Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1871-06-29

ing them untitled for any others.
There is an unlimited demand for
persons in this great country; but it
is in productive labor. The general
training units persons for this. All
know that the habits and the bodily
hardihood for physical labor must be
begun young. Also to acquire skill
in any trade it is necessary to begin
to learn young. This is the essen
tial feature of education, and there
fore all other education must be
adapted to it. It does not condemn
them to an inferior education, nor to
an inferior place. On the contrary,
it is easily practicable to combine
schooling with this essential train
ing, so that the youth shall have the
substantial foundation of an educa-
ton, and the means OF raising him.
self to any degree of intelligence, Oh
fitting himself for any position.
Let parents reflect whether, when
they give their children this substah-
tial foundation for success in life, by
providing them with certain means OF
earning living, they will not at the
same time give them a much greater
chance of raising themselves above
the necessity of hard work, than if
they had cast them upon the world
with no capacity for doing any thing
save in those branches where there is
always a great floating surplus of the
same helpless sort.
/ The parent who brings up a son
without training him in some sure
means of earning living, does him
a great wrong. Nothing can justify ii
but to leave him enough to live on,
or capital by which he can enter into
business
But here we come in contact with
one of the bad features Of our pres
ent labor system. 1t lacks decent
way of teaching youth the mechanic
arts. They find both workmen and
employers against them in learning
trades The workmen are hostile
because they think it substitutes
cheap apprentice work for theirs, and
because it increases the number OF
workmen, and this increases compe-
tition. The employers are not op-
posed to the introduction of appren-
tices, but would keep them back in
the higher parts of the trade, lest
they may leave them and demand
full wages before their time. The
d-fashioned apprentice system,
when boy had to be bound for
from five to seven years or more, to
learn trade, was bad enough. The
greater intelligence created by the
greater diffusion of education, and
the loosening of the habit of subor-
dination, have pretty much dissolved
this system, and have not created
any thing reliable IN the place of it
And in modern times there has enter
ed into this matter the cruel policy OF
the trades unions to restrict the num-
Der of apprentices; policy which, if ii
could be carried out, would condemn
a large portion of the rising genera
ton to beggary. A decent reliable
system, by which the mechanic arts
can be acquired, is one of the great
wants of our labor and social sys-
tens. The want of it excludes s
multitude who would otherwise have
acquired this reliable means of earn.
ing living. ass~.1 ..f"E .saa1
1t is an object TO which the work
ingmens' societies should devote
their most earnest attention. For
surely, they cannot expect to carry
out the policy of excluding theil
children from the means of liveli
hood. And it is for their protection
that a thorough system shall be es
tablished. 1t is public want which
is more imperative than any Other
branch of education. It is not only
worthy the consideration of our pub
lie men, but it demands their atten
ton. It is possible to provide a way
by which the mechanic arts may be
learned by all corners, on terms fail
to them and just to the full workmen
a system which, instead of treating
an apprentice as if he had no rights
that employer or full workmen are
bound to respect, and making the
learning of trade as great hard.
ship as possible, will give him JUS
protection, fair treatment, and make
the entry into the trades attractive tc
the Industrious and enterprisine
youth of the land. We doubt if any
one will deny that such system i:
practicable. Surely no rejecting
mind will deny its necessity, nor the
benefcent change it would work il