Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1859-04-21
Choice Mlistellang.
lFrom The New Ye K WaverIy-l
STORY OF REAL LIFE.
HY sKETcRER.

Father, shsnt be a carpenter when
get Old enoughp
why. my son!' asked Mr. Held.
sOh, became should like to be one. Ned
Cameron is going to be, and want to-
"A carpenleTr exclaimed Mrs. Held, in
astonishment; 'why, Douglass, you must be
crazy. No you shall not'
why not, mother'
Because it is vulgar, like all ether trades,
and only fit for poor peoples scus.' .'-
But. mother, Ned Cameron's parents are
not poor, and they are willing for him to be
one.'
oh, Mr.. ard Mrs. Cameron's fathers
were mechanics, and that accounts for their
sulgarity of tastes
sWell, mother, have often heard father
say that your grandfather was mechanic
and
silence! child. Once :or all, | tell you
that you shall not be mechanic. You must
either be doctor or lawyer, or something
else that is genteel.'
Yes, my SON. joined in Mr.. Held
wouldn't you sooner be doctor, and ride
stout In your carriage, or a lawyer, and be-
come distingu shed orator, than 10 De al
ways attending to the shaping out OF wood,
or the raising of housesP
We'll, don't know, father. | should like
very much to be a carpenter, but if you think
I could not be gentleman at the same time
why, shall give up the idea.'
Mr.. and Mrs Held, between whom, snd
their only child, the above conversation
took place, were people of moderate fortune,
residing in the city OF Phiiadelphia. Like
too many others, they had imbihed the
senseless opinion-ifwe may be allowed SO
10 express ourselyes-that Of all things, a
mechanical trade was the most vulgar, and
that if they wished their son to be gentle
man, he must cara livelihood, not by his
hand., or by his hands and brains, but by his
brains alone. 1t is q curious notion this,
that parents have, and yet what is still more
curious, when they come to this conclusion,
they never coucefn themselves to know
whether or not be possesses enough of the
latter article to support him in life. And
ninety times out of hundred, the child has
not; though ii was not SO in the present
case. for Douglass Held who was now four.
teen years of age, gave indications of poss-
-essing quick and powerful intellect. Yes,
we say it is curious notion parents have
that q mechanic cannot be gentleman
Why the most perfect gentleman that eve1
lived on earth, was He who came to sole
that we might live,' and he was mechanic
Yes. he who died on Calvary, deemed it moi
beneath his dignity to 'earn his bread BY
the sweat of his brow and he, it is declares
in holy writ, was gentleness itself. In hi'
life on earth, he set to man a true exampl,
OF the character of gentleman, and he wh'
does his best to initiate it, be he rich or poor
is owner of the title. Why then, do parents
Withhold their sons from trades! Why d
they sneer at the appeliation of mechanics
Is It one to be ashamed of, when He VIII
was greater than all on earth was not! Be
sides. let such parents look upon the histur
OF this, the most enlightened country in tn
world. and mark upon it's pages its create.
men. What were theyl The greater ma
jqrity of them were mechanics, and almos
all of them have isboIed for their suFpvI
with their hsnGs. Nay, look at the greu
men Of other nstions-the truly great
trace their histories back, and you will fin
the same result. But TO our story.
Mr.. and Mrs. Cameron's conduct was d.
ferent from the Hield's. When their 50
expressed wish to become mechan,
shey did not oppose him in that wish, an
endesy0y TO force him into a profession f,
which he bad no inclination. They wei
as wei, TO DO in the worlG ss the HELD
and could with IS much ease have supports
their child through the course of studies r,
quisite for lawyer, or physician, but the
deemed neither more respectable than
trade. Besides, they knew that whstev
the young mind is bent upon, that it W
pursue with avidity, and raise it's owner
at Ieast maintain him in life.
Three years rolled by since the convers
tion recorded above between the Held fal