The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1883-09-20
Starting Out In Life.

Speaking about boys. Did you ever
notice how some boys make an effort to
get along In the world? When young
man starts out in life he commences by
looking for position in which he may
earn his daily bread and find clothes to
cover his nakedness. If he is one of
these reckless, vagabond sort Of boys
whose thoughts don't run rod into the
future, or hardly keep pace with the
things going on around him, or has
grown up about as does lonely and
isolated weed in the garden that obtains
its strength from o rich spot in the
ground and draws nourishmert from the
better fed plants and vegetables that
from their value receive care and atten.
ton, it is safe to say that he is one who
never thinks Of what the next day. month
or year may bring forth, and though
nearing the age of manhood he is about rs
capa ole of filling the position OF man
as a mulley calf Still, he makes pre-
tense at caring for himself and claims to
be doing all in his power to get along in
the world. Such boy starts out to OBJ
tain situation. He is reckless about
his personal appearance. His hair is I'M
combed, face aud hands unwashed, and
the general appearance of tramp in his
exterior recommendation. II he applies
for position, the man who happens to
need young man sizes him up and con
cludes that he had rather employ Dig
tger Indian, il he has got to reform and
make clean the person whom he hires.
And again, he will wander around for
days and weeks, hanging around places
where they have no more use for boy
than dog has for two tails. He spends
one day loaing about the depot, expect
ing some one will come around and offer
him fine situation at four dollars per
day and board. He will 8 and around
and talk with the baggage-man at the
depot, or help the lunch counter clerk to
carry In coal for his dinner, and in the
afternoon he loafs around some more
and scrapes the acquaintance of the
brakeman in the yard and helps him
couple cars and unload freight, while
the brakeman fills him full of taffy about
how easy it is to get soft thing work.
ing for a railroad company. The next
day he spends at the police court listen
ing to the cases tried, loafs an hour or
two at the postofiice, awhile in a billiard
hall, and winds up with q visit to
S0lOOu. all tuo timo hC 40 oSoAu6
to have some one give him position
and he curses the country whore young
man can find nothing to do. When you
see that kind Of young man you can
set it right down that he don't amount to
q row of pins. Men don't hire boys from
mnder the caves Of saloon, and when
they are looking for young man to do
job of work they do not go through the
crowd loading around the depot with a
search warrant, and pick out the dirtiest
young tramp among the number.
No one ever heard OF man who
wanted TO hire = young. bright, active,
stirring boy, with fire in his eye, energy
and vinegar in his constitution, looking
over the loafsrs at the police station for
such boy. At such places all the boys
you would And would only have enough
energy to masticate Q chew OF tobacco.
or hold down dry goods box on . street
corner all day and swear through the
evening about the cursed country where
there was nothing for . boy to do. When
Q farmer comes into town looking for .
boy to help ct the spring work. at fifteen
dollars per month anil board, he don't
look through the corridors OF the post
Office and pick out the slouchiest looking
loafer in the crowd, or hunt up billiard
hall and hire the boy who can "pocket"
the most balls at pool or drink the most
beer.
Though boy may wear . ragged coat,
or his pants may he out at the elbows
because he has no one TO mend them. IL
10 no reason Why he should not be
trump, and take the highest trick. Many
. boy with holes in his boots and his
coat torn, but whose face and hapds
were clean, his eyes bright, and his eys-
tenn full Of energy, has carried Oh the
persimmons when others and better
dressed boys have stood around with
bsir hands in their pockets, cursing
4 Heir luck. But the boys can mako mp
their minds that while business man
ssss them losdng around dspots. police
courts, the postoflice, or street corner,
be would not hire any ono OF their num-
bsr TO carry swell 70 bis pigs. That's