The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1910-09-15
Secretary of State Reed Di.
reefs Attention to in an
Able Address.

HUNTINGTON. W. Va. Sept. o.
Secretary of state Stuart f. Reed adj
dressed large crowd here Labor
Day.
Mr.. Reed spoke at some length ON
the progress of the age and Its prob
lens. He touched briefly on state
development and some OF the press
ing needs Of the hour. He discussed
the young men of America, the pow
er and perils associated with their
work in building civilization and
gave some striking figures and illus
trations
on this phase of his subject he
said in part:
THE census for 1910 will show
that every morning this nation will
lie seven millions of dollars richer
and have about six thousand more
peonle than on the preceding day.
Each day with its accretion OF
wealth aud population will bring with
1t new problems whose solution will
he in the hands of between thirteen
and fourteen million young men who
are between the ages OF fifteen and
twenty-elght years. This mighty
army of young men is the greatest hui
man force known to the world today.
Were they to be formed into COM
panies rlarching ten abreast and
twelve feet apart they would form
one unbroken column twenty-eight
hundred miles long. Were they to
clasp hands they would form two
mighty human chains reaching from
the Atlantic to the Pacific. For each
one to be sick one day would be
equivalent to over thirty-two thou
sand being sick for an entire year,
and If their sickness for one day
would mean the loss Of two dollars
each, the loss to. America would ag-
gregate twenty-six million dollars.
II these thirteen million young men
should contribute two cents daily,
the amount realized would send
three hundred thousand young men
to college. II each one could man
age to accumulate one hundred dol
lars this mighty army of young men
would be able to capitalize twenty
six thousand banks each with a paid
up capital stock of fifty thousand
dollars.
What They Are Doing.
81 have mentioned some of these
things to show you what these young
men could do. 1 shall next tell you
some not very commendable things
they are doing. These thirteen mil
lion young men aided by several mil
lions of men who are older and who
ought to know better, are annually
throwing away about three thousand
millions of dollars. They are spend
ing this vast sum every year for
things that destroy body. mind and
character. with a tobacco bill OF
about eight hundred million. a drink
hill OF about twelve hundred million,
and an extra thousand million for
Righteousness and Incorporate pleas
ureg, the American people are prac-
teally wasting a sum of money suni-
cient to hand three thousand dollars
I, each Of the one million young men
who reach their maturity in the Unit
ed States every year. Think of the
good that could be accomplished If
one million young men could annu-
ally be equipped for the battle OF
life With glorious patrimony OF
health. sense. character and three
thousand dollars each. Some one has
said, One great strong man in every
community would actually redeem
the world"
The most appalling thing that con-
fronts American civilization is the
enormous waste of life force-the
difference between what we are do
Ing and what we could do. But these
faults, serious though they be, have
not prevented US becoming a world.
u power Today the United States
leads the world in human energy. 1t.
f not my intention to take the time
e name the many merltorious and
wonderful things We are doing.
Chief Upward Factor.
THE chief factor In all the upward
movements OF American civilization
has been and must continue to be the
young men OF the nation. With in