The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1896-10-09
CHOICE OF AN OCCUPATION.
An Important Subject which Ia Strangely
Neglected.


From the day the child Is born
there is one mighty motive driving
it to become a working unit in the
sum of human existence The in
FAINT may be swaddled in purple and
fine linen, il may be tossed by fate
into squalor and rags. it may be the
average everyday youngster taking
chances with half n dozen brothers
and sisters. yet whatever it Is the
world demands its apprenticeship
and a certain share Of its force for
good or evil. Happily for the child,
he feels none of that responsibility
which attends maturity like q shad-
ow, and his early years are passed
in idle misery OF idle happiness, the
young animal that he is. His strug-
gle for bread is wholly n matter of
physical craving. He sinks into the
cutters, or be rises to the comfUrta-
BILE level of n decent neighborhOod.
with its background of loving par
ents, who protect and nurture him.
But, whether he enters this battle
as child of poverty or Of riches,
his future occupation is marked out.
and what he is to be" has been al
ready arranged by those mental fac
ulties that are his birthright. The
formation of his character deter
mines that point incontestably.
and no can only escape Irving
an occupation by being either an
idiot, or, what is perhaps worse
in some instances, the inheritor
of too much money. But the
tastes of childhood are not to be
relied ON in the choice of this oc.
cupation, and the baby of 6 years
who declares that no wants to lie a
soldier is suro to change hs mind al
the moro experienced ageo of II Tc
show how ingrained is this desire e
be something, one has only to ask
the ever inane question of children
what they mean 10 do when they
have grown up-to DO told in the
most succinct and convincing mnn
ner.
Recently in a big public schoo
157 pupils were hidden to write or
slips of paper the occupations oi
their parents and also what calling
they meant TO pursue as a means ol
livelihood after leaving school. II
10 cases the parents were mechan
les, but only of the 157 children
chose mechanical pursuits Eighty
seven of the pupils were girls, anC
of this number sc wished to becom,
teachers and 12 selected the life of (
waitress. Eight girls were ambi
tious to become dressmakers. 4 want
ed to enter big shops and Is aspireC
to be milliners. In no instance die
a girl express "A desire for any kinC
of hou> excepting or domestic service
Various motives actuated thes,
ohildren's choice, but only 4 wishes
"for fame, and only IL of the Is
wished Ito do good in the world,
while "a were influenced by the be
lief that their selection would pa,
well. The probability is that hal
of these future citizens VIII finS
their hands turn to a very G-feren
labor from the one they wrote dow
in answer to this query, "wha
means of livelihood do you inten'
to pursue when you leave school?"
One of the leading lights of Massa
ohusetts at the primary stage Of hi
career determined that life woul,
net be worth the living for him IN
less he could drive a milk wagol
when he came to mans estate, ant
so impressed was he with the oharn
of that avooation that bitter tear
were shed when he was told b
must enter Harvard college first. an
after that his father would see. Pa
rental vision, however, had never
go beyond that point, for this pas
sionate love for the matutinal mil
cart changed long before the tim
arrived when the real choice of
profession became necessary. Blu
it is useless to say the child is nc
father of the man, and the inherite
business or professional talenf crop
out before pinafores arc Abandoned
The great difficulty is 20 drive it in
20 the proper channel and give th
Instinct" a fair chance to develo
along the lines marked out for it,
Boston Herald.