Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1902-10-30
A CONTRAST in BOYS
TOWN AND COUNTRY LADS IN THE
STRUGGLE OF LIFE.
OF the Men who Have Achieved
Great Prominence In Public Affairs
the RurnI Boys Are at Least TWEEN
ty to One over the City Lads.

~ to One Over the City Lads.
A country boys lack Of opportunit!
| is his best equipment for the scriOu,
struggle of life. This sounds paradox
| ical. but it is true. 1t is just as true
as the opposite proposition, that the
| greatest hindrances Il city boy has Il
| contend with are the opportunities
| which beSet him when young and pur
| sue him till he begins the real business
| of life, business which each individu
al must carry Oh for himself. For the
city boy everything is made as easy as
possible. Even pleasure becomes tc
him an old story before he is out of his
teens. Brought up in the feverish rush
of place where great things are hap
peninG day by day, he sees the world
with cynics eyes and despises the
small things which, like the bricks in
a house, 90 to the upbulding of char
acters and careers. He believes in us.
ing large markers in the game of life;
for pennies and small units Of value he
has little taste and scant regard.
The conditions surrounding the coun,
try boy are as different as possible.
There is deal of regular work that
every country boy must do. and this
regularity of employment, mostly out
of doors. incUlcates Industrious habits
while it contributes to physical de
.velopment which in after years is just
as valuable as any athletic trainin.
that can be had. He cannot run as
fast perhaps as those trained by sys-
TEN. He may not he able to jump 50
high or so far or excel in any of the
sports upon which We bestow so much
time and from which We get so much
of pleasure, but his development en-
abIes him to buckle down to The hard
work in which hours are consumed
and from which very little or no i'm
mediate pleasure is extracted. His
strength may be something like that
OF the cart horse, but the cart horse
is to be preferred whore q long and
steady pail is required. The thorough
braG race horse has a tine flight Of
speed and cantcrs with delightful
,,1.ssintness and grace along the park
bride paths. hut the ~ .,-' M9fA ~ the
work most in demand and for that we
want the daft animals every time.
Enthusiasm is the spur TO endeavor.
and at the same time it is the SAVIOR OF
life. The country boy whose ambi-
ton has taken him 10 town comes
filled with enthusiasms. Even the lit-
tie things arc novelties to him. and as
he accomplishes this and that he feels
that he is doing something not only
interesting, but valuable. His simple
tastes have not been spoiled 10y null
tiplicity of Qualifications, and so lie is
glad of everything good that comes
his way. At thirty, if he leads a clean
life, he has more of the boy in him
than his city cousin has left at fifteen.
He does what is before him because it
is his duty, while the other is apt
cynically to question the value Of DO
ing anything and ask, What is the
use:'
= or the men who have achieved great
prominence ami high Influence in our
affairs of state tn" couIi.rT boys are ~
least twenty L ol.e over tN@ taus.
Nowadays indeed our cynical city lads
look upon men who take an active III
tertst in public affairs as rather low
fellows and quite beneath their asso"i-
alton and notice. But the country boys
are at the top in other lines of endoav-
or. In finance they ar" pre-emn"nt.
and the great bank presidents today in
the great cities nearly al learned to
read and to cipher in country schools
where birch and ferule had not sue
cumbed 10 tn" civiliZing influences of
scientific pedagogy. Our great RAFT
ways were in tie main built by them.
and today the administrators of these
great companies are in great measure
from farms and country villages. from
places Where work began in early Ill
fancy and IL sense of duty developed
while still the lisp of chldho"d lin
gered.
Some city boys. however, are Of such
sturdy stuff and endowed with surh
natural gifts that they succeed by rva
son of their inherent superiority. 9th
ers succeed abllndantly because they
have used their opportunities wisely
and in real life have pursued the same
course which enables So many country
boys to win fame and fortune. The
more honor to them for having sur
vived their too great opportunities.
But the country boy when he comes to
town reaches out for the high places.
Though not al find seats Of thf
mighty. nearly all of the exalted sta
| tons are filed in the end by men of
! country birth and country rearing. fer
| they usually start ont with the sound
| theory that what is worth having is
| worth striving fur.--.Iohn Gilmcr Speed
| in Brandur Magazine