The emigrant aid journal of Minnesota. [volume] (Nininger City, Minn. Terr. [i.e. Minn.]) 1856-1858, 1858-02-24

When mechanic determines upon leaving England
for the United States be does in most from
wish TO better his circumstances and witt something
like consciousness of qualification for his undertaking
sometimes, indeed from necessity, and occasionally
from motives of curiosity-having desire to
country Of which he has heard much but about in
all good portion of vanity may be said to be mix
ed up with his purposes and his intentions. He fances
he possesses, to a familiar phrase, and i'm
proved mode of sucking the gg'-that he shall suc
ceed least we if better than his fellows If
he should happen, however, to be little too sanguine
in this respect he stands very fair chance Of being
egregously disappointed. The author we'll recol
lects among his fellow passengers on his voyage out
worthy of Crspn, who expected by his superative
skill to make fortune almost in time but when he
discovered only that all persons boots and Shoes
but that good might be procured at reasonable
prces-when he dropped upon of the immensely
stocked stores and found the supply at least equal to
the demand-he saw to his infinite modification, there
something wrong in his calculations; but scared
outright at beholding the mammoth sign Boo stand
ing story high at the entrance of the stores made
all out Of leather be turned upon his heel and in de-
spair wended his way back to his native isle SO like
wise with clockmaker Of the writer's acquaintance
who went out to the States with the very laudable n-
tention Of supplying good and cheap indication Of time
to every one but perceiving 90 where he would,
that he had been anticipated by the wooden of the
Connecticut manufacturers who could furnish useful
and highly ornamental article at half his price, the
warmth of his hopes fell at to zero and he quickly
followed in the wake of the discounted cordwainer
These, it must be confessed are extreme cases but
it is question whether all or less tinctur
ed with something Of this vanity of opinon and of
pectaton and therefore liable occasionally consider
able disappointment 1t cannot be denied however, that
the majority of those who 60 the United States
possessed of skill and intellect, and industry far
above the common average OF mechanics.
If the mechanic finds himself deceived by misrepre-
sentatons by his mscaculatons, if times cir
cumstances should be against him, which sometimes
they let him abandon the business he has been bred
processes and try his hand least for period
something else likely to turn out productive In
most places he will find that it requires but very
little perseverance to provide himself with remuncratve
employment, independent of his regular trade. Any
thing better than ideness should the adventurer,
too many do if not Immediately successful 20 back
and then by returning incur the expense and loss of time
attendant upon double voyage, after all having no
greater certainty of obtaining employment than before
Better to give things fair trial. The American saying
in all cases Of doubt, difficulty danger is, never give
up the ship-let him adopt the maxim and act up to
it, is beyond doubt that mechanic possesses in the
United States many advantages in his business which he
would not meet with elsewhere. The British colonies
may to be offer chances little resembling
but in these the demand limited to particular business
cs while in the States the field far more open There
also mechanic meets with distractions his talent
established opposition to his interests but very little
in the shape Of prejudice and with certainty Of almost
unlimited employ, is of making his way We
should also without delay learn to get up the steam
it is termed, for he will find his account in it.
Labor is trife in the United States whoever goes
there with such supposition will find himself most
fully Disappointed mechanics work harder and labor
in most occupations is greater generally speaking than
in any other part of the world. Everything in fact
nected with trade business to proceed sort
Of railroad pace all at the very top Of their speed
at kind Of high pressure rate go along steam
boat, is the familiar expression Of one to the other
age offer no diference-the impulse is common
to all The American workman has quick and ridding
method of getting through his labor; to of his
expressive terms, slick mode which he invari-
ably practices and much to the astonishment also of
most Europeans Even native Of Great Britain ac-
customed he is to quick style Of work, at least by
comparison with the artisan Of other countries, falls far
short of what he with amongst his transatlantic
brcthren- Mechanics and Laborers Guide tn the Uni
ted States.