Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1876-01-25
agricultural
FOR the OXFORD DENOCgAr.
Learn q Trade,

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patiently awaiting the day when they /
Shall leave their quiet life among the /
scenes of nature and take psrt in the |
turmoiI,strife and excitement of city life.
To these quiet country homes where com-
fort reigns and want is unknown, stories /
come, floating thither none can tell bow,
of the delights and enjoyments Of life IN |
the citv. Marvellous tales arc told OF grand |
successes achieved and fortunes rapidly /
accumulated in commerce by men who |
left country homes and arrived in some |
one Of our large cities penniless and friend |
less, but by dint OF perseverance and ~
tagrity succeeded in a short time IN reach /
ing an cnyiable position in The commercial
world.
There Is something very sad 20 all
thoughtful men in this misconcepti0n and
ignorance OF city lie, It's trials, d,lhcu,-
So. requirements and opportunities which
prevails TO SO great an extent among the
sinners throughout the country ,-.os II
+, attributable to that more than to any
other one cause. that there are to-day so
,a ly men In al the cities Of the Union
vb1are suffering, even starving, with their
wives and little ones, who are seeking with
tine energy OF desperation for work by
which 10 earn enough TO keep body and
soul together without being able 10 find IL
sui the same cause produces the excess
iye.y large number Of young, unmarried
Do. Who G,l ihe c.e1EshjpS I'M mercantile
.a. commercial houses 40 salaries barely
sufficient % supply the ucccssSries Of life.
Men v.0 see yes. after year drift by
Them. leaving them no nearer the re-l.zl-
tuut their hopes t4an at It's beginning
ui. .lcy settle down into mere mctb.u-
.e.i ltuM.ua.couut4lt and tisplayerS of
Goods, without 81 hope of ever being able
.o rl,il the requirements of q complete
manhood ana become tae head OF a tami-
y
Thousands q. young mta - annually
,a the great cities. and waste the balance
Cd their lives IN offices OF behind counters
who might have made honorable and use
10, citizens, and have addict 20 the wealth
and strength ot the country had they To-
mairel upon q farm, or learned q trade
.al worked q, It.
Every city is ovcrcroved with clerks.
There axe stprc>eut over ten thousand men
'1 the cts Of New York, alone, who are
,lr OF employment ADD unable 70 &c; any
work 90 DO. The greater part Of these
uu axe clerks. Many Of them have
been clerks for years and have lost their
position. through the failures Of che
houses that employed them. They are
utterly helpless They can 90 uotbiug hut
-a work Of clerks, for they know nothing
else
How d;fcren, would Pc their positions
lil each understand some trade thorough
'y. To be sure. trade Is dull and not
much work is being done But the Skill
To .radcsmau Is never lorg without work
-d iu the hardss, times IS reasonably
ure Of work enough 20 supply him with
Oh. ucccssarics Of ..e; while the clerks
Heaven help th,m-are Is plentiful. as
tic, ia summer, and are considered almost
as much of o nuisance
An advertisement in a New York daily
paper for q person 20 fill q c,erksLip. no
matter how small the salary may be, wi,i
produce such a host Of applications from
men % anxious 20 be employed aS viii
make the hear, Of the bcho.der sick with
pity.
The merchant adds nothing. AS a gen
EVA, thing, 70 the wealth Of the country,
AID the nation Is the poorer to5 every b5y
who deserts the farm OF the workbench
90 become a clerk.
The boy, as a genera thing, waists HE
,', ia q vain endeayor 20 amass d COM
reieucy and dies premaJurely aged man.
Not more than one In q thousand who
enter into commerce In New York ever
succeeds IN business. and Of those who
-ucceed for time, the great majority fail
sooner or later. These are strong state
neut> but they are borne out by statis-
t,c> IL Is because the stories Of the
thousands Of unsuccessful ones are never
heard, while the achievements of the few
who 30 succeed are he-a,ded far and near.
ta.t the average farmers boy becomes 50
infatuated with q false idea Of an easy
.uI sure road 90 fortune, which be belle I
YES awaits him IN the city. Ii Is the
same idea In kind, II Lot in degree. as
that which animated poor Pat. who I
thought that wneu he arrived In America /
Le could pick up gold IN the streets as he |
could stones in tine Old Country. The /
disappointment in one case Is lust as GER
tam as it was in the other. Whatever /
gold Is obtained in the city by the man /
without money and without friends. is /
earned Jy hard and long continued labor. /
The average clerk earns much less than I
the ordinary mechanic, and Is required 10 .
spend more
Let those Of our farmers who have bows
who are dissatisfied with life on the farm.
and who cannot be reeoncileI TO it. make
up their minds decidedly that they will /
aot consent to let them 90 to become clerks
bVt apprentice them to good workmen
where they VIII learn use.u. trades.
thoroughly. 1t, at later period Of life.
they desire to enter commercial life. they
Wal then have a resource In the day Of
diversity. But 1t Is very seldom that a
Eau who is a good workman at q trade
can be induced to accept the useless and
cnervaUug position Of clerk, In which
rs general thing be wiI.vo.k harder for
less money than az his bench, wai,e even