Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1869-08-14
Teach Your Iioys a Trade.

OF l3,i0S prisoners in the poni'
tentiarics oil thirty States in 1857,
according TO the report Of tho Pris.
on Association just issued, IL per
cent, moro than three quarters, had
not learned n trade. Hero is text
from which DIR. Franklin could have
preached a fOrciblo sermon TO pa.
rents.
A man who has a good trade has
IN independence. lilo has need on
ly TO DO honest and diligcnt TO &C.
euro a competence. Bread and but.
ter arc suro for him wherever ho is.
lIc il sure always Of higher wages
than ho who has no trade; and il
his genius and enterprise lead him
into somc other calling, il is always
n satisfaction to know that in case
of misfortune ho can return 10 his
trado. lilo has that at any rate
failure in business cannot deprive
him of it.; his spcculations may
break down, but ho has nm anchor
10 lceward, ms tho sailors say; his
subsistence and that of his family
are suro.
Tho time was when II was not
thought reputable for parents to
leave their children without trades
unless they belonged to the class
of gentry. In France, before tho
revolution. this providcnt sentiment
or instinct was so strong that even
the children of tho mobiles wcro in
somc cases taught somo light handi-
craft, and whom tho storm camo, and
thoy were expelled from their homes
and deprived of thcir fortunes, many
of them subsistcd by tho trades they
had amused themselves with in more
prosperous days.
In this country, whore fortunes,
quickly gained, are also quickly
lost, it is still moro necessary and
prudent that every young man
should learn useful trade, and learn
it Thoroughly. No mans future is so
secure here but that ho would do
wisely to have his boys--and his
girls, too, for that mattor-taught n
trade.
But, instead of that, even the chill
dren of mechanics and shopkcepcrs
arc very seldom "put TO trado, "as
tho phrase used to bo. Thoy are
mado crrand boys in Offices, than
which no more hopeless employment
could be found for a boy. Or they
become clerks, shopmon or statesmen;
or, if they must go to work, they |
change about from one trade to an
other, and becoming jacks at all
trades and masters at not ono. Go |
where you please, and you hear COM
plaints-well founded, too-of the
incapacity of workmcn; go among
tho workers and you find too often
that they dospise their work, and
are sluggards who seek to do rs lit
tlo as possible, and get as much as
they can eXtort.
For numbers of years there has
been q run on clekships and petty
shopkccpers places. These employ
ments are filled to ovorfowing. A
suro way to crowd n street and crc-
lto mob is to advertise for an Office
boy or clerk. We wonder that it
locs not occur to parents that they
could not do better for their boys
Ihan make them thorough artisans,
in some useful and indispensable
branch. A competent carpenter
sots at least three times tho pay of
! clcrk, docs not work so many
hours a day, is much moro his own
master, and is run after, where the
clerk must anxiously solicit employ
mcnt. A really thorough workman
IN any useful trado may count upon
steady and wcll-paid work all the
year round, in any part of the coun
try, even in these dull times and if
nc is intelligent, as a good workman
IS sure to be, no need not work as
ourneyman any longer than he
likes.
Then tho world is open TO him
He may be journoyman, literally,
Ior if he is only competent he may !
20 from city to city, from county TO
all over the country, and find
ready employment anywhere
There is nothing this country now
needs so badly as competent, intelli-
rent artisans. From Europe we get
as correspondent shows
elsewhere, commonday laborers and
arm laborers there, too, it seems
hat the good cid fashion ofaPPrcn
icing a boy to a trade has gonc out.
Shrcwd foresight then would lead
/ father TO put his boy TO good
rade. and 10 take care that he learns
d thoroughly. That acquired, he
,an with a good heart tell the young
nan TO 20 ont into The world 90 shift
For bimsclf, with the words which
We us.sl 10 read, coming from hard !
working fatbcr % bis son, 4 have
given you - much as ! can Afford,