Thomas County cat., 1886-11-18
JUST CRITICISM.
The Young Man Of To-day MerciIessly
Shown Up In His True Light.

OOSI ChtbtOSSM.
The Young Man OF To-day Mercilesaly
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
cr:ticise 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 protest made at
the masculine fashion-plates that parade
! through our principal avenues and
streets. The cry is that the modern
young woman is shallow in her conver-
satiOn, with all her thoughts centered
on her apparel. But is the young man
of the present day so infinitely her SUI
pericr? Is he so studious, so scholarly
in his conversation? Are his tendencies
for dress and pleasure less marked? 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 idea and brains.
1t is highly crc.iitatle to the young
manhood OF America that these in
stances of ambitious progress can he
found; vet 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 scare ty of our young men in the
public libraries. their meagrc attend
ance al societies and associations of in
tellectual and practical purposes? One
of our prominent cities boasts of not less
than twenty iirst-claSs literary societies,
yet the combined attendance weekly is
but 22G! The same city has within its
limits eighteen other educational as>O-
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 forgetfu! of the
important fact that they are standing at
the opening gates of life. that they are
passing through season of their exist
once that should be crowded full of plans
and actions. An interest in sporting
matters takes the place of an interest in
what most concerns them and their fu-
ture. 1t is much easier for thousands
of our young men to remember the
name of every member of the leading
baseball mines in the country than to
recollect the names of the customers
with whom their firm has daily
dealings. The scores of baseball games
take the place of the discounts allowed
certain customers in their minds. An
intelligent interest in all games of ex-
ercisc,is healthy. but. like all things. it
can become too absorbing and business
and the practical things of life become
secondary matters. Every Young man
is. in himself parcel of tremendous
possibilities, and these he realizes in
proportion to his efforts to developing
them. In country which holds out so
many opportunities for young men as
that in which we live, it is remarkable
that such little effort is made to en-
brace them. There is no excuse. ex-
cept in the most extreme of unfortunate
cases. for a respectable young man in
Amer Gu to fail of commercial and So
cial success. if he will only look about
him and employ the opportunities as
they present themselves before him.
This thousands of our young men fail
to comprehend, and here lies the secret |
of the standstill ut which thev find |
themselves. The inclination is too much |
toward pleasure and not enough to
labor. 1t is in youth that we should
work if when we arrive ut manhood we
would have our burdens easier. The |
young man of to-day is not. to our
mind, what he should or might be.
There is Il tendency to look too lightly
upon the practical things of life. and to
pay too much attention to things that
are interesting in themselves. but that
serve as poor foundation stones upon
which to build a successful career
Brooklyn Magazine.
THEY NEVER DO.