Year: 1879




So MANY students in American colleges are
Worrying over the questions which are asked
in the following letter that we are justified III
giving prominence to the case as typica'
one:


10 IN, Fditor or The Trtbune.


SIR You have taken such keen interest III the
future OF the street boys whom you are sendins 10
Kansas that am induced to believe that your sym
pathies will be extended to IA college student VINO Is uh
certain whether go West or TO stay East am near
the close OF my course at Yale. lam strongly lhciheu
TO study law for which profession think have natural
qualifications. When I get through the Law School
shall be forced support myself at once and make my
own way in the world Now, sir what do you advise me
TO do Shall 20 West and settle in some growing town.
or shall take my chances great city IKE New
York or on work hard and try to get TO the top
Where shall be likely to succesdf Yours respect
fully. ohSioA


Ne,c-Haren. Conn. May %. 1879.


On general principles we have no hesitation
in urging young men, who have not the ad-
yantages of wealth and social influence, to go
West. In the East the lower tiers OF every
profession are overcrowded, and educated men
are to be met at every turn VINO are out oi
work and out of courage. young lawyer
who comes to NeW-YoTk with no other capl-
tai than his wits and his hopes, and with no
other social alliances than college friendships
and clearinghouse acquantances, VIII hnd
himself in deep water. III he has grit and
patience he will rise to the surface, but only
after prolonged and desperate struggle. On
the other band, a young man who set
ties in n growing town is borne along
on the waves of material progress. The
expansion of business and the growth





fortunes. He. gets firm foothold before the
crowd comes. And come it will, with its
thrift and enterprise, if he be in the right line
and can wait long enough After great
financial panic there is invariably suspension
of immigration and internal development, but
the deadening effects are eventually counter
acted. The tide has turned since 1878, as it
did after 1887 and 1857. Immigrants are no
longer frightened away by the Ogres, Hard
Times and High Taxes. The growth of the
export trade has brought with 1T national
prosperity. Industrial enterprise has recovered
its elasticity. The rapid development of the
agricultural and mineral resources OF the con-
tinent has been resumed with Yankee energy
and intelligence. 1t is good time for young
men to go West.


But not every young collegian, who, has his
education and nothing more, can venture to
make this experiment. A university educa-
ton is more necessary as a form OF profess
sional training but less valuable as working
capital in this year of grace than it was half
a century ago. IL does not give a young man
as much vantage ground now as it did then,
for the school systems throughout the country
have made education a common heritage Ot
the people. An educated man in new
town counted more then than he does now.
Life in a cOlleSe-tOwn. moreover, un-
fits many men for life in the Far
West. They have not the habits or plans for
early settlers in n raw country. They
do not know how to deal with pio-
neers and immigrants. TO succeed in the
West a young man must have the spirit
of the West. He must speak its language and
share its thoughts and sympatbies. If he
comes to regard it as a place OF exile. and
manifests feverish cagerness to make his for
tune so as to return to the East, and have
the advantages of a better r-ordered society, he
cannot hope to grow up with growing town
and prosper when it prospers.


Our advice to our correspondent must,
therefore, be qualified. Let him go West ii
he is reasonably certain that he is the
riaht man for the West. OF one thing
be may be sure. The rough justice of
tins world finds ont sooner or later
what man is really worth. Ii he be-
longs at the top he cannot be kept down,
whether he is in NewYOrk or in Leadville.
If he belongs at the bottom he will stay there.
There is no city so Overcrowded with young
men but there is room in it for anyone who
has thoroughly good stuff III him.