The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1874-11-05
The Germans as Workers.

Ex-Mayor Medill of Chicago, now ii
Europe. is furnishing the Tribune of thai
city with most interesting letters. in which
ne avoids the well-worn paths of Europeal
letter writers. He does not describe the
cities and towns or lakes and rivers. which
we have become so familiar with through
the correspondence of Americans to then
nome papers, but he gives most interesting
ana valuable facts III regard to the social
lie and habits OF the people. He says:
ne Germans are q nation of systematic
steady workers. Nearly every body labors
at some productive employment, women
as We'll as men. They are not fast workers
nothing like as fast as Americans-but
they are steadier and more persevernr
They labor more hours per day. and save
| their earnings in the most careful manner
An American brick layer will place in a
wall third greater amount Of bricks in a
day IAN a German brck-layer; but the
latter does his work more conscientiously
The bricks are better laid the house is
more enduringly built; and the contractor
Is not constantly endeavoring to "slight
his work, put in bad materials, make a
Dill OF extras, and cheat the owner at
every step and turn. Cheating, swindlin.
and deception have not yet been reduced
TO fne art. and are not universally
Practlced IN Germany The old national
habits of integrity and honesty still endure,
and exhibit but little decay under the cor
ruptlng influences OF modern temptations
The boys in Germany, after passing
their school-age, are not turned loose by
their parents to shift tor themselves and
live by their wits or their crimes. If not
retained on the parental farm until they
arrive at the soldiers are of 20 wears.
they are bound out as apprentices tor five
or SIX years, to learn trade Hundreds
OF thousands OF German boys are thus
bound out to master -WOrkmen. II they
wish TO become merchants or bankers.
they must serve an apprenticeship aS
clerks, If they desire to enter the profes-
slons or the Civil Service, they must 90
through thorough college-course of in
struction and stand their examination
before they can commence the study OF
law, medicine, or theology, OF obtain a
commission in the army or clerkship in
a government bureau or municipal office
How many American boys learn trades
nowadays? How many put in q faithful
apprenticeship of four OF five Years, and
come out skll1ul mechanics, fit to be in
trusted with tOolS2 And why have Ameri-
can boys almost ceased to learn trades
The reason is said to be that they no
longer consider it respectable" or gen
teel to labor at productive employment
for living But the young German has
no such false and pernicious notions or
feelings; and consequently the cities OF
Germany are not overrun with Young
men III search OF ''genteel employment, !"
such as clerkship ii dry goods stores,
(Which, in this slow country, are left 10
the women,) and who, failing to obtain
it, rapidly degenerate into confidence
men. gamblers, bummers, and dissipated
Ioaters of every stripe and degree
Ii American society is to be reformed
and the present frighttul wave Of dis
honesty sweeping over the land is to be
stayed, one OF the essential things to be
done is to teach the rising generation that
working with the hands in productive oc-
equations are "genteel employments =
that clerkships in shops and stores are
N0DleftS lcotk, as much a. knitting, sewing
and cooking; and that it is ungenerous
and unmanlY for the male sex to crowd
the female sex out Of such employments
as are peculiarly adapted to their strength
and tastes. The feeling in Germany is
that young fellows have no business to
elbow their sie+n"~ ~u+ ~ lioht work on
the plea that il is ''genteeI.' and IT is re-
thing to do; and this sentiment is still
more prevalent in France, where male
statesmen, book-keeper3 or clerks are
rarely seen or heard Of Too many men
in the United States are irving to live
i.r- -l,,.
industry; and therefore it is that the
country is teeming with speculators
sharpers, oflice-hunters. saIoon-bummers,
loaters, dead-beats, lobbyists. confidence
men, blacklegs and gamblers Of every
variety, degrees OF .rascaldOm for which
there are no words in the German language
into which these terms can he translated
1t this breed OF unclean birds is ever to be
reduced or eXtlrpated, or if there is ever
to be any reformation Of American morals
and integrity, the first step towards that
end is to bind out the surplus bows to
master mechanics to learn useful trades.
1t is perfectly shameful, the extent to
which foreigners have been allowed to
monopolize the mechanical occupations in
the United States; but the blame rests
upon the head OF American parents. who
have been carelessly-yes. wickedly-
derelict in the performance Of their duty
to their sons in this regard
If the Changers are really anxious TO
reform the existing low standard Of pub
lie morals in America, there is no way by
which they can contribute so effectually
as by keeping their sons at home On the
parental tarm, or binding them out TO
useful trades They must stop sending
annually tens of thousands Of half educated,
unsophisticated, susceptible boys to the
cities, in search of that alluring curse of
the rising generation ''genteel employ
ment," tor it Is the road to perdition for
the majority Of them The German pio-
neers have avoided this dangerous rock on
which American farmers have permitted
so many Of their sons to make shipwrech
of their future lives and the good effects
thereof are seen in the absence of mercal-
tile failures, official derelction of duty
public dishonesty and general lemoral
iZatiOn.