The Portland daily press., 1874-07-23
A New Vocation.

Mankind, as general thing, has never ac-
earning bread as one of personal application.
The particular individual believes in it for all
others, but acts on the presumption that this
unpleasant general order made an exception
in bis case, and so he sets himself to using
his wits to see by what means he may gather
the results of heated brows without mopp:ng
the perspration from his own. We ale
afraid that this bad principle is Inherent IN
the natural man, and that our system OF edu-
cation has not been of the nature calculated
to change bis normal inclination. We declaim
about the aristocracy of labor and its dignity,
but, alas, we talk and act as if it were the
great curse to be avoided; and in pursuance
OF this idea parents bring up as many OF their
sous without trades or useful employments as
with tLen. The result of this perncious
policy is that large part of the grown up
men of to-day are striving to get possession,
by an indirect process, of the dollar which
the other part eain. Of course many of these
indirect processes are well enough, and
many aimess young men are made use
fui in lime to themselves and the world.
But there is large class remaining
which is compelled to resort 10 questionable
and disreputable devices to acquire the dol
lar they will not sweat for. OF this class are
the burglar, now nightly terror to our peo-
pie, the bank robber, the defaulter and those
who engage in a commerce which aespoiis
thousands
The latest enterprise in this line is furnished
in the city of Philadelphia, where two men
kidnapped the child of Mr.. Ross and having
secreted him, demanded of the father ransom
of twenty thousand dolla:s. This is new
vocation, and ii the Philadelphia ruffians sue
coed in their enterprise, the business will BIZ
adopted by others, and children in the streets
OF any large town will be as unsafe as bank
without watchmen and combination locks.
Indeed, in time, il the attempt in the present
case of the Ross child, succeeds, we may ex-
pect to find In our cities, safety vaults for the
safe keeping OF children. Perhaps our school
houses can be diverted to that use with little
cells. 1t is said that a gang has been organ
lied in Philadelphia to steal children as bust
ness, aud extort ransom in money. II
this be true, there will be other cases
in that locality, and that dangerous class of
men in all cities who have been allowed to
grow up with the ilea that it is fair to get
dollar by any means, will not be slow to ex-
tend the business of child-stealing all over
the country. 1t isn't very pleasant thing
tor parents or others to contemplate in addi-
tion to the other ills, natural and unnatural,
which encompass young children. 1t is no
wonder that the case of the Ross child is dis
cussed in the papers and in every family cir
Gle. To be sure, when we think about it,
this villainous scheme of kidnapping chill
dren is no worse, if SO bad, as the long en-
dured pra3 tice OF another class of men who
live by their wits, by which older but not less
precious children are hopelessly ruined by
being made inebriates. This wrong, how
ever, the public too generally has come to re-
gard as natural rather than an unnecessary
evil, while the stealing of young children and
taking care of them until price is paid is
so novel horror that the public mind is nat
urally excited at the affair.
If we desire to check further increase of
the vacations which make war not only upon
legitimate business and industry, but upon
the security and happiness of society, would
MT it be well to estimate men by the amount
of useful labor, manual or mental, which
they perform, and see that the boys are
taught to do something useful?