The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1868-07-18
The Importance of learning I
Ti'0de.

We do not Intend, under this heading, TO speak
Of the importance of becoming all apprentice to
any mechanical business, but of the importance
of earning-acquiring- trade, Of becoming
workman at the business chosen 1t is not
enough that young man goes INTO shop and
works for longer or shorter period as
neophyte, but that he becomes master Of the
rudiments of his business. The country is filled
with unfinished mechanics, every trade is
overburdened with the miserable hangers on
who, protesting acknowledge ola business, bring
it into disrepste by their incompetency. There
is no bond in this country, by which a master can
control the time Of an apprentice for period
sufficient to remunerate the employer for the los
ses sustained in the early stages of the apprentice
ship, or 10 give the apprentice proper knowl-
edge of his business. The apprentice is free to
leave his master and employment whenever, in
his opinion, he has collected scraps, enough of
superficial knowledge to set up as an independent
worker He becomes dissatisfied with the char
acter of his work or the amount of compensation
and, finding other work and larger pay, he quits
his masters employment just when his services
have begun to be valuable, thus committing a
fraud upon his employer and doing great in
| jury TO himself.
In no case is the term required to learn a
trade too long. According to the value and
difficulties of the business, it varies from three TO
seven years. and the most faithful and observant
apprentice, after having filled his full term OF
| apprenticeship, finds he has much to learn before
be can honestly claim to be entirely and thorough
ly competent For at least few months the ap-
prentice is constant source Of anxiety and ex-
pense. From want Of experience, or from heed
lessness or dislike to the particular job given
him, he breaks tools and ruins work enough in a
week to cover all the profits of his work for
months. The employer bears with this, patient
ly as the case may be, in the hope that during
the last part of the novitiates apprenticeship he
may reap some return from the profits of his
work. Under such circumstances it must be
very vexatous to have an apprentice leave just
| when he is becoming, in some measure, useful.
| Yet it is common occurrence in this country
| Apprentices seem too often to be devoid of con-
science and wanting in the principles of COM
mon honesty.
Nor is such conduct of any real permanent
advantage to the apprentice. He becomes the
Bohemian of the workshop, waif driven hither
and thither, having smattering OF knowledge
and yet understanding no one thing thoroughly.
His services are not sought he is only "Jack-
at-a-pinch," to be used merely to fill space
otherwise empty Scores of such half baked
mechanics can be picked up any day they in
fest shops, torment employers, and disgrace the
business they falsely profess TO understand.
They are industrial vagrants, if such term is
permissible, to be Stunned and despised by
every honorable workman. Unstable as wa
ter, they cannot excel"
The ambition of the apprentice to be ranked
among journeymen is q laudable one when proper
ly directed but canonly be realized by an honest
and persistent sticking to his obvious and plain
duties. If he ever expects to teach he must first
be taught if be desires to direct he should submit
to direction What this country needs in the
industrial arts is finished workman. They are
scarce and always in demand. competent
and intelligent workman is seldom wanting
good job. When business is slack the incompe-
tents are first discharged; while the valuable
workman is kept often at aserious pecuniary loss
to his employers simply because it is difficult to
fill his place
These considerations have nothing new in
them but because they are so trite and hackney
ed they are not enough considered oy apprentl-
ces We earnestly invite their attention to the
subject, believing it will be to their present and
prospective advantage to deal honestly in this as
well as other respects Scientific american.