The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-03-14
CITY AND COUNTRY BOYS.
A Man Who Was One of the Latter
Writes Pithily About Them.
Col 4. <. Mcclure IN Philadelphia Times.

| Col. A. K Mcclure IN Philadelphia Times
Which is the better place to be torn and
reared in, city OF country, if one wants to
achieve success in lifee This question is
asked occasionally and there is a wide
spread popular impression that the country
\ bov has the better chance. The claim is
truthfully made that nearly all the great
American statesman of the first century
| of this governments existence were coun-
trymen and that the leading representatives
of professions and business enterprises were
born in rural districts.
While this is undoubtedly true, so far as
the pass is concerned, it would hardly be safe
to jump to the conclusion that a city bred
| boy is foreordained to stand all his life at
| the foot of the ladder and gaze with feel
| ings of envy and admiration while his coun-
try cousin climbs to the highest pinnacle of
success. Franklin was city born, and so
was Summer. Two generations of Wander
| bits and three Of AstorS have been city
born. while Girard, if not exactly city born,
soon gravitated to the city and made his
| career.
| If there have been more American states
| men furnished by the country than by cities
it is partly because there were more coun-
| try than city districts to be represented in
| Congress and Legislatures, and partly be-
cause while cOuntrymen of good abilities
sought political careers, city bred men of
| the same class devoted themselves TO bust
| ness instead. If many of the leading bust
ness men of our large cities are country
born it must not he forgo ten that Ameri-
can cities are mostly new, their popu alton
| being made up of countrymel and foreign
ers, without which there would have been
| but few cities of importance. The fact is
that the real test between city and country
as starting D aces in lie is yet to be made in
the United States.
Philadelphia, one of the oldest. most
stable and conservatives of all the Americs n
cities, is representedin Congress by a solid
city bred delegation, and 1t cannot be SAID
that Kelley OF Randall suffer by compari-
son with the country born representative of
other districts Is it not quite possible that
other cities besides our own will in time
duplicate Philadelphia's experience to this
respect. So far the fast growing American
cities have offered the greatest prizes to men
ambitious for wealth and profes ional dis
tinction, and have served to drain whole
States of their ablest and most ambitious
men, thus giving great preponderous to
the country born among those who have
achieved distinction even i'll business life.
But will this process continue indefinitely!
1t is very doubtful
An analysis OF the relative advantages Of
city and country during the formative pc
Rod of boys life shows item to nearly
equal The city hoy has access to libraries,
lectures, the best schools, and is subjected TO
the quickenng influences of the busy life
that surrounds him everyN here On the
contrary, he is beset by n multitude of
temptations and distractions which do not
assail tine country boy. The latter has
fewer tooks, fewer instructors and his sur
roundings are less inSpiritlug than those of
the city boy. But he mas more tune to APP
proprlate the few advantages he does pos
sess and less temptations to neglect or dis
regard them City lite Is doubtless more
enervatinG than country life, and, when all
is said, it IS probable that the country boys
chief advantage is in the great capacity
of physical endurance which he acquilts
almost without effort or.volitlon on his own
part.
The enervating influence Of wealth is the
same i'll city anu country. The sons of the
rich in either are likely 10 be outstripped la
the race for wealth or prominence by the
sons Of the poor and Of these only moder-
ately well 70 do Simon Camcron's shrewd
remark that he possessed one advantage in
early life that outweighed all the advan-
tages OF his son Don, viz, poverty, Is APP
phcabie 10 city and country boys alike.
And as American cities come to have
distinct and stable population, there is little
doubt that from among the lower and mid
die classes of this population there will
constantly arise men VINO will achieve as
marEed pre-eminence in business, profess
sional and political life as their country
born neighbors