St. Landry democrat., 1884-06-28

| men in both. They never play on one
string. They always have two or four
strings to their fddles, or they could
not make such excellent music. Once
in awhile some celebrated Violinist will
take out three strings from his instru-
ment and play something on only one.
He only does it for display, and if he
wishes to play a grand concerto ne
would never trus: to one string.
Now, taking the regular trades, car
pentry, brick-laying, painting, shoe
making, and SO on, let us observe that
any Intelligent young person with fair
common-school education can in a few
months learn all that is needed to be
fairly good workman. It has been
thought that it takes three years
to become workman in these
trades. Perhaps it does take the
ignorant peasant of Europe that
time. He learns everything slowly:
he has no books on his work,
and if he had them, often he can not
read. He is, then, a groWn-up Ounce,
and it is wonder he ever learns any
thing. An American school-boy is
wholly different person. IF he wishes
to learn brick-layIng, he can find the
whole business in print and can read all
about it in less than two days. ANY
wide-awake intelligent person, deter
mined to learn. can master the work
sufficiently well to earn a living inside
of SIX months.
Having done this, having learned
something of any one of these trades,
there is no earthly reason why he should
not learn another and still another. IL
is the same in everything If you
write sermons, why not play the pi-
ano? If you sell ribbons, why not be
able to etch or engrave? If you keep
house, why not paint or embroider, or
play the organ in church? You can do
two things well, if you make up your
mind that you will. Every one has
two talents, and thousands of people
have three or more. They are all
around men. They know their bust
ness and are masters in it, and they
can do something else, too. Many
man is known down town by one set of
peolpe in the daytime and to quite
another set uptown in the evening.
One set think him a smart business
man, and the other set say he is a Won
derful conductor or violinist, or poet or
wood-carver. The very fact that he
has two trades is the reason that he is
master in both. It does not follow that
because you have two trades that you
must be "Jack' in either.
Have one trade whereby you earn
your living, and then have another.
You will earn more in the first by
knowing the second. / know a man
who works on newspaper for his liv-
ing, and yet he has a good mechanical
trade and can do any common work.
He can take a good photograph, play
the piano fairly well, can sail boat.
and cook tirst-rate dinner. Does his
regular trade suffer? Not at all. He
is all he better workman because he
has such variety. He can do so many
things that he is always fresh and
ready for work.
That's the secret of the whole mat
Ter. To be ready for work, to feel that
you like to do it, and then you do it
we'll. 1t is the change, the variety of
work that rests and refreshes. Your
0ne-trade man is always tired. His life |
IS dull and monotonous. He never
links of anything except his work, and
20 both his work and his thinking are
Door. Moreover, these are changeable
lines. The trades are continually
shifting, and work that pays well one
rear may be utterly flat the next year.
md then what will your Jack" do? In
England, if the frost is severe, and the
gardeners can not work. they go out in
he streets in professions and beg. In
New England, when the winter storms
leep the fishermen in port, they take
Up their tools and make shoes. Let us
lear no more of this remark No boy /
# sense means to be Jack in any
rade; and every boy who means to
ucceed should be master in two or
more. Churles Barpcrd, IN Golden
Rnle.