The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-10-02
DAILY PRESS.
ND.
MONDAY. OCTOBER 2, 1871.
se-WOrk and she-work.
A TALK FOR YOUNG FOLKS.
Bu Thomas K. Beecher

ny A""he~o Ia. DSeCHoT.
am alw Us sorry for a man that knows
how TO do but one thing. l gave ten dollars
to one who could speak and write five or six
different languages, and translate beautifully,
but in the middle of hard winter he could
not get living.
remember another man who bad preached
twenty-five years, till his throat failed him
and he used to 60 round looking very blue
and sad, until people piled HIM and made
little donation parties for him. because he
was good Tor nothing except to preach.
have met manv such men. One was a
wool-staper, but when there was no more
wool to solt, he was helpless as baby. An.
other one knew how to drill aad polish needle
eyes, but neither he nor had any needles to
drill or eyes to polish.
knew lady once that had taught school
Tor twenty years till she was a poor, nervous.
oroken-doWn woman. and really didn't know
now to make dress Tor herself
know man that wants to keep store
and he sits with his thumb in his month
waiting for store to come to him to be kent
heard OF minister who, when his peo-
p'e gave him horse and buggy, had to wait
for the deacon's wife to come over ana show
MIN how TO harness, for he didn't know TIE
bits from the crupper.
Now, boys and girls, every real man should
know how TO do one thing right well, and he
oEght to know how to do good many things
toleraby well.
Every wise farmer has principal crop; but
he alwaos puts IN little something else, SO
that If his main crop fails, he will have some
thing to live on. Don't carry all your eggs in
one basket. Dob't put all your moLey in
one pocket. If you want to get along right
well, learn one sort of work TO get living by,
and all sorts OF work to get along with when
your one port gives vat. 49,
wuen tree loses It's limbs by the wind or
your saw, it does not give up and die. Watch
it! 1t bursts out from underneath the old.
dry bark, with little ticks Of twigs which it
learned and laid away years ago when it was
sapling. OF course the tree chose three or
tour OF its twigs and lived by them; they
grew and it grew; but when they got twisted
off, tbe tee laughed and said, There's moi e
than one way TO get living" And so the
little things that it had not though of foi
twenty years began to grow, just as have
seen some men and women, when they cot
into trouble; they stirred around and went al
something that they used to do when they
were young.
That's the reason why go In for all sorts
of work. believe in boys learning how to
do girls work, and girls learning how to do
boys work.
remember once out in Indiana, before the
l ever saw. She could make pies, pickles and
preserves, roast Oeet and turkey; she coulJ
make beds and boque;s, paper rooms and
shake carpets; there was no end 10 the things
she could do. But one da, she was sick, aud
there were eight in the family, and no bread,
and no beef and nothing to eat, and nobody 10
do this woman's work, Hold on! Not so fast.
For remember washing day, and baking day,
and mending day, and that we men and boys
10 tnh haI 10 IN. of oI,O
ines, anl s'amped the clothes In the suds.
We rolled up our sleeves and washed our
hands wonderfully clean, and made bread ,and
while our hands were in we maze pies and
cake too. And Oh Thursday, think, the dear
woman was helped along famously, when We
held sort Of sewing society by her bedsid :
and sewed OIL buttons, and darned our sock:
and her stockings. l think the laugh did hel
good. And Tor Two Or three weeks we were
as jolly as sailors or soldiers, and got along
famousy.
Let girls learn to do boys work too. lent
my horse and wagon to q very nice girl not
long ago, and when she brought them home,
she hitched the horse to the post by the large
ring tnat the lines 60 through on the saddle
Or course the horse pulled, and broke the
halter, and did great damage.
Now, it seems to me that every girl should
learn to harness horse, and that every boy
should know how to darn stockings, and every
mason should learn the shoemakec's trade
and every tailor learn the carpenters trade
and everybody learn no " to do everything
lllle. and one or two things perfectly.
When we are young ana thrifty, we Cueh
| to start half-a-doZen more buds than we IN
| tend 10 have grow into branches. Boys an,
| girls fool away enough time to learn many
| Thing which may be of some use to them b.
| and by.
Il amt going to be girl and learn to sew.
| Yet sailors and soldiers are certainly mani,
enough, my boy; and have seen two Lund
| red sailors, some of them gray haired men
| sitting down on the clean decks OF q man-ot
wur, with, their -bass and ditty boxes u,akins
| their flannel shirts or blue caps, or white duel
trowsers, and embroidering anchors ant
| eagles, and other badges on their shirt collars
with white silk, just as quietly as so man
| sewing girls.
At West Point, too, where they take boy
and teach them to be perfect soldiers, the
have to learn, among other things, to cool
and make bread. and make their own he'd,
| and do their own sewing, and sweep, an
| dust; because you know sailor or a soldie
never knows where his duty may call him
and the man that knows how to do mos
/ things is the best sailor, the best soldier, tha
is to say, the most of man.
do not believe there is such thing as he
work or she-work. never saw a woman d,
mans work handily but liked her all th
better TOR it. And 1 never saw a man d,
woman's work neatly, but thonght the NOR
OF him; for you see that work is something
that needs TO be dous; and be who know
how to do most will have tie best chaEce I
make money, or, which, Is better still, MAX
himself feel like useful man.