Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1869-02-19
"wANTiID--.AC CLERK, :,
The Isufh for Gcntcci oc-
cupntion--A Life Of Pow
cl'ty Preferred to Manly
and independent Toll.

The Philadelphia Ledger saws: A
few days ago, n gentleman advertised
I'm This paper for n clerk, and request
ed applicants Ia address their notes
tn him ut the Lodgcr office. BY the
close of the first day on which tie
advertisement appeared, there were
four bundled and eighteen applicants
f"r this ore clcI kship. This afforded
most for lille illustration Of theeX-
tent to which the occupation of clerk
ing and b0nk Keeping IL 0vprstocked
in this city Bot few months pre-
vious, the head of n business estah-
lishncnt, who wished some help ia
the way of writing, hut in which
some literary ability VAS required,
advertised tor M assistant, nj n mode
rate salery, and having incidentIy
mentioned TINT the position might
suit lawyer or physician not in
g"Wi practice, got more than lnlu-
dred applications, or which Hfty-
thIee were from young lawyers aud
doctors. Here was anDiher illuStru.
tion of an orer.supply of the profess
si0nal or ''genteel occupations" An
other advertiser In the Ledger, who
wanted a person 10 take charge of the
editorial work of weekly paper, got
6fy-seven applications, NOT more than
half d"zen Of the applicants being
recognized newspaper writers, but
nearly all of them teing clerks, book
Keepers and professional men. Still
another advertised lor two appren.
tices in "a wLeeiwright and smith
shop, in one of the semi rural wards
OF the city, requesting applicants To
give their address and age. He got
three applications, but in every case
the applicant was too old, two Of
them being over eighteen, and one
nearly twenty Still another adver-
tiscd for an office boy, about fourteen
years old, and had SO many april
cants that his place was crowded for
more than five hours, and the appIi-
cants were of all ages, from mere
children not more than twelve years
old to full grown men OF twenty one.
These are not very cheerful or en-.
couraaing signs. They are such,
however, as every man aud woman
In Philadelphia sbonld give attention
ID. The present generation OF young
men seem To have strong AVERSION
To every kind of trade, business, cali
ing or occupation that requires man
ual labor, and an equally strong
tendency towards some So. called
''gentetih employment or profession.
The result Is seen In suclf lainentable
facts as those above stated-a supera-
bundance OF elegant peimen, book
keepersand clerks Of every kind who
can get no employment and are vast
ing their lives In the vain pursuit OF
what Is not 10 be had and terrible
oyerstnck of lawyers without practice
and doctors without patients. Tie
passion on the part of boys and
young men to he clerks, Office attend.
ants, messengers. anything SO that il
l. not work oi tile kind that will
make them mechanics or tradesmeu,
IL deplorable sight to those VINO
have full opportunities to see the
distressing effects of 1t In the strsig-
gle for such employmenis by those
unfortunates WHO have put Il. out Of
their power TO do anything else, by
neglectfng 10 learn some permanent
trade or business in which, trained
skill can always be turned To account.
The applications for cIerksl,ips and
similar positions In large establish
ments are numerous beyond any
thing that would be thought OF by
those who have no chance TO witness
IL. Parents and relatives, as well as
the boys and young men themselves,
seein TO he afflicted with the sume IN
fatuation. To all such we say, that
the most unwise advice you can give
to your boy IL 10 encourage him to be
a clerk or boos-koeper.~ AT the