The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1893-10-12
T H E T r A D E S .
To Labor or Not to Labor, Is the Question
The Advocates of Good Trade
Most Numerous.

The Advocates of a Good Trade
Most Numerous.
The knowledge of good trade is no
burden to carry, and is a fine thing for
any man to have, whatever his position
or condition in life; for, in this country,
where it is "Only three generations from
shirt sleeves to Shirt-SleeveS" every man
should be prepared for an emergency.
SUNOL.
Xxx
A trade or profession should be the
foundation of the education of every
American, no matter what are their
prospects IN life Every parent should
be compelled by law to educate in some
trade or profession all their children,
to be able and ready to step forth to
battle with the world, skilled in one of
the various branches of industry that
make up our national life. Look back
to that strong manhood and pure
womanhood that laid the foundation
of this republic. You will find no
drOnes, but every one was educated and
able to bear hand for the general good,
with definite idea of their RESPONSE
bility to future generations, to society
and this republic. OSsIAN.
1t has been shown beyond all reason
able doubt that man with trade sue
ceedS better than one who has not. For
instance, let two men start out from
this institution, one with trade and
the other without, one skilled machin-
ist or artiZan, the other labOrer, which
has the best chance to succeed? Again,
take two young men who start out from
home together, one binds himself to a
trade for three or five years and the
other goes to railrOading, etc., which will
be most likely to see the inside of
prison? AS that extract of a letter,
From Youth to Youth in last weeks
issue asserted: "It is not the kind of Ia
bor we perform that crowns our lives
with success, but the way in which we
perform it. Some are destined to labor
in one way and some in another" L.
Xxx
A trade is undoubtedly good thing
to have if it is of the right kind In
these days, with machinery brought to
such perfection, most branches of trade
are controlled by machines and skilled
mechanic is of little more account in
those fields than really smart or intel
ligent boy of eighteen or twenty years.
A few trades are still open to the skilled
mechanic but simply because, for in
stance, machine cannot dress car
case, lay bricks and stone or pipes.
Those lines are overcrowded and the
wages even in those are sadly reduced.
To secure good wages all the time
man must get to the top notch. Ma
chinery may be blessing to the world
but it seems to have given capital more
control of labor than before. Still
trade will always keep the wolf from
the door. J.H.
Xxx
1t is seldom youfind man nowadays.
that is skilled in all the branches of his
trade. Machinery and invention have
driven the old times to cover. The shoes
we wear for instance, are generally the
combined effort of at least a dozen diff
ferent hands. They produce cheaper
article, made entirely by machinery,
but far inferior to the old handmade
shoes our ancestors wore. The only
trades not affected by machinery are
the trades of the builders, brick layers,
stone-masons and stone-cutters. Ma
chinery has injured all the other