The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1872-09-12
sOrry he did not Learn a Trade. .

A young man, well dressed and OF
Eprepossessing appearance, called al
our office recently and inquired in
great earnestness if we had employ
ment Of any kind to give him for
but a few days, if no longer, as he
was a stranger in the city, out-oi
money, and unable to pay for few
days board and lodging. He fur
ther stated that he was a book keep
er, hut after a diligent searcfs he
had found no one who wanted any
help in that line, nor could he ob
tain employment at anything that
he felt competent to perform in a
satisfactory manner. The positions
of clerk and book keeper, he remark
cd, were all filed, and applicants
for them far il excess of the de-
mand. Il am sorry, said he, that
1 did not learn a trade"
The appeals OF the young man
excited our sympathy, but, TeaaiF-
ing no farther assistance in the of
fec, we were compelled to reply to
his eager questioning that We could
not employ him.
The door closed alter him, and he
again went out to continue what, in
all probability, proved to be fruit
less search for employment. But
his words fingered behind, and, as
we sat musing on them, recalled to
mind the oft-repeated expressions
of the mechanic, in which he re-
pro.-a- l,ir,soIf 4,,v ,,.o,,+ 80 f~..,s<-T.s
in selecting and occupation. Here l
am doomed, he saws, to toll in a
shop, at work which is hard, afford
ing but poor pay. Like a dog,
must come at the call of a whistle
or like a servant, obey the summons
of bell; had / studied book keep
ing or entered a store as a clerk,
might have been leading a much
easier and more pleasurable life.
In the cases cited, we find each
one dissatisfied with his selection,
and wishing to exchange places
And the difficulty at once present
itself, as to how We shall decide for
them and the classes they represent,
so that the seeming mistakes in Sc
lection may he remedied. We ac-
knowledge we are unequal to the
task.
Food, clothing, tools, machinery,
houses, ships, and an endless variety
of other things arc continually in
demand, which require the labor of
farmers and mechanics; while that
class which makes exchanges inner
chants is of necessity comparative
ly few in number, and, therefore,
needs butr small force of assistants.
The necessities of the millions of
earth require by far the largest num-
ber of persons to be employed in
agriculture and manufactures
Whenever, then, through pride or
any other motive, parents disregard
the law, and encourage their sons in
seeking after situations, as clerks,
book-keepers, ETC., rather than to
engage IN those pursuits for which is
theIe always a natural demand, there
must be corresponding amount of
suffering as a penalty. Hence we
find the so-called respectable occu-
pations are lgutted, while the me
chanical branches are suffering
through the lack of skilled laborers.
An advertisement for a clerk will
quickly bring to the Office door a
small army of applicants of all sizes
and ages, while the want column
may plead several days for a good
mechanic, and fail to meet with a
response,
Sorry he did not learn a trade
Let apprentices and journeymen,
who may be bewailing their lot, at
once resolve te thus repine no long
er, but by hard study and close ap-
.plication, master their trades, and
having done so, demand a fair com
pensation. Then by adding to skill,
honesty, punctuality and economy
in expenditures, there need be no
fear that they shall be compelled ut
any time to beg for sufficient employ
ment to pay for days board and
lodging.