Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1890-06-27
COSTLY NEGLIGENCE.
rramps and Convicts Are Made Out
DO" of Many Promising Boys.

aran,ns and Convlcts Are Made Out
DO" of Many Promising Boys.
observer will take stroll about
In and the other cities and large
pO, ns of the State, he may find at street
O~ railroad stations, and other
.Isces, many idle men.
1.-THE should mingle with these men
!monld find that they may be divided
~ two classes--laborers who expect
lnp,Ulovment later in the spring, when
'~ nnk of one kind or another usually be-
''ns. and young mon, mostly graduates
y Grammar or high schools, who feel
,ttle too nice to work at common la
sor vet have not acquired the skill to
soany thing else. And, though there
demand for skilled labor, the max
,.rs of many skilled mechanics stand
.i%lessly about because they have not
had the opportunity to learn some trade
sor which they are adapted.
II is this latter class of idlers that
vonld arouse the concern of the thought
,rl observer; for among them he would
400 many youths whose future seems
.nv thing but hopeful. AS far as teach
inc its youth book learning is concerned,
,ocety does much of it's duty; but in the
aoually important matter of teaching
tbem how to make an honest living So
c;ety does little or nothing.
"Twenty per cent. of the men engaged
i, mechanical INDUSTRIES" said prom
iuent builder, ''are really skilled me-
ebanics; the other eighty per cent. are
fair or indifferent workmen." At first
thought it seems strange that only one
In five of these men is really skilled,
but when we consider the mere matter
Of chance by which boys are drawn into
mechanical industries it would seem
strange if this were not the case.
A green boy, seeking chance to learn
trade, but ignorant OF What he is
adapted for, is more likely to drift into
the wrong trade than into the right one.
He may make poor carpenter when he
might make good mason, or a poor
nachinist when ne might make good
architect. Or, if he does know what he
Is adapted for, the chances are that I'M
less he is of unusual perseverance he
can never obtain the chance to learn it
we'll; for master mechanics and their
foremen do not want to bother them
selves with teaching green boys.
1t is for this class of boys that pub
lie industrial school system is much
needed. A little practical instruction
would develop a boys taste to such an
extent that if he desires to learn trade
he will know which one he is best
adapted for, and be taught accordingly.
The tendency of such system would be
toward placing youths where they can
do the most good for themselves and
society. And the people would be re-
paid for the extra burden of maintaining
the system; for who can estimate the
present loss to society in the waste of
the genius and powers of so many Of It's
members?
For a people not to provide their youth
with the means of obtaining an indus
trial education is indeed costly negli-
gence-a negligence that leaves eighty
per cent. of our mechanics fair or indif-
ferent workmen; u negligence that
leaves great numbers of boys and young
men wasting in idleness the best part Of
their lives; negligence that tends to
make trsmps or convicts out of many
once promising boys.-Boston Globe.