News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1884-12-04
TALKS WITH THE BOYS.
A ROY 1e YEARS OF AGE ASKS FOR
ADVICE.
s,xsbe Don't Want 10 Learn a Trade yet
lie Docs not Desire TO be Jack-of. all
Trades.
BY M. QUAD.

BY NJ. QUAD.
81 am boy 16 years old. Have a fair
education: have no desire to learn
trade but have great desire to secure
a thorough education. My parents are
poor and unable to give advantages be-
yond the common schools. What can
you prescribe for my case p
The above letter comes from Wiscon-
sin. 1t fails to give many points which
ought to have been covered, but pre-
sents sufficient to prove that the lad has
an ambition whichss should, be en-
couraged.
FIRST, answering him personally, what
do you wish to make of yourself? You
have no desire to learn trade. but you
do not say that you wish to enter upon
profession. You must take one or the
other or else be content as Jack-of-all-
trades and master of none.
Inferring, however, that your de-
sire for thorough education is born OF
the intention to pursue profession, you
are just now at tho point to put in
your time to the best advantag e or throw
it away. With a fair common school
education to back you you must now
study with an object in view. If you
wish to become a doctor you will GER
tainly have to attend college and pursue
special studies. If you wish to take up
the law and can secure a place in the
ofice of lawyer at home for year or
two to acquaint yourself with the forms
of law-draw up papers, study various
standard legal works, and get such in
sights as you may-you can shorten
your college course very materially. In
deed, if you can learn enough law in
lawyers Office you may be admitted to
the bar without going to college at all.
| You can become book-keeper, clerk or
cashier without special study except for
the former.
If your parents are poor. the chances
are against you as compared to q lad
whose father can afford him a collegiate
education. ANY move you may make
toward a profession will cost money.
But, if you have the true grit and are
thoroughly in earnest, pluck may stand
you in place of money. Dozens of the
leading men of to-day paid their way
through college by manual labor. There
are plenty of people of this generation
who stand ready to give plucky boy
lift up the ladder, and all will at least
encourage him.
If YOU have fair common school edu-
cation-well up in arithmetic, grammar,
photography, chirography and history
and are only 16 years old, you have
many chances for success. If you have
selected a profession which requires
collegiate course an4=its as;teudanr ex
| uenses, and must rely on yourself entire
| ly. quit school and go to work at some
thing which will bring you in money.
Even though your wages are small you
can save enough in two years to pay
your way through college. During the
interval do not throw your evenings
away. If you only will you can advance
Yourself in every common school study.
You do not write as good as most boys
If YOUR age. Half an hours practice
every evening for three months will
make you o good penman. Ii your
father cannot afford TO give you money
he can surely afford to give you some OF
his evenings to hear your lessons. Or
biography and grammar should be mas
tered as thoroughly as possible. Don't
throw away an hours time on algebra
unless you are studying to become a
teacher or civil engineer. Without be-
ing obligated by the same reason do not
weary your brain over intricate mathe-
matics. There isn't lawyer, doctor,
editor or clergyman in the country who
has any use for mathematics beyond the
four simple tables once in ten years.
Retail merchants and bankers have their
printed tables showing rates of interest
and the quotient of all figures. in frac-
lions likely to ever be called for, and the
mead of a wholesale house never meets
with ANYTHING harder than finding how
: much Is, 43O yards of sheeting would
come to at six and quarter cents PEI
) yard.
Do not sigh for "thorough educa
, tion" unless You have a target beyond il
!, There are plenty of thoroughly educate'
, men who are heavy burden on thei
| friends. Without having determined o.
profession they rushed off to college
graduated with the highest honors anC
, walked out into the world again to fine
, themselves worse off than before. Book
Keepers are paid for being accurate
, honest and reliable. The merchant neve
asks to see any specimens of their Greel
translations or essays on physiology
Cashiers may have spent twenty year.
at COLLEGE without receiving o dOllal