Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1907-05-24
Friday, May "a. 1907.
RUNNING sHoRT ON MEN.

"~ "non VIC arc aPplieu W
by business men, at a distance as
well as at home, to send them relia.
bic young nfen to help out in varied
lines of business. We have had
occasion to recommend or secure a
number of our country boys for these
purposes; some have stuck and made
great success, while others have fallen
short. Prime stock in this market
is as difficult to procure as in other
things. The business world wants
men, sterling honest, sober, indus
trlous young men-not sap-heads.
dudes, cigarette fiends or whiskey
suckers. All are not born of the
same mental calibre, but the thick.
headed boy of good habits and stick.
at-iveness will win every time over
the fellow that thinks he knows it all,
puffs his cigarette or takes his dram,
and watches the clock to count the
minutes before he is off to dixie MP,
mayhap to go calling upon ques-
tlonabIe society, or perchance to sit
upon the counter or stand upon
the corner to ogle the passer-by.
What the business world and
the successful world, the world that
generates and moves things and
makes history, wants, is men of
stamina-good habits, honest and
industrious. 1t ia such young fel-
lows that become the men of their
generation, the envy of the slothful
and profiigate, the admired of those
who have run a successful race and
the enamored of goodly women. A
preacher in our hearing not long
since touched a pessimistic chord
with the view that the church was
running short on men. Are wei gen.
eral running short on men, true men?
The demand appears at present to be
greater than the supply, and we
should prefer not being pushed 10
answer so pointed question.
But how about another phase of
Mr.. Poor Citizens character and in
fiuence? Nature furnishes the cut
worm and other insect to keep down
superabundance of crops. Proba-
bly, the world throughout nature
adjusts the supply to the demand.
Nature sends a tidal wave to decl-
mate the too great population in GER
tain parts of the globe that the
remainder may thrive; the planter
thins out his sown that the remain.
lug plants may grow strong and
mature. But for the governor, or
balance-wheel, the machinery would
out-do itself and fly to pieces. Even
so the croaker, the disconnected, the
man who tears down but never builds,
is put into community. perhaps, To
keep down the seething fires of Mr..
Good-Citizen, that he may not over.
do himself or that things will not
fly off the handle. 1t is a poor con-
ISOLATION, however, that Poor Citizen
has in being the balance-wheel. 1t
must needs be that offences, or stun
bling. shall come, but wo unto him BY
whom they come. Mr.. Poor Citizen
Is filling his sphere even as the
heather who chastened the people of
Israel. lie fills his place, the stun.
bling-block, but woe is his.
Running short on men. Do we
not know the fellow who might have
gone along hand finland with the
hustler, the builder, and been with.
him promoter of good things, ad.
vancing his town, county or state,
yet whose calibre of soul was rather
too diminutive to share progression
with another. in some respects his
superior? Then we have seen the
smaller man draw off, and everything
the other did was discounted by
word and act, until the smaller began
TO feel that he was proyidentially
sent to check the rapid strides |?
How little a thing turned the course
of the two menl Presumably it was
jealousy, cardinal ingredient in all
small dispositions; perhaps the
smaller got offended, piqued at some.
thing, and ever afterwards he looked
through darkened glasses-could
never see anything bright or good
unless ne was consulted or became
the leading spirit.
The small man lives in every com.
munity, country and cline, his name
is legion, and his mission is that we
have likened it to. The stumbling
block is ever present with us. But.
all the same, and thankful we are.
ne does not always sacceed. He
sometimes becomes true balance
wheel-though unintentionly-and
keeps the exuberant one from going