Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1869-02-19
WHY Don't Bows Learn Trades?

LUG L ulldueIpAld AeOye' justly Ieuai No
that the present generation of young men
seems to have strong aversion to every
kind of trade. business. calling, or occu-
patton that requires manual labor, and an
equal strong tendency toward some so
called "genteel'' employment or profess
sion. The result is seen in superabun-
dance of elegant penmen. book-keepers,
and clerks of every kind who can get no
employment, and are wasting their lives
in the vain pursuit of what is not to be
had; and terrible overstock of lawyers
without practice and doctors without pa
tients.
The passion on the part Of the boys and
young men to be clerks, Office attendants,
messengers, anything, so that it is not
work of the kind that will make them me-
chanics or tradesmen, is deplorable sight
to those who have full opportunities to
see the distressing effects of it in the
struggle for such employments by those
unfortunates who have put it out of their
power to do anything else by neglectiDg
to learn some permanent trade or business
in which trained skill can always be
turned to account The applications for
clerkships and similar positions in large
establishments are numerous beyond any,
thing that would be thought of by those
who have no chance to witnessit Parents
and relatives. as we'll as the boys and
young men themselves, seem to be afflict-
ed with the same infatuation. To all
such we say, that the most unwise advice
you can give to your boy is to encourage
him to be clerk or book-keeper. At
fthe best, it Is noe a well. paid occupation.
Very frequently it is among the very poor
est This is the case when the clerk is
fortunate enough to be employed; but if
be should happen to be out of place. then
comes the weary search, the fearful strug-
gle with the thousands of others looking
for places. the never-ending disappoint-
ments, the hope deferred that makes the
heart sick. the strife with poverty, the
humiliations that take all the manhood
out of the poor souls. the privations and
suferings Of those who depend upon his
earnings, and who have no resource when
he is earning nothing. No father. no
mother. no relative should wish to see
their boys or kindred wasting their young
lives in striving after the genteel positions
that bring such trials and privations upon
them in after life.
How do these deplorably false notions
as to choice of occupation get into the
heads of boys? Why do they or their
parents consider it more ''genteep or de-
sirable to run errands. sweep out Offices.
make fires, copy letters, etc.. than >to
make hats or shoes. or lay bricks. or WELD
the saw or jackplane, or handle the ma
chinist's file, or the blacksmith's hammer?
We have heard that some of them get
these notions at school, If this be true,
it is sad perversion of the means of edu-.
cation provided for our youth, which are
intended to make them useful, as well as
intelligent members of society, and not
useless drags and drones. Should it be
so, that the present generation of boys get
it into their heads that, because they have
more school learning and book accom-
plishment than their fathers had, they
must therefore look down upon the trades
that require skill and bandicraft, and
whose productions make up the vast mass
of the wealth Of every country, then it is
time for the controllers and the directors
to have the interior walls of our school
houses covered with maxims and notices
warning them against the fatal error.