Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1868-07-17

ing and selling furs. He knew it, not -
clerk might have known IL he knew i as
n man knows the trade 20 which he mas
served long apprenticeship under aw"'e"-
full and exacting master.
Another case in point was the first koths-
child, who, from his Twelfth TO his twenty
seventh year, laboriously acquired
knowledge of money, first as orrand-Doy
and money-counter to his father, and ai'er-
wards as bankers clerk.
Girard, too, was thorough sailor before
he ever owned ship, and was porsohaly
familiar with most of the commercial pofts
long before he ever consigned cargo to one
of them.
There is my valued friend, John Cor
ham, of Providence, the head of the larg-
est manufactory of silver ware in the
world. He did not go into his fathers
counting-room as clerk, but into his IA
theirs shop as an apprentice; and he learn
ed how to do with his own hands whatever
he has since had to direct others in doiifs.
But such examples are numberlessf Any
my acquaintance with business mon teach
es me that the fundamental secret of sue
cess in business is knowledge-rea knowl-
edge-such knowledge as is only acquired
by becoming practically familiar with
methods and processes-such knowledge,
in fact as n man gets by taking hold of
work, and doing it until he can do it eas-
ly and perfectly.
There is a noble establishment in Broad
way, where many of us go, occasionally,
Ill nc
was in the grand upper room Of this pal
ace-lilIe store, while was being measured
for a coat, that conceived the idea of writ
ing this article. In well-conducted estab-
lishments of every kind you will notice
the same faces year after year for able
men naturally gather able men around
them, and employers and employed, by re-
ciprocal Justice and courtesy, become at
tached to one another, and have neither
motive nor desire to sever the connection.
And vet, on that occasion, seeing around
me the same skilful and obliging persons
that / had seen there ten years before,
could not but reflect how little chance they
had to advance from clerkship TO MASTER
ship.
or seventeen should propose to himself as
an object in life, to become the proprietor
of an establishment like this-what would
be the shortest and likeliest path for him
to strike into?"
feel certain that the best thing he could
do would be to apprentice himself to a
good tailor, and learn all there is to be
known about the making of clothes. Hav
ing acquired that acknowledgement with his
head only but with his fingers as we'll
nothing would be easier than to set up
small shop. Now, what is the difference
between a small tailor-shop (well placed
and well conducted) and the overshadow-
ing clothing houses of Brooks or Devlin?
Why nothing but thirty years of growth
The knowledge which clerk acquires is
part of the indispensable equipment of a
man of business; but it is far from being
so vital to grand success as that which
comes of true apprenticeship. Gibbon
says, that going out with the militia on
training days was of material assistance to
him in writing theshistory of the great Ro-
man wars. Just giving the word of COM
mand to few companies of country mil
itia let him into the secret of complicated
battles and great campaigns.
Learn trade, then, lads, you who aspire
to do something creditable aud substantial
during your life. Would you be an archi-
tect. and build the new Capitol west of the
Mississippi Well, then, go apprentice to
the best carpenter or mason within your
reach. Do you wish to be a sculptor, and
vet cannot pay a masters fee? Instead of
pining in your mothers chimney corner,
90 to the nearest stone-cutter's and cut
tombstones.
The educating effect of learning a good
trade has never been sufficiently consid-
cred.
Why do we have nowadays, so many
smpering, foolish girls about, who know
nothing, can do nothing, and are nothing?
They have been at school long enough to
get little knowledge, and they do not ap-
pear to be wanting in natural capacity
and yet so empty are they of sense and re-
Election, that, often when / look into their
expressionless countenances, find it diff
ficult to believe in the Immortality of their
souls. 1t seems more reasonable TO think
that such abortive efforts of Nature would
be quietly absorbed or dissipated, like the
leaves which flutter to the ground and arc
no more seen.
What is the matter with these poor crca-
lures? The matter is: they have never
boiled potatoes, ironed clothes, made pud.
dings, cleaned paint, made beds, nor in
any other way seriously applied their minds
and hands to the exact and skilful per.
formance of homely tasks. They have
missed the precious education which comes
of carefully done work. If any good soul
would take half dozen of these unfortu.
nate beings, and give them good three
years drill in the work of Il well ordered
house, the educating effect would be as
tonishing to every one who knew them
You cannot boil an egg precisely righ
without getting little education out of it
Compare the mechanics in the Novelt,
Works with the clerks in Stewards store
The clerks are excellent fellows; they lool
WELL dress well, understand their busines,
and are in every respect worthy members
of society; but our best mechanics have /
certain force of manhood, a weight of char
acter, and depth of reflection rarely seer
in those who only buy and sell.
| should be sorry to say anything to dis
parage our institutions of learning. Ney
ertheless, feel confident that an intelli
gent youth, who remains at school until h,
is sixteen or seventeen, and then appren
tices himself TO "A good trade, can get a bet
ter education out ofhis shop with an hour
study of principles in the EVENING" than /
is possible to get in any college in exist
} ence-that is to say, better education fo
this new and forming country, where fo
= fifty years at least to come, no man ca,
hope to play leading part, except in WELD
| ing material forces.
say, then, lads of sixteen, if you woul,
| lay foundation for sure prosperity. bo
: gin by learning trade. If you woul,
t escape the perdition of being fool, learn
trade. If you would do "A mans part lo
: your country, begin the work of prepara
| tion by learning trade.