pjbooks Chapter 52 of "New Youth" is now available!
Chapter 52 of "New Youth" is now available!
"New Youth?"
The middle-aged man stopped, took the newspaper, and weighed it in his hand.
The paper quality is so-so, the layout is so-so, and there are some ink stains in the corners; it's a typical roadside tabloid.
In this day and age, people in America do all sorts of things, including writers who specialize in writing erotic fiction, and they earn a considerable income.
Despite his initial disdain, the man, persuaded by Cuban, still gave it a quick glance.
The next moment, when his gaze fell on the headline on the front page, he suddenly paused for a moment.
To be precise, the first article published on the first edition was not a news item, but an article titled "The Inaugural Address of New Youth".
"Interesting..." The man nodded, pulling his hand back from where he was about to put it down.
"How much is this?" he asked.
"Two cents," Cuban whispered.
The middle-aged man took two coins out of his pocket, skillfully tossed them into the tin box, then, clutching the newspaper, turned and walked toward the tram stop.
Three minutes later, the tram came from afar with a clanging sound, like a clumsy tin worm, and slowly came to a stop at the platform along the tracks.
The middle-aged man boarded the bus and found a window seat.
In Boston in 1927, there were already streetcars, as well as subways, elevated roads, and trains, but driving to work was still a luxury.
Even though gasoline will be cheaper this time, ordinary people will still try to save money wherever possible.
This tram is traveling from the North District towards the city center, and the carriages are quite crowded.
Several Italian women sat in front of me, chatting away in their dialect. Their breasts were full and trembled slightly as they spoke, which made many passengers feel confused and disoriented.
Behind them stood a group of workers, their bodies reeking of sweat and machine oil, with a faint smell of alcohol mixed in.
There was a female student in a school uniform standing in the middle of the carriage, touching up her lipstick in front of a mirror, looking like she was going out on a date.
The middle-aged man ignored all of this. He unfolded the newspaper and began to flip through it slowly, as if he were eating.
This newspaper is very simple, with only one page, printed on both sides, and divided into four sections, which is the usual configuration for this era.
To his surprise, the newspaper had no GG (Goblin), no illustrations, and even the masthead was designed to be extremely simple.
There are only three large characters: "New Youth," with a line of smaller print below that reads "Issued by the New Youth Club," and below that is the date: July 7, 1927.
The first thing that catches the eye is the content of the first edition—the inaugural address.
He paused, then began to read. The article was neither too long nor too short, and the writing was quite good.
This is a compilation by Luther from Liang Qichao, Li Dazhao, Chen Duxiu, and Lu Xun. The full translation roughly translates to the following:
"Youth is to society what fresh and lively cells are to the human body."
Metabolism is a process in which the old and decaying are constantly eliminated by nature, while the fresh and vibrant are eliminated in terms of space and time.
A person is healthy when their body follows the natural cycle of metabolism; a person dies when their body is filled with decaying and rotten cells.
A society that follows the principle of metabolism will prosper, while a society filled with stagnant and corrupt elements will perish.
There are so many young people in America.
However, looking around, they found that when they went in, they drank and made merry, and when they went out, they pursued fame and fortune.
Those with ambitions are merely looking to earn a few more silver dollars; those with ideals are simply seeking a place to live.
This is not the fault of the youth, but rather a consequence of the times.
I observe three major ills in American society:
First, there's the issue of superficiality. Everyone talks about stocks and investing, as if getting rich overnight is a given. Little do they know that castles in the air will eventually collapse.
Secondly, it shows shortsightedness. The entire nation is driven by self-interest. Today's politicians are busy assigning official positions and seizing benefits; who cares about what will happen ten or a hundred years from now?
Thirdly, prejudice. Judging people by their skin color and determining their fate by their birth. Anyone outside of WASP is considered an outsider. Irish, Italians, Jews, and Poles are trapped in the cage of discrimination day after day, unable to escape.
Given such a society and such a prevailing atmosphere, it is impossible to expect young people not to fall into depravity.
However, countless outstanding young people in the United States are also trapped by their environment, their lack of knowledge, or their careers, suffering from pain, confusion, and frustration. They do not want to spend their days drinking and seeking pleasure; they also want to do something meaningful for their country and for humanity.
Therefore, "New Youth" is launched today.
The purpose of this publication is not to please readers or promote personal opinions, but rather to:
First, independence. Do not blindly follow or echo others. Rely on reason and facts.
Second, progress. We must not be conservative or retreat. We must discard the outdated and corrupt, and embrace the fresh and vibrant.
Third, be honest. Do not conceal anything, do not be hypocritical. Do not flatter those in power, and do not distort the truth for personal gain.
Fourthly, we are international. We are neither narrow-minded nor arrogant. We unite the youth of the world as one group to seek progress together.
And these are precisely what we are pursuing; we welcome ambitious young people to join us.
Although he stumbled along the way, the middle-aged man finished reading it quickly.
How to put it? He felt like something had suddenly been stuffed into his head, and he was pinned to his seat, unable to move at all.
The tram continued its leisurely journey, and the view outside the window changed from skyscrapers to rows of old-fashioned houses.
In the nearby factory area, chimneys belched black smoke, and the utility poles beside the railway tracks flashed by in the blink of an eye.
After a while, he finally snapped out of his reverie and couldn't help but sigh.
"Well done, buddy!"
His voice wasn't loud, but his strange actions quickly attracted the attention of those around him, who were also young men.
He was wearing a uniform and looked to be in his early twenties. Seeing this, he came over out of curiosity and asked, "Sir, what are you looking at?"
The middle-aged man smiled, noticing the curious looks directed at him, and then explained:
"I just found a good newspaper."
The young man became interested: "Really? What's your name?"
"New Youth." The middle-aged man turned the newspaper over and pointed to the masthead.
The young man looked it over and said, "Never heard of it. Is this newly established?"
"It should be. Take a look at this article." The middle-aged man handed over the newspaper, pointing to the inaugural editorial. "It's so well-written! So bold! It completely exposes the ills of our country. Although it's just the inaugural editorial, it's really excellent!"
The young man took it, quickly scanned a few lines, then slowed down and read it line by line.
His brows furrowed and relaxed at times, and his lips moved slightly, as if he were muttering something.
The tram passed another stop, paused briefly, and a few people boarded.
As they approached the station, the young man handed the newspaper back to the middle-aged man, and his expression changed instantly.
"Sir," he said slowly, "where can I buy this newspaper?"
"They're everywhere along Hanover Street."
"I'll remember this name, thank you." The young man hurriedly got off the bus.
P.S.: It's the weekend again! Don't sleep in, get up and go hiking!