The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1896-11-07
CHOICE OF AN OCCUPATION,
An Important Subject Which Is Strangely
Neglected.

An important SUBJECT winch Is strangely
Neglected.
From the day tho child is born
there is one mighty motive driving
it to become working unit in the
sum of human existence. The in
FAINT may be swaddled in purple and
fine linen, it may be tossed by fate
into squalor and rags, it may be the
average everyday youngster taking
chances with half dozen brothers
and sisters. yet whatever it is the
world demands its apprenticeship
and certain share of it's force for
good or evil. Happily for the child,
he feels none of that responsibility
which attends maturity like a shad-
ow, and his early years are passed
in idle misery or idle happiness, the
young animal that he is. His strug-
gle for bread is wholly matter of
physical craving. He sinks into the
cutters, or he rises to the comforta-
BILE level of decent neighborhood,
with it's background 'of loving par
ents, who protect and purture him.
But, whether he enters this battle
as child of poverty or of riches,
bis 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 he can only escape having
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-
oupation, and the baby of years
who declares that he wants to be q
soldier is sure to change hs mind at
the more experienced age of 12. To
show how ingrained is this desire to
be something, one has only to ask
the ever inane question of children
what thoy mean to do when they
have grown up-to be told in the
most succinct and convincing man.
ner.
Recently III a big public school
167 pupils were hidden to write on
slips of paper the occupations of
their parents and also what calling
they meant to pursue as means of
livelihood after leaving school. In
10 cases the parents were meohan-
les, but only 6 of the 157 children
chose mechanical pursuits. Eighty
seven of the pupils were girls, and
of this number 46 wished to become
teachers and II selected the life of q
waitress. Eight girls were ambi-
tious to become dressmakers, want
ed to enter big shops and 13 aspired
to be milliners. In no instance did
a girl express desire for any kind
OF housekeeping or domestic service.
Various motives actuated these
children s choice, but only 4 wished
for fame, and only II of the 157
wished ito do good in the VERDI"
while "a were influenced by the be.
lief that their selection would pay
we'll. The probability is that half
of these future citizens will find
their hands turn to a very different
labor from the one they wrote down
in answer to this query, What
means of livelihood do you intend
to pursue when you leave school?"
One of the leading lights of Massa.
ohusetts at the primary stage of his
career determined that life would
not be worth the living for him un-
less he could drive a milk wagon
when he came to mans estate, and
SO impressed was he with the charm
of that avocation that bitter tears
were shed when he was told he
must enter Harvard college first, and
after that his father would see. Pa
rental vision. however, had never to
go beyond that point, for this pas
sionate love for the matutinal milk
cart changed long before the time
arrived when the real choice of a
profession became necessary. But
it is useless to say the child is not
father of the man, and the inherited
business or professional talent crops
out before pinafores are abandoned.
The great difficulty is to drive it in
to the proper channel and give the
instinct" fair chance to develop
along the lines marked out for it
Boston Herald.