News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1885-04-02
TALKS WITH THE BOYS.
Nj. QUAD ANSWERS A NUMBER OF
LETTERS HE HAS RECEIVED
And Tells the Boys Something About Real
Life as a Veteran Finds 1t.

LETTERS HE HAS RECEIVED
And Tells the Boys Something About Real
Life as Veteran Finds 1t.
A Detroit lad, who is attending one of
: the commercial colleges, writes as fol-
, lows:
81 read your 'short Talks With the
, Boys and enjoy doing SO, and seeing
you answer so many boys inquiries L
take the liberty of asking you to answer
a question for me. [ am IA years old
!. and have just taken diploma in one of
our colleges, but my tastes do not run
, III commercial way. l have always
wanted to work in some place where
iron is used, but my mother wants me
to lead commercial life. Now, what
would you do in this case? have not
got friends to help to get me place in
either of the above mentioned bus
nesses."
You write a fair hand, and your
photography is good, but had your letter
went into print as you wrote it your
friends would have laughed at your
grammar.
You are too young yet to either grad
steps toward trade or profession. 1t
will be time enough when you are full
l6. Meanwhile, post yourself, not only
in books, but in general way. Take
a halliday on Saturday of every week
and go through some manufacturing es-
tablishment-the car wcrks-a big flour
mill-some of the foundries-out to the
brick yards-any of the novelty works
into some place where what you see will
add to your stock of everyday knowl-
edge. When you have arrived at the
age of 16, if you fully realize that it is
Ia you to become a craftsman, your
mother will doubtless have the good
sense not to spoil a good artisan for the
| sake of making poor clerk.
The next letter is dated from London,
England
You have told youth who has EGO
iSlOO and no trade or profession how
he can utilize his EGO and make living
at the same time, viz, by starting a
news agency, etc. Now, can you suggest
to me something in the same line as
what you have limited to our moneved
youth above. [ have no trade or pro-
fession, and have saved up eS only. I
have a fair education (board SCHOOL,.
past the seventh standard, and have for
the last three and a half years sat in a
merchants Office at the desk. I have
a fair idea of what would be required of
me if I had a small business. MY age
is 16 this MOI tn. Could you suggest
after the style you hint to boy
with e202 What I am thinking is that
"a - ont secure me, on the same scale,
he advantages that ego would"
Won must realize that the conditions
ara non the same in England and Amer
ca Five oul of every seven of our
.ieh men began life as poor boys. Five
mt ~ avarr seven in England have in
nerited their wealth. A boy of IL or Is
M this country Jan take 500 sEnd start
, news stand o,. set himself II p in the
bus NESS OF u Scone
nc start 90 q stat,onar There are fifty
ways in which he can use tlae oaPiIal TO
start him in life, more dep eholng on ms
orce of character than the amount OF
.eady cash. 1t is doubted Ii you can
AXE $500 and do as well in i uS1ahu,
Yheee many of the businesse are
in the hands of the rich.
The following letter is from Syracus g,
New York:
81 have been reading your advice 70
Boys, and have received great deal of ,
from them. I am learning
he painters trade, and am puzzled
over varnishes, not knowing how they
ire made or how to use them. I learned ,
more about white lead in reading your !
lrticle than in all of the three months I : .
nave been in the shop. Hoping you : !
will tell me through your paper about y
furnishes"
There are several little books pub t.
ished for the benefit of painters and dec J..
orators, and you should have your !.
bookstore man order one for you. They !
will tell you how to mix the different !.
shades of paint, about making varnishes,
md giving you many valuable hints. ,
Now let me talk with y0l a little
about the trade you have selected. 1t
IS one by which you can either starve or
earn good wages the year round. The !
common painter-house-p painter, mean ,
is compelled to remain idle for several ,
months OF the year on account OF the {
weather His wages seldom run above ,
81 day in the busy season. He lesrns
how to mix and spread paint, and no
more. Wagon and coach painters may
have more work, but they seldom have ,
better wages, The best furniture and
piano varnishers are now working as low
as SO per week. 1
To make good wages as painter you j
must learn the business in all its
branches. You must be q glazier, o
a decorator and a finlsher. ,
By this latter term [ mean man who
can finish natural woods. You have got
much to learn, and more depends on you
than on your boss. For trifing sum
YOU can get common window sash and
three or four panes of glass. Begin
right there to be glazier. 1t is a knack
to hold a putty-knife just right, and 1t
is of importance to have your putty OF
the right consistency. You may have to
do your work over and over again, but
stick to it until it will pass inspection.
In these days the ceilings of all first
class dwellings are papered in fancy pat
terms or frescoed. The frescoer must be
a natural artist. If you are not an artist
you can be of great help to the frescoer
by putting on his flat colors and orna-
menting the holdings. If you have
good taste you can learn how to decorate
with paper. You must cultivate your
taste by experience and experiment, and
now is the time to begin. If you cannot
get ceiling to practice on, try 1t on
smaller scale on large sheet Of card
board. A dollars worth of odds and
ends of papers and boarders and liners
picked up from the wallpaper store
will keep you in material for weeks.
You must study both for harmony of
colors and general effect, and experience
will certainly push you along.
And there is yet more work to be
done. Get hold of small pieces of ash,
oak, walnut, cherry, butternut, and
other natural woods, and learn how to
finish them. The first process will be
to get smooth finish. The next to fill
the pores of the wood. You can buy
this preparation at any paint store under
the name of ''patent filler" but ask
some good painter to tell You how to
make it, When you have filed the
wood, you must wipe off such of the
liquid as does not soak in within few
Then come sand papering and
the hard oil. Then more sand papering
and the rubbing with pumice stone or