Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1870-02-17
fur tie gtaug fulks.
Some Coed Talk for BOYS

The following, from the Detroit Free
Press is worthy to be read and re-read
by every boy in the land, until he has
the words in his memory and the
thoughts in his mind so thoroughly
that neither can be forgotten:
"Wanted-A good, steady boy of about
sixteen years of age, to learn the print
er's trade. A boy from the country
preferred must have a passable En-
glish education, and come with his mind
made up to learn the trade"
The above is from the st. Joseph coun-
ty Mich, Democrat. The editor of that
paper wants 'good, steady boy, of
about sixteen years of age" to learn the
printing business; to commence at low
but reasonable wages ; to get the first
principles of manhood, and to lay the
foundation of a business life. He wants
boy who will come with mind made
up" to be manly, to give his employer
his whole time. instead of idling, or
shirking, who will work without watch
ing, who will study to please, to econO-
mise the property placed in his care.
who will be honest, who will stay in a:
nights, who will let liquor and sigars
alone-in fact the editor wants one of
the old fashioned lads, such as were our
grandsires,
Where will he find him? We ask the
question of every young man "about
sixteen years old" A "good steady
boy ~ Where is he? Where does he
live? Where can a letter reach his
parents? Where is the young man who
is willing to get at a business to make
business of it? The boy who will take
up trade, in preference to loafing about
the streets, ,seizing upon every new slang
word, every lOaferish expression, a-drag
upon bis father, q source of anxiety to
his mother, disgrace perhaps. "a boy
from the country preferred" All that
tells the story! The editor tells in those
words that a yoong man of sixteen who
has grown up in a village or city, expos
ed to and drinking in the vices of the
older and more wicked, will not suit
him. He does not regard him as trust
worthy, as calculated to ever make s
true man, as willing to listen to patient
instruction. But will boy from the
country do? Perhaps some may prove
faithful. The majority will work week,
month, perhaps two months and then,
and then, when they shall be able to
earn part of their wages, they get dis
satisfied, discouraged, get wrong ideas
of their own smartness and others ignor-
ance, and they go awayseldom, if ever,
to take up q new trade, but to become n
knot upon the tree of human life, of no
good to even themselves.
If that editor gets "good, steady
boy" one who will fill the place to his
you may look to see that
boy become a mana business mana
true man. He will be patient, economi-
cal, sober and industrious; he wiltshire
to excel, to understand without repeat
ed injunction, to get up the ladder high
er every month, and when he has i'm
ished his trade he will see that some one
ais o wants good steady man to assist
in managing paper-to take charge OF
an office-to become q partner in a pay
ing business.
1t is so in every business. 1t wants
those steady boys-boys who will learn
to grow up useful men-to become en-
ergetic, rushing, bustling atoms of the
business world instead of drifted splin-
ters of cast away wrecks. There is a
place in this great country for every
honest, industrious lad to learn trade
or do business at fair wages. 1t may be
hard to find position, for every day
that passes only serves to make employ
ers distrust more and more the modern
youth. But, let any lad with bold heart
to do right by himself and those who
would afford him chance. to lift him.
self into manhood and competence,
only say as much, only put away
the idea that work was never meant for
him, and 90 plainly down and say as
much to those for whom he would labor
and he will find open doors on every
side. What the world wants most, and
what is now the hardest to get, is"a
good, steady boy"