American citizen., 1873-08-09
The Value of Good Trade.

nv. He is a man of good sense, and he
| said great many sensible things. | re
, marked that moving must be his trade
he did it so well, and made such nice
work.
"Heh." he shifted; "I'm Jack of all
trades and master of none. | can do mOst
anything that l take hold off, and he
leaned over and shaved the grass neatly
from about snarl of rose bushes, a beau
tiful tangle that | couldn't prune for very
tenderness of heart.
ooh, thank youl" l said; ''you did that
as kindly as mother would dress heI
babe. Any other man would have said
Here's dead branch, Miss Potts. or,
'Yon is a useless shoot;' or, That bush
yander is a-sufferin' for the knife It's
my bush, YOU see, and want il to grow as
wild, and ranting, and riotous, and just as
| extravagantly as it pleases. L don't care
if it leaps as high as the top of the house, "
said |, good deal excited.
"Well, | carcalate that it would be the
better of a little trimmin', but, as you say,
it's well enough to let natur' have her own
way, just to see wha. all she can do when
she takes notion. If | was a reg'laT
gardener, l s'pose L would have attacted
that busl. whether or no. l often wish
father had apErenticed me to that trade
poor man, he's been dead an gone this
many a long year; he was good father,
and | don't find it in my heart to bring up
word o. blame agin him." and here he
leaned on the handle of the scythe in a
comfortable sort of a way. But, Miss
Potts, think it's every mans duty to give
his boys trades. When father died he left
farm of one hundred and sixty acres
there was mother, and we three grown
boys, and the two little girls, and Johnny,
and grandmother. Well, we couldn't all
have the farm, and we couldn't any more
than make good living, and pay the
preacher and the taxes, and school the
children, and meet an occasional doctors
bill; and so Jack and | talked it over one
night, and though it did seem little
hard, we resolved. fore God an ourselves,
that we'd give up all right and claim to
the old farm to Tom, our Oldest brother
if he'd care for mother and the children,
and do the part of dutiful son and
brother 1t did seem kind o. hard, strik-
in out to do for ourselves, two green boys
who'd always been cared for. Jack'd al
ways wanted more larnin', he never was
satisfied, and so he went away to school
to shift for himself as he best could. Well,
he worried along somehow, until now he
is qualified to teach-he teaches in the
winter and goes to school in the summer.
I'd taken a shine to Milly Brown-she
was Il modest little hard-workin' creetur-
and so we concluded to marry and help
each other along. We never regretted it;
and though | don't own a foot o. land,
and have no trade, we have always man
aged so that we never had to endure much
privation. Be sure I've had to wear patch
upon patch, an Milly's had to turn her
dresses bottom end up, an t'other side
out; we've got along grandly.
But, Miss Potts, it's just as much as /
can do To stand up an feel myself man
among men. l amt an Independent man;
I've no trade. To-day | NOW your yard
1 help Farmer Hutchins move
his smoke-house; the next day l plow
corn for Jack Williams; maybe the next
I'll make chimney in Ephraim' kitchen,
Dr elevate grain in Taylor's warehouse, or
haul coal for Caster, or make a pavement
IN Milk street, or weed somebody's gar
len. That's no way o. doin', hackin'
-ound for Tom, Dick an Harry, some
lines getting paid, and sometimes only
oaid in worthless promises. Why, very
le'll say, III do you a good turn, some
ime, Wilson, or, its a mighty nice thing |
o be as handy man as you are, George
"No, Miss Potts, I'm not a free mani |
IN IA bondsman, | wear shackles, an here |
we a family comm on, promisin' boys |
md girls, an I'm afraid III not be able TO |
10 my whole duty by 'em. God helpin'
ne | mean to give every boy o. mine
rood trade, anyhow; maybe my girls, too.
When Bower broke up and had to sell his
arm and move to town, / just spoke right
p before l thought. l said, Bower
aid |, now you can't do better thing
han to appre ltice Ned and Timothy to
rades. You don't want to live in town
nd have two big idle boys trifling away
heir time. Don't do as my father did,
ont let 'cm ever feel as though you had
ot done all fathers duty. You can
ave Ned learn the timers trade, and let
i'm be a mason, or plaSterer, or Il
ooper,' an what does neighbor Bower
o but up and get mad, an tell me to mind
ny own business, an that he was capable
f lookin' after his own family.
"Wcll, to-day, those Bower boys are
Ike me, going jobbing round wherever
hey can get IA hands turn to do. l think
is shame for man to bring poor
hildrcn into this world and not do a
ither's duty by them, just leave them to
hift for themselves, crippled, shackled,
obbled, wings clipped, and not feeling
nat they belong to the class of men who
re free and brave and bold, and who can
land up and look the world in the face
nd feel themselves no mans inferior. ,
That was Il nice thing, sensible, too
lat Esquire Hamilton did last week.
lis youngest son, Ralph, don't like to :
o to schools dull about lcarning-it is
rudgery to him, and SO, with his own
onsent, his father bound him to the
trade My. what growth
lat boy'll get. He is pretty hearty now, I
ut what muscle VIII be developed, and t
hat IA ruddy face, and strong arm, and 4
ow happy he'll be. ;
"Oh, | think it's a Gods blessing for
AN to have a trade, even if he don't fall /;
lck upon it to make Il living! So-so-
ell-Ill try and do my duty by my ,
oys;" and my neighbor drew his sleeve {
cross his moist face and went on with |
is moving.
My heart ached for the poor man, and .
tut my teeth little viciously in memory |
the indifferent old father in his grave
1 the hillside. In my heart sanctioned t
-ery word | had heard, and l thought a
hat a pity it is that young men SO rush ?
to the ovcr-crowded professional ranks, V
to be Il fOurth-rate lawyer, an
lgodly minister, or an illitcrate quack II
,ctor to that of firstrate blacksmith,
agon maker or bricklayer. o
I'd rather see young man know how c
make good basket, than poor plagi- C
lied plea at the bar; rather see him toll, d
Drny handed in sweaty check shirt n
an to sneak round public places in a
cdy black, trying to exc out II misera- I
e, sham existence by pcttifogging dirty v
ses and manufacturing falschoods, and n
en- esteeming himself better than the
Dnest toiler, just because he has the little t.
g of Esq. dangling to his name.-PSpsey S,
otis, in -4rthur's Magazine for July, "