Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1878-11-06
Save the Boys.

Do American boys learn trades any
more? One would suppose not, if the
multitude of purposeless, aimless young
men out of employment is any indication
There was Il time when the master me-
rhanic had his house filled with hearty
Young apprentices, and when his journey
men went from under his roof OF set up in
lI(e for themselves. To men in mid lie life
he recollectOns of those fhr-of times
when the master, his men and boys, form
ID strong productive industrial group,
,cem like the memory of Il primitive age
sons of rich and educated men did not
.hink it beneath them to swing the broad-
TX in the shipyard, Or the sIedge hammer
It the anvil. Or they went to sea before
he mast, and climbed to the quarter deck
rom the forecastIe. In II family of boys
ne would be sent to college, one might
possibly 90 into mercantile pursuits, and
he others would choose their trades, after
many anxious but CHEEKY family councils.
Now-t- days the young lads shrink from
the rksome confinement of The mechanic
shop If they cannot 20 to college. and
80 while away their youth, they must 60
INTO IL store;" anything but work. We do
not bclitle the vocation of clerk or
salesman when we say that to be in either
one or the other of these two callings APP
pear to most young men the most com
portable thing. or all the pursuits which
men follow, this see ms to require the least
preparation. At any rate. the men who
ire not willing to make themselves useful
more naturally turn TO the shop OF the
retail dealer thln to any other source OF
employment. They never have learned II
trade. They like to wear good clothes
and keep their hands soft and white. II
they cannot stand behind Il counter or
desk, or secure political influence sufficient
To push them iuto an office of some sort,
they drift aimlessly about, looking for EN-
ployment which never comes. False
IDEAS of living and extravagant notions are
responsible for good deal of this hopeless
misery Young lads are brought up to
consider manual labor degrading. and
fond, foolish parents sometimes prefer
hat their children should go out into the
world helpless rather than they should
l. arm a trade. But the self hness of me-
chancs, and the outrageous tyranny of
their unions, have had IL hand in bringing
to pass the present state of things. About
twenty -lNc years aSo ticlo pcShI ooi ico
of experiments in de-unions which has
resulted disastrously. The times were
good, work was plenty, wages fair. 70
maintain II monopoly of these, associations
of mechanics began to limit the number of
apprentices which might be employed in
each shop, factory, or company of work.
Men who had sons to equip tor life actual
ly voted to shut the trades against their
own offspring. The consequence was that
the supply of skilled workmen did not
keep up with the expansion of the country,
and with the legitimate demand. EN-
ploycrs were obliged to send abroad for
workmen and it came to pass that grown
men from foreign parts took the places in
American workshops for which American
boys should have been educated. Where
now are those neglected, cheated boysp
Some of them are In jtils and almshcuses
Some will be found lounging on The bench
es in the city parks, vainly waiting for
something TO turn up. Others, willing
enough, are advertising for situations
where they can make themselves generally
useful, -NCIO York Times.