Wanted–A Young Man From The Country
by
All of our mercantile cities are overrun with young men who have been bred for the counter or desk, and thousands of these genteel young gents find it any thing but an easy matter to find bread or situations half their time, in these crowded marts of men and merchandise. An advertisement in a New York or New Orleans paper, for a clerk or salesman, rarely fails to “turn up” a hundred needy and greedy applicants, in the course of a morning! In New York, where a vast number of these misguided young men are “manufactured,” and continue to be manufactured by the regiment, for an already surfeited market, there are wretches who practise upon these innocent victims of perverted usefulness, a species of fraud but slightly understood.
By a confederacy with some experienced dry goods dealer, the proprietor of one of those agencies for procuring situations for young men, victims of misplaced confidence are put through at five to ten dollars each, somewhat after this fashion: Sharp, the keeper of the Agency, advertises for two good clerks, one book-keeper, five salesmen, ten waiters, etc., etc. and, of course, as every steamboat, car and stage, running into New York, brings in a fresh importation of young men from the country, all fitted out in the knowledge box for salesmen, book-keepers and clerk-ships,–every morning, a new set are offered to be taken in and done for. Sharp demands a fee of five or ten dollars for obtaining a situation; victim forks over the amount, and is sent to Sharp number two, who keeps the dry goods shop; he has got through with a victim of yesterday, and is now ready for the fresh victim of to-day; for he makes it a point to put them through such a gamut of labor, vexatious man[oe]uvres and insolence, that not one out of fifty come back next day, and if they do– he don’t want them! If the unsuspecting victim returns to the “Agency,” he is lectured roundly for his incapacity or want of energy! –and advised to return to the country and recuperate.
Jeremiah Bumps having graduated with all the honors of Sniffensville Academy, and having many unmistakable longings for becoming a Merchant Prince, and seeing sights in a city; and having read an account of the great fortunes piled up in course of a few years, by poor, friendless country boys, like Abbot Lawrence, John Jacob Astor, he up and came right straight to Boston, having read it in the papers that clerks, salesmen, book-keepers, and so on, were wanted, dreadfully–“young men from the country preferred”–so he called on the suffering agent for the public, and paying down his fee, was sent off to an Importing House, on —- street, where a clerk and salesman were wanted. Jeremiah found his idea of an Importing House knocked into a disarranged chapeau, by finding the one in the “present case,” a large and luminous store, filled up with paper boxes and sham bundles; while gaudily festooned, were any quantity of calicoes, cheap shawls, ribbons, tapes, and innumerable other tuppenny affairs.
Nebuchadnezzar Cheatum, the proprietor of this importing and jobbing house, was a keen, little, slick-as-a-whistle, heavy-bearded, shaved and starched genus, of six-and-thirty, more or less; and received Jeremiah with a rather patronizing survey personelle, and opened the engagement with a few remarks.
“From the country, are you?”
“Sniffensville, sir,” said Jeremiah; “County of Scrub-oak, State of New Hampshire.”
“Ah, well, I prefer country-bred young men; they are better trained,” said Cheatum, “to industry, perseverance, honest frugality, and the duties of a Christian man. I was brought up in the country myself. I’ve made myself; carved out, and built up my own position, sir. Yes, sir, give me good, sound, country-bred young men; I’ve tried them, I know what they are,” said Cheatum; and he spoke near enough the truth to be partly true, for he had “tried them;” he averaged some fifty-two clerks and an equal number of salesmen –yearly.