stricken students
who have need of few dollars When
these are purchased they answer as well
/ in some quarters as if honestly made by
the youth whose production they claim
to be. A diploma is in due time placed
in the young mans hands and he goes
out to lounge upon society. Were he
pecuniarily vagrant, as he is socially
the police would bid him move on.
Were he shabbily clad, instead of being
arrayed in costly apparel, he would be
dlsplsed by the very persona who asso
ciate with him. Never having improved
his mind during the period assigned fol
his education, he has now neither ambi
tion nor capacity for improvement. He
allows his mental faculties to run tc
waste. He seeks the companionship oi
the uncultnred and the unworthy
Sometimes these are the rough persons
who hang about stables and sometimes
they are the indolent representatives Of
wealthy families. 1t does not take Ions
for an idle young man to stray int
mischief. He is to lazy to work, an6
looks with disdain on all who toll fol-
their living. We're such young person
willing to concentrate his mental anC
other resources on some useful purpos,
he might be of considerable use to tn,
world. He might devote himself to in
venting something, and if not immedi
ately profitable, he could afford to wal
awhile for the result. Thousands o
poor young men have planned and per
fected inventions under pressure of ad
verse pecuniary circumstances. The,
had am bition, which he has not 81
will never step out of his beaten path
which is that of lounger. He ba
louneed ever since he knew how, an,
will continue to do so as long as hi
proftless life shall last. The world
work may go on for all he cares, but b
will do noBe of it. There is little hop
for the youth who reaches maturity as
thing of him is to take him in han
while very young.