The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1867-02-22
Misfsll
GOOD ADVICE.

GOOD ADVICE.
The extreme scarcity Of boys who arc
desirous or willing to learn some good
irade is yearly causing moro and more
complaint In ever. large city like Boston
and New York, there seem to DO hundreds
Of young men and boys seeking for EN-.
ploymcnt in mercantile pursuiis-an hon.
orublc enough ambition, but one which,
In the present over abundance Of clerk,
and low ebb Of salaries, Is likely to end in
thelserious embarrassment if no, ruin of,he
applicants. At the same time, our me-
chanics are obtaining fair wages, and skill.
ell hands can command almost their own
prices, but the proprietor Of q machine
shop, foundry, or other branch Of mechan.
ical business, where hard labor forms one
Of the necessities Of the trade, finds APP
prcntices hard to get, and harder still to
kecp.
We have seen something Of this, per
sonally, says the N. Z. Farmer. An ad-
vrrisemen, for an Office boy brings from a
dozen to twentyiboys about the door, be-
fore the opening..of the Office. and as ma.
ny more applying through the day. A
young man Of our acquaintance, answer,
ing an advertisement for clerk, on apply.
ing at the advertised place fire minutes al;
ter the hour fixed, found s,rtsen applieani'
before him, and afterwards asccrtained tina,
one hundred more applied after no Lett
Young men about leaving country home,
for the the city, without any employment
secured, would do well to ponder thes,
facts.
The following advice, which We meet
with in contemporary, is pertinent and
worthy Of consideration:
The want Of skilled labor is the great
necessity Of this country at the present
time. Notwithstanding the deprecated
condition OF the currency, tho heavy taSa-
ton, and tho high prices which rule through
the whole range Of material, the industry
Of thc'country is hampercd more by the
difficulty Of obtaining skilled laborers than
by any other one thing. No man with q
indc needs to be idle, or work for small
wages between Maine and California. The
explanation of this is the general disinclin.
alton among American boys to learning =
trade in which time and patience arc re-
quircd to become skilled workman. The
boys are ambitious to become doctors, law
yers and storekcePers, or they are in hur
~ to begin TO make good wages ut once.
They oil want situations where the work j,
light and The pay liberal, and the idea Of
tying ones self down to q mechanical
trade for three or four years is, to say the
least. no, inviting.
There is another reason for the great
scarcity Of skilled labor just now.-Tbou'
sands, yes, hundreds Of thousands Of boys
went into the army during the late war, in
stead Of going to learn trades, as they would
have done had there been no war. When
they were mustered out, those OF them who
lived through the war, were either too old
to learn trades, or had hit upon what they
believed to he an easier way to get living
A great many Of them became spectators
in various commodities, and thus help TO
increase the price Of living. instead Of con-
tribuiing to the means Of the country for
purchasing.
But though VIC believe that the war is
in thi, way responsible in part for the pres
cnt scarcity Of skilled labor, we look with
no little anxiety upon the growing disin-
elinaiion Of our boys to perform manual Ia
Dor and to spend the necessary time to learn
trades. lf man wants ono boy to tend
an Office or store he is ovenun with nppli-
cants; but no will find ], quite difficult per.
haps to find such hoy As he wants to
learn tra.lc. Tie boys make great mis-
take in this. We should like To say To cv-
cry lad who is dependent upon his own eI-
ertions Learn trade learn to do some.
thing. anl learn to do j, thoroughly; let
the subject Of present wages bc seconda'
~ consideration by learning to do some
thing you viii secure work and good wa
grs in the future; you will never regret II
YOU win always feel that You have place
in the world, and, though you mny not nj
ways work At your trnle, you will have
something to fall back upon should you be
unfortunate in business. We know Of no
more pi,ifi,l case than that Of man who
takes upon himself the responsibility OF n
family without knowing how to do some
thing that will secure him employment.
lie builds his house on the sand bat the
man who has good trade builds upon n
solid foundation.