The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1884-01-05
Our Boys.


From the Washington, d. c., Post.
For some time a discussion has been
carried on in the columns of a leading
London paper upon one of the most per
picking problems of modern family life
what is to be done with the boys? There
are scores of practical fathers, anxious wild
ows, signing aunts and devoted sisters puz-
zling their brains on the subject of the fu-
ture of the tall typical young Englishman
of the period, He has been well brought
up, educated in college and university, can
dance well and talk nonsense admirably, he
is often handsome and dignifed, with a
propensity to smoking, great affection for
ladies society, and possesses all the social
accomplishments of the ''modern gentle
man. yet in spite of all he can find moth
ing to do 1t is impossible to find open
ings in professional or mercantile life for
him; his hands have been too delicately
trained to be dirtied and blackened in me-
chanical pursuits, and even if he were will
ling to "condescendto to do this sort of thing
skilled laborers are equally numerous,
What is to be done then with ''the tall ty-
pical young man ?"
The cause for this condition of things is
quite as difficult to analyze as it is to find
remedy for the result education
is always seized upon frst-merchants,
lawyers, tradesmen, it is said, all educate
their sons to higher level of pursuits than
they ought; artisans teach their boys to as
pire to the professions; workmen encourage
theirs to push on to clerkships and like
pursuits. But the fact remains that the
mechanical avocations, all the trades and
professions are so overcrowded that the
poor young man would find no advantage
by taking, like the Irishman, step back
wards to 90 forwards. 1t Itspeaks ill for the
social condition of England and its boasted
prosperity and contentment; under such
circumstances England is anything but a
land of promise and thrift. The dearth Of
remunerative employment is admitted on
all sides, and the young men have not a
fair chance "to get on
The remedies proposed can only bring
further discomfort. Amongst them is a
curious scheme, originated in the Midland
counties, which proposes the extensive EN-
igrationof lads between the ages of sew
enteen and eighteen to Australia. 1t has
the name of "Our Boys Land Mortgage
and Finance Company, Limited" )" with a
capital of 100000 in f100 shares, with
power to increase 1t to G2,000,000, each
subscriber of five shares to have the nomi-
nation of one boy to proceed to Melbourne
at the expense of the company, and alto
gether looks very promising-especially or
paper 1t will probably succeed as well as
the ''gentlemen's regiment" which failed
because it was to be restricted to university
graduates, the sons of parsons and officers
unable to earn decent living. An outcry
for more draughtsmen, dentists, veterinary
surgeons and the like has met with such {
counterclaim that scores of them are already
emigrating to Australia, and the question
remains still unsettted-what can we dc
with the boys?
AN allegation that the same difficulty
exists in this country is only partially true
and is only felt in certain classes. There
may be tendency towards over-educatior
as in England, and to disparage the ap
premiership of boys to trades and mechan
ical pursuits; but here the boys have {
chance and can succeed if they like. Socia
conditions prevent an honest young man.
success in England; here no such handical
exists, and if he is made of the right stuff
there need be no doubt as to his futur
well-doing and prosperity.