The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1871-11-03
.spprsntfceship or Crime.

noted with more or less alarm for sone
years past. A rapid and alarming chang
has taken place in American society.
Time was, and tHat not more than halt
a lifetime ago, when every boy 10 the
land, with hardly an exception, II dis
posed 70 be honest and industrious,
could find employment without grea'
difficulty in some shop where be could
learn trade, and receive, while learn
ing his trade, at least comfortable board,
decent cl thing, and, after year or tw',
some wages. We were then training
for useful hives OF productive industry
thousands on thousands Of American
lads in after days TO become American
mechanics, with far percentage of
future inventors, successful business
men, and statesmen among them.
In those days il builder waited h q
hundred carpenters, al leas nine'y-oine
of them would be Ame rlcap born and
American traiued. Or au hundred
shoomakers ninety I've :ouid be Amei.
lean born. And in the other trades,
similar percentage Of the operatives
would be American born. Now how
greatly this has been changed may De
seen everywhere. Most OF the mechsn.
ical trades are largely filled with toreign
work,ngmen who combine 70 prevent
their own children, born in this conn
try, as well as ours from learning their
trades. American mechanics are be
coming scarcer every year American
apprentices engaged 10 learning trades
are getting fewer and fewer. The trade
nuiops, by severely limiting the number
of apprentices far below the proper ra.
ito, are enforcing rule which is gradu-
ally extermiustlog American mechanics.
And 1t is becoWiug grave question
whether Americans are not losing the
mechanical trades, 50 that the universal
American hardness with tools, which
was once one of the peculiar boasts OF
the Republic, is now being rapidly lost
to the country.
Economically considered hardly any
graver mischief could happen to nation
than to have its citizens lose mecauicai
expertness, and become dependent upon
foreign skiled workmep. That invent
iveness upon which We have so long
prided ourselves as people, and which
has contributed so vastly to our prosper.
fly. must inevitably suffer when our
youth, with an inventive or mechanical
genius, find it difficult or impossible to
obtain appren, ceshipS ~ the mechanics
trades. Production vii! be cur,sied
gradually, when, Instead Of having q
population very largely composed OF
those engaged 10 mechanical and pro
duclive industries these industries BE-
come mere aud more mouopolies, m d
are strangled 10 the grasp of organize
tons whose interest it is to NIT the
number of workiOgmen, III order 10
maintain high wages for the favored few.
Already instances Of the bad fleet Of
this state OF things are becoming III
uerous, and may be Doticed by ,he in.
telligeDt observer.
But the social evils thus produced far
outweigh any economical considerations
In Harper's Weekly, the artist MAST
pictures the literal truth when be spows
an army Of young men besieging store
which has advertised that clerk IS
wanted, there being 30 trades union to
prevent any who are lucky enough to
get chance from becoming apprentice,
In that business; while a shop, whose
master has advertised for an American
mechanic has one solitary application
from an old fellow who was an appren.
ties years ego, when American boys had
chance to learn the trades. There l.
q direct, close, and plainly apparent
connection between crime and idleuess
If every boy and girl ia the country
h ID . chance to learn al honest trade.
and to earn an honest living. there
would be an instant and most extraordi-
nary diminution of criminal classes es.
pecialy among our youths. A large
proportion Of the youth OF the country
sre denied the opportunity of learning
1 Iiouc, VI VI Soib'bS "" hVheoe ''N'o6
by productive industry, however much
they may desire is. Thus condemned
to idleness they are the natural-prey of
vice. Society refuses them work and
society ought not to be surprised ii til y
take to theft, gambling, cheating, and
other vices aud crimes. If their pa
rents are not able to support them, they
are denied the priveledge Of supporting
themselves by honest labor; and the
result is almost inevitably life of crime.
These considerations are beginning to
attract the attention Of those who have
been hitherto blind or careless and it
is to be hoped that an adequate remedy
may be Doth suggested and enforced.
One remedy, 40 far as it goes, we are
convinced Is worth attention. Every
one Of our pauper establishments, wneth-
er it b. a city poor-houSo" or a couu.
try "poor farm" should have attached
to it an apprentice school, where all pau.
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