The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1892-02-13

rights, should remember that idlers
are always superauous in this
worlds economy, but that the good
mechanic is constantly in demand,
as he is the one who lays the real
foundation of all business success,
and that his industry is an absolute
necessity to the capitalists. IF these
people who turn up their noses at
the mechanic allege as q reason for
their exclusiveness that the mechan-
ic is lacking in refinement, they
should be told that it is partly due
to the fact that those who deem
themselves more refined have scru-
pulously withdrawn their refining
influences from the mechanic by
not associating with him. But the
mechanic is not excluded from true
culture, and one can find as many
true gentlemen of culture and refine
ment among mechanics as among
the so-called professional classes,
indeed often one searches in vain
for refinement among the latter.
Much depends upon the quality
of the material which enters the
mechanical trades, and if many of
those who now make the mistake
of studying an Improbable profess
sion should learn a trade instead
and determine to lead q refined life,
lit will not be long before even this
somewhat imaginary reproach is
taken away. It 10 not necessary
either to go from one extreme to
the other, and that all should rush
into the trades, nor that the other
great mistake be made Of thinking
that one mechanical trade is more
honorable than another and that
every boy must pick out what seems
to him to be a little more elevated
q trade. We plead for the proper
training of boys in the mechanical
trades, for their thoroughly master
ing the whole trade and not one
branch of it. All mechanical trades
offer good livelihood, steady en-
ployment. and fortune for those
who have the patience, perseverance
and industry to find it. Learn q
trade! In this connection we may
say that the question why boys do
not properly and thoroughly learn
q trade in these days has been partly
answered by an old employer, who
gives what, in his opinion, are the
reasons. He says that boys now
adays are different from what they
were when he was boy. In those
good old times they came to learn as
much as possible, now to earn all
the money they can. Then appren-
tices were the children of compar-
atively well-to-do people, who took
pains to bring their children up
properly and were more solicitous,
by having their sons properly in
structed and by making good me-
chanics of them, to make them in
dependent of the world. Now ap-
prentices come mostly from the
DO orer classes and are expected to
bring as much wages home as pos
sible, so as to help support the
family. They only look for the
immediate present, regardless of
the future. The first question an
apprentice asks is how much he is
to get week; he thinks only of
his earning capacity and not of the
time it takes to instruct him, nor
of the materials he spoils. The
next question generally is, what
hours he will have to work.
Then again in the olden time the
or foreman generally helped
his instruction along by an occa-
sional whipping, and many a good
master workman to-day gratefully
remembers the wholesome chastise-
ment that made a man of him.
Those days are passed, and Solo,
mons wise saying that he who spares
the rod spoils the child is forgotten.
The result is that employers now
endeavor only to get as much work
out of boys AZ they can, and take
40 interest in teaching them any
thing; in fact, boys in workshops
nowadays are looked upon as 80 !
many necessary evils. When the
employer ceases to be looked upon
and respected as teacher and ed
ucator, and only as an employer,
there is an end Of any hope for the
proper instruction Of boys in any |
trade. The labor and
trade unions are much to be blamed
for this state of things in their un-
wise attacks on the apprenticeship
system. Times have changed, and
With them old methods have passed
away. We doubt very much If the !
new methods are really an improve
ment. Time will tell.-The Leather
Manufacturer. /