The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1883-07-04
How to be a Manufacturer


Precisely AZ it is with other vacations,
the bow must learn how. He is put upon
the farm to learn to be farmer; into
the store to learn to be merchant and
into the shop to learn to be mechanic.
So, to make an intelligent, thorough
manufacturer, he must serve IN the MILL
A fact will best present the case.
A father was casting about to deter
mine what occupation his son, seventeen
years of age, should follow. lie wanted
his son to 60 to college, but the latters
heart was set on "business.
eff I go to college, shall go into bust
ness when I get through" he said.
"Then do not want you should enter
college," replied his father. "The next
four years in academy or college would be
indispensable for you, if you were going
to fill one of the learned professions but
that time is equally indispensable for you
in making yourself acquainted with the
rudiments of your life-calling"
A cashmere mill was about going into
operation within five minutes walk, and
the father said within himself, That is
the place for my boy to learn the busi-
ness" But he said nothing to his son
about the mill, for the latter had long
ing for a city store, in common with the
majority of inexperienced youth. The
mill-owner was consulted.
"Perhaps you will laugh at my idea"
began the father, L" but | have been think
ing whether my son might not go into
YOUR mill and learn the wooden business"
CA very sensible and practical idea for
a minister to entertain replied the manu-
f. ,,1n otNfr
"He wants to 60 into store in Boston
or New York." continued the father, but
| have discouraged him."
Ono show in that line" retorted the
owner; " if l had son the age of yours,
l should put him into that mill and let
him 90 from bottom to top, learning all
there is to learn. The wooden business is
the best business in this country to-day,
and five years spent in the mill, learning
to manufacture, is the best investment
YOUR son can make. He may 60 into a
Boston woolen-house and work his way
up to the head in five years, but then he
will not know half so much about the
business as he will to spend five years in
the mill to learn how to make CLOTH"
"Not many manufacturers learned the
business in that way" the father sug-
gested.
"Not many; and that is the reason 80
few of them have succeeded the manu-
facturer answered. "The case is very
plain. If your son goes into the mill,
when he has learned it, he is fully quail
fed to be manufacturer, superintendent,
wooden merchant, salesman, agent OF
wooden company, or to fill any other place
connected with the business. You see
the practical advantage"
eyes, see," the father replied and
his decision was already reached. He
hastened to lay the plan before his son.
fearing that the dirt, drudgery, and un'
pleasant things incidental to mill-life, for
five years, would deter him from the un'
dertaking. But the boy jumped at the
bait. "But do not come to decision
too hastily" continued his father. "Weigh
the subject well. Think of the hardshlps
and trials incident to the work. You
must don overalls and Jumper and be
mill-hand with the Irish and French
Canadians, accepting dirt, grease, bad air
excessive heat, and what not, as part OF
the price you are to pay. You will be
obliged to eat your breakfast at six
o'clock in the morning, and your supper
at seven o'clock in the evening, with only
three.fourths of An hour for dinner, thus
working eleven hours and quarter daily
Pretty close business that, with very
little fun for variety Think it ovel
carefully, and see if you have fair com
prehension of the self-denial, patience
perseverance, decision, energy, and in
dustry that will be required to fill the bill. ;
The how decided for the mill
"One thing more, added the father
Mr.. says that they are putting tn,
machinery into the mill, and you nigh
learn many things about machinery, wer
you to begin at once, rendering sucl
assistance as you are able. But tolt
him that you would leave for Cottag
City tomorrow to be gone a week or tel
days."
az will give up that trip and go to tn
mill" promptly answered the boy.
81 am glad to hear that" responded hi
father; "not that / want to deprive 20,
of the pleasure trip, but your decision in
dicates that you mean business, and tina
is the sign of promise that look for il
boys. If you mean business, and the
supplement it with necessary energy, pei
severance, and principle, you will com
out all right"
81 will begin at the mill tomorrow,
repeated the son.
"Well, there is one thing more | wan
to speak of" continued the father. 81
takes all sorts of people to make worlC
and mill is little world of itself. Nor
than half of the operatives will be foreign
ers, and possibly a ma jority of the Amer
cans will be vulgar, profane, drinkin
men. Among them all there will b
many scalawags, but you need not asst
ciate with them. Your business is t
learn to make cloth, not to form bad hal
its. At the same time you are weavin
cloth you are to weave character from tn
best web there is, so that when you q
through you will possess good charactt
to put into honest cloth. To know ho
to make better cloth than you do chara
ter, is an acquisition l hope you will nevt
make" Pausing moment, the fatht
added, Take this money, go to the stol
and buy overalls and Jumpers, two sets.'
Accordingly, on the 18th day of Angus
1877, the SOD arrayed himself in his mil
suit and entered the cashmere colleg
In four years, just the time it would hay
taken him to 60 through college, he wei
through the mill-freshman sophomor
Junior, senior-and was graduated. Il