The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1882-02-10
Choosing a Profession.

A question which becomes more i'm
porta't every year is that which concerns
tue ee1catlon of young men for the pro-
iessl9is. When it is finally solved, and
sci arrest, great good viii have been
donesto the public, and many youths
VIII Pc kept from feeling in their man
o9dthe heartburnings and the sense Of
tallitit IN their lives from which so many
are 10y suffering 1t is useless to dis
gulsedhe fact that the dignity of manual
laoossQ lided by the intelligence Of
speeE4 earning, is not generally be-
I5Ye't 4 An excuse for this lack of
falta drawn from the argument that
as N <. nical trades are so subdivided
now = young man after learning one
bfr Eetz rely IS given the opportunity
To ~ essthar. and that. having but
liz ks2>to use his brain In his work,
- = Is becomes a sort of animated
= st = = ss-.ss$ a ssrontrolling
reasoa Why a mechanic should thus lose
his psver- assuming, of course, that he
has strted with fair supply of intelli-
gencend energy2 That there Is not is
shown by the fact that some men with
no otbr opportunities than their fellows.
by us1g their eyes and wits, learn every
branc OF their trades, and thereby pro
cure commanding positions. For in
stanc IN the pressroom of a newspaper
of thJ city there Is one man who not
only an manage complicated press,
but en- take 1t apart and put it together,
and rpair 1t if it gets oat Of order. Yet
he ha had no specia, advantages over
the usn whom he directs rs a foreman.
He lis looked and learned, and he is
now Eghly paid for the trouble he took
to in5rm himself 1t seems wrong,
then, o assert that an energetic, intelli-
gent by Will have no chance to rise IN q
trade. The thing to ascertain In the be-
ginning is tie trade for which he is nat
urallyitted. This is hard to ascertain,
and most parents do not make the at
tempt They put their boys into any
clerics position that Is open to them, OF
they .ecide long in advance that the
youthishall be clergymen, physicians, OF
lawyes. In this way many men have
been nut into professions for which they
have 10 aptitude. and so struggle on and
fail The question which arises is
CouldnOt this evil be overcome by max
ing itless easy to become a professional
man: Would not many fathers and
mothrs IN moderate circumstances
pauseand reflect if they knew 1t would
cost nuch time and money to make doc
tors, )r lawyers, or clergymen of then
sons But, leaving this question one
side, is 1t right that any ordinary man
may btaIn permission to practice upon
tie ubhc health or the public rights
after nominally studying medicine ol
law fr two years As a matter of fac
studats do not attend the medical OF
law shools for half that period Earn
est physicians and lawyers who love then
professions think profoundly upon thi:
question, and are of the opinion that no
only should the periods of study b,
longe, but that no man should be ad
mittei to study unless he has had a col
legiate education, or, lacking that, il
able To pass an examination so as (,
show that ne has good foundation 70
SPECIAL learning. Ignoramuses woulC
not then be so common IL the profes
sion2. If only fit persons are given tn,
right of way into the professions the un
fit Will find places suited TO them, fol
fond and poor parents viii be forced t.
study the characteristics Of their chill
dren before marking out careers 70
them. ~. j. Times.