The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1886-10-30
JUST CRITICISM.
The Young Man of To-day Mercllessly
Shown Up in His True Light.

me young Man OF to-day Merctlessly
Shown Up in His True Light.
There are ten articles and essays
written on the ''modern young woman"
where there is one that treats of the
young man of to-day. We are apt to
criticise the tendencies and weaknesses
of the young woman, forgetting that
the young man offers an equal abun.
dance of material for the critical seal.
pei. The absurdity of modern fashions
for women is universally decried, but
only here and there is a protest made al
the masculine fashion-plates that parade
through our principal avenues and
streets. The cry is that the modern
young woman is shallow in her CONVEX
sation, with all her thoughts centered
on her apparel. But is the young man
of the present day so infinitely her SUI
periorP Is he so studiouS, so scholarly
in his conversation Are his tendencies
for dress and pleasure less markedP 1t
is well sometimes to criticise the critic.
The young men have, with much pro-
priety, been denominated the flowers of
country. More and more the young
man of America is establishing himself
in the commercial interests of our
country and in the high places of all
professions, until one is at times
amazed to find the interests and
responsibilities of great commercial
houses and professional enterprises
resting upon youthful shoulders, and
propelled by young dea and brains.
1t is highly credita5le to the young
manhood of America that these in
stances of ambitious progress can be
found; yet these cases are still in the
minority. Take the average young
man, and there is room for vast i'm
provement To what shall be attribu.
ted the scarcity Of our young men in the
public Libraries, their meagre attend
ance at societies and associations of in
tellectual and practical purposes? One
of our prominent cities boasts ofnot less
than twenty first-class literary societies,
yet the combined attendance weekly is
but 226l The same city has within its
limits eighteen other educational asso-
Citations of art, science and music, and
the average attendance at each is but
fourteen! In business circles there is
much the same condition of affairs.
| Nine out of ever ten of our young men
perform their duties in mechanical
manner, glad when the clock points to
the hour which means the end of an
other day 1t is not an uncommon
thing for young clerks to begin to watch
at three o'clock for the approach of five
p. m. The period of life through which
they are passing has scarcely any mean.
ing for them. They are forgetiul of the
important fact that they are standing al
the opening gates of life, that they are
pass ng through a season of then exist
ence that should be crowded full of PLAN
and actions. An interest in sporting
matters takes the place of an interest il
what most concerns them and their fu
ture. 1t is much easier for thousand
of our young men to remember thC
name of every member of the leading
baseball mines in the country than t
recollect the names of the customers
with whom their firm has daill
dealings. The scores of baseball game,
take the place of the discounts allowed
certain customers in their minds. Al
intelligent interest in all games of eX
ercise is healthy, but, like all things, i
can become too absorbing and business
and the practical things of life becom,
secondary matters. Every young mar
is in himself a parcel of remendOu
possibilities, and these he realizes il
proportion to his efforts to developing
them. In a country which holds out 81
many opportunities for young men a
that i'm which we live, it is remarkable
that such little effort is made to ON
brace them. There is no excuse, eX
cept in the most extreme of unfortunate
cases, for respectable young man j
Amer ca to fail of commercial and so
cial success, if he will only look abou
him and employ the opportunities n
they present themselves before him
This thousands of our young men fai
. to comprehend, and here lies the secre
of the standstill at which they fin
. themselves. The inclination is too muc
toward pleasure and not enough t.
| labor. 1t is in youth that we Shout
work if when we arrive at manhood W
would have our burdens easier. Tn
young man Of to day is not to gu
, mind, what he should or might be
There is tend ancy to look too light
upon the practical things of life, and t
pay too much attention to things tha
are interesting in themselves, but tbs
serve as poor foundation stones upo
! which to build a successful career
Brooklyn Magazine.