Rensselaer Republican, Volume 21, Number 22, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 January 1889 — AGE TO YOUTH. [ARTICLE]

AGE TO YOUTH.

* Words, of Wisdom to Tonng Men." Philadelphia Ledger. . .. * There is no end of advisers and advice; as he journeys along from I youth to age is certain to meet many of the former and much of the latter. We have been allowed to go a long.wary on that journey, but from the beginning to the present advanced stage of it, we can recall few other counsellors whose counsel was wiser or better than is that of the writer of a letter to a young gentleman ot Philadelphia, who, though possessing a great fortune and having greater expectations, has recently entered the firm of which his brother is the chief and most active member, and the business of which is probably second to no other in the United States. The writer of this letter, which we have been permitted to see and make this use of for the advantage of other young men just entering upon life’s active duties, is a retired banker of New York, now liviqg in Florence, Italy, and who is held in the highest estimation at home and abroad, because of his proved integrity, virtue and wisdom. , Out of the stores of his ripe experience he, thrQughr this lettqr to his young friend, gives to all those vtho are entering the busy world, and espeifcially to those who are entering it relieved by the probity, intelligence, energy and enterprise of otners of the necessity of building their own fortunes, the great truth that real manliness, abiding happiness, and the esteem of men can be attained only through and by labor, that without it no good or desirable thing is attained, and that the broader the path of effort is made, not only by application to business, but by study of the arts, sciences and literature, the nobler and happier the man will be, and the greater the honor he will have among men. From this letter we take the following wise counsel to offer to the readers of the Public Ledger: “I am truly glad that you take real interest in business; first of all, for your own sake, and then foi your father’s, to whom it must be a source of intense satisfaction and relief to feel that later on, when advancing years will compel him to take things easier and more care of himself, sons will be there by his side,’able to relieve him and to manage thej wonderful business that his talent, his great tenacity of purpose, his proverbial honesty, and his exceptional sense of justice and fair dealing have so magnificently established. “One of these days, nSy dear friend, iff will be your turn to have the same pride about your own boy, and God grant that, guided by the same Bpirit and your own good example, he may be a source of joy and happineßß to you. It makes me happy to think that you love to speak of your child; and I do not consider it a weakness. I regard ib as of good promise, and as a guarantee of your own future, for the reason that love will make you feel more keenly your own responsibility towards him, as well as towards that dear father of yours, whom I love so well. “Of course you will be sure to have many discouraging periods, and to feel that you have much, very much to learn; situated as you are, and if you maintain that modest sense of your own capabilities you over displayed when talking to me, you will be sure to succeed ana make your mark in the end. “The great danger of men in your station lies in having their heads turned by the success that surrounds them, towards which they cannot help feeling the inebriating influences. Guard against that danger; accept your name as agreat responsibility; disdain to receive it as a piece of luck; work hard to do honor to it, and ybu are a made man. Take this last phrase in the right sense. To all intents and purposes, you are, of course, a ‘made man,’ and I refer only to that individual distinction that mere wealth and position does not confer. It is in your pow er to accomplish this, and, in a great way, and lam sure you will do it. Indeed, what is there tnat you can not do at your age, with your health and with means at your command, if you only go at it slowly, but deliberately, and id good earnest? A man need not be a scientific man to be of incalculable help to science or literature or art. What can he not accomplish by taking judicious interest in those who follow these pursuits, as the objects of their lives? Of what blessing may he not be, and what luster may he not bring o* himself by gradually taking interest in the progress of the society in which he lives. One of our great poets, Vittorio Alfieri, a nobleman by birth, and rich, writes: ‘Vain is the boast of ancestry. Let in zero Nothingness return, and he only ho great who great things has accomplished; not he who has sacked in his cradle arrogant idleness.’ But I have allowed myself to be carried away by the subject, and, after reading over; what I have written, I feel that I have fallen into preaching yon a sermon. Indeed, 1 seem to be taking a liberty in addressing yon in this fashion, and I almost hesitate to let this letter go. However, I shall confide in your good nature to receive it as it is meant, from an old friend, who wishes yon well, and whose only desire is to see 'you accomplish great things.” « Consumption Is tne moat dreaded oi diseases, Magee’s Emulsion has cured several cases where physicians pronounced the cases hopeless.