Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-07-17
The Apprentice.

From the Manchester Union,
The one thing above all others that the stu
duenl oil our industrial life regrets is the prac-
tical abandonment of the apprentice system,
In the rush to make money and make IT
quick, We have lost sight of the essentials of
future prosperity. Our outlook is fixed too
much on temporary success, and in the rush
ana push We are too apt to forget the genera
tlon that Is coming up behind US, and which
must take our places and carry on the business
OF life The generation OF to-day is as strong.
vigorous, honest and well-disposed as any that
mas preceded 1t, but it lacks tine hardy tutelage
III Its predecessors. Competition and what we
call enterprise nave divided the industrial laDor
vi the day into departments. Men and boys
are put lnto these departments to become ma
Chimes merely. Their ambition is cut OFT from
the very start, and they are given little OF no
incentive To push on and excel in their callings
The natural and legitimate effect OF this system
Is to dwarf their abilities, make machines OF
them, and destroy that inventive faculty which
Is the real and solid foundation OF all industrial
prosperity.
There are notable exceptions to the rule of
the hour, and these, lew though they may be-
enclose SO much practical truth that it Is
health!ul to emphasize them whenever occa-
SION Oilers In the great printing press estab-
lisnment of X. Hoe q 20 d very fine apprintice
system Is In use. There about $50 bows
serving an apprenticeship in the factory They
are taken only on agreement to work five
years at least. During the day the boys work
i'll the factory, "kpocking oti' at five and then
going TO school near by, where they study
until ESQ. Many OF the boys are studying
geometry and algebra The boys are advanced
III the work III which they seem most likely to
excel
here we have an idea of the true system. the
one tnat should prevail IN the whole meclani-
cal world. Educate the boy to his calling Take
hIm direct from the school-the more education
he has the better-and lead him strictly and
carefully through all the gradatiOns of the cali
Ing he Chooses up to the level OF the finished and
master workman. He should not be permitted
To quit whenever fancy dictated and al the end
oi one or two years call himself finished work.
man ana so out into the world as u Journey
! man. AS a carpenter he may be able to shingIe
!, ROOF, or as IA blacksmith mend a broken brace.
Dut ne Is not IN the true sense OF the word a
wIrAman; he Is simply what the world calls
| their apprenticeship? you ask. The answer is
easy. 1t is simply because of their eagerness In
lew years they are advantaged, but the youth
who Dldes his time, is loyal to his labor wins i'm
| the long run. he, If he is smart and active.
soon becomes foreman. master, an en-
ployer, while the other who lacked the patience
10 TABOR and wait never rises above the level
OF the tinker.
Put the boy at the anvil and the lathe. give
him the I'll and the hand saw, and teach him
that just In proportion he faithfully studies
he Will in The end earn comfort and compe-
tency and be Oh use TO his day and generation
Inc one great obstacle In the way OF the APP
prentice Is the modern labor organization that
undertakes to dictate the number of appren-
tices VINO shall be taken on and the character
and extent of their services. The theory ia
wrong No skilled artisan, no mechanic who
is master OF his calling, has aught OF competi.
ton to fear from the apprentice. 1t is true that
employers may and do attempt to substitute
| The apprentices for the journeyman, but the
cupidlty ot the boss ought not to be permitted
| 10 operate against the welfare of the appren-
| uce Labor organizations may very properIy
| Regulate conditions. but they should never at
| tempt 10 smut out any lad who seeks to master
| trade or industrial pursuit. There should al
ways be room for the boys in the shop and the
! factory, at the lathe and the bench, and where's
| ever any thing is to be wrought out from neces-
| sity and comfort by the skill OF human hands
III Is easy from this preface to write u volume
but The lesson Is all in nutshell. 1t is this
| Boys turn your time and talent to something
| practlcai; men, open the ranks and let the lads
| H. Make place fOr them, introduce them To
the hammer, the chisel and the anvil, and teach
| them that 1T Is determination integrity and
| skill that can alone carve out fortune with the
| toughest tools. Make room for the bows: let
the gateway be wide and the invitation strong
and when once the youth is enlisted keep min
to the task until he thoroughly masters the
| calling. 1t Is not a matter Of one or two years
| extra apprenticeship; beyond it lies q lifetime
| OF usefulness. The "blacksmith" at his calling
| can never be better than mediocrity and is
generally q failure; but the master commands
| himself, his surroundings and every obstacle
| that lies In the pathway of progress.
Diet and DysDeDSix