The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1877-06-28


There is one lesson which we hope the
present time will Sc deeply engfave upon
the minds Of all parents that its impress
sion win never be efiaced. Thst b, The
necessity Of teaching boys some trade,
and making thsm thorouehly conversant
The fioSd ii men Who are wandering
an1i0dsly; shout the streets Of all greatcit-
les, seeking with weary Asarts employ
ment which will provide for themselves
and families even . meager support, con-
tains surprisingly few mechanics, or men
who have been trained up to any regular
trade requiring skill and practice. 1t is
made up manly Of men who in their
youth. were 8 smart' young men, who
thought they knew too much TO tie them
selves down to the drrdgery and unp1eas-
a gentlemen, = wear good clothes, don
clean shirt every day, and adopt some
light, "gefiteef' employment, which
they could follow without serious effects
upon their clothes or hands.
These men have drifted around, clerxeas
in d dry goods store at a small salary, run
cigar stand, perhaps did some indiffer-
entity good book keeping, copied papers.
or done any and all of the thousand and
one things involving but little manual
labor, brains or experience, which are
possible In our complex system of life.
AS long DIS times were flush they succeeded
tolerabIy well In satisfying their little am
billions. they wore tolerably good clothes,
and seemed passably 'genteel." But the
moment the stringency began to make it.
self felt, they were the first to suffer. En-
ployers turned them off relentlessly, and
retained skilled men to the last.
The reason was obvious. A trained
man is an acquisition to any establish
ment, and if dropped there is no certainty
about replacing him. But the crop of
these men who arc simply generally
useful" is never failing one, and man
can go out in the street and pick up a
hundred of them in an hours time, each
of whom will know about as much, be
able to do about the same things, have the
same general low standard of usefulness,
as the other. An advertisement in any
leading daily newspaper in the United
States For q man for sofhe light, respect
able employment" would bring thou
sand applicants in twenty four hours, the
majority of which would state that
wages would not be SO much of an OBJ
ject as steady employment
But no such response wolld be made for
an advertisement for brick1a5ers OF Car
penters, or stone masons. No thousands
of men clamorous to work at any price,
would come trooping up in answer to an
advertisement for blacksmiths, plumbers,
painters, timers or mechanics generally
Trade may be dull with those men, and
wages low, but those who understand their
business find no difficulty in securing
steady employment.
| Establishments In this and other cities,
which employ miscellaneous laborers, are
| besieged by men willing TO work at any
| price. Men who have been watchmen,
| policemen; barkeepers, conductors on
street railways, messengers, collectors,
clerks, copyists, book KEEPERS, and all
that miscellaneous crowd, throng to oiir
lumber-yards and similar places, and
offer to work at carrying lumber or SINH
lar ordinary labor, at from seventy five
cents to dollar a day. But there are
few, if any, mechanics in this crowd,
| and if those who claim to be such are
examined, it will be found that their me-
chanical skill is of the most ordinary
kind:
| This is the fate which overtakes those
who at the outset of life scorned to bind
themselves down to the unpleasant lot of
an apprentice. They go to the railroad
to beg employment in any capacity, and
they fad there in trusted positions, AT
fine salaries as conductors, engineers,
master mechanics, etc., the meh WHO, a
few years ago, they looked down upon as
greasy and dirty little Irish and German
boys, who were following "low'' and
" ungenteel'' business. The same is true
wherever they go. Everywhere they
find the despised apprentices of few
years age are the men now having atl-
thority and position, to whom they must
apply for places, and who will be. their
{" bosses, !" if they get place. Thus is the
dignity of labor revenging itself Toledo
/ Blade. as 80 VI