Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-16
Pauline Pry's Interview With a
Clever Young Carpenter.
OPSETTING THE VIEWS OF 4 SNOB
Knows Now That Things Are
Not Just as She Supposed.
SOCIETY AND HONEST TOLL

| While Washington is erecting triumpha
| arches and setting up fireworks to honor
| Dewey, I want to tell bit of a story
| about hero 1 know. 1t is story with a
| moral, but I'm very honorable about stories
of this sort. I don't tric:, -eople into read
| ing a lot of ostensible l-I'e romance and
| then suddenly spring g. moral upon them
! giving them no chance to escape. I tell
you frankly at the start I am writing this
story not so much to interest as to in
struct you, and less to please you than to
| give your moral sense a rather uncomfort-
| able turn. I want you to know that to be
a proper subject Of hero-worship a man
| need not do single extraordinary thing,
nor yet attain success, and I want you to
feel that your snobbery and mine, your
shoddness and your frivolity, as we'll as
my own are constantly operating to make
the conditions of labor in this country so
opposed to a mans interests in life that
we give a youngster starting out in the
world little choice between building his
success on trickery or accepting lot prac-
tically no more hopeful than a slaves.
Now. having defined the nature Of the
| moral 1 propose to set forth, and thereby
offered you the opportunity to avoid it if
you like, I'll begin my story.
The hero of it Is Washington boy, a
graduate Of the High School. He is the
brother of prosperous Washington lawyer
and Of an eminent District official. You
see, If you have not been scared off by the
moral, you are already getting some re-
ward-I am introducing you to a most re-
spectacle person. a blood-relation of wealth
and Influence" Who knows but I'm put
ting you in the way Of an eligible path for
your daughter or one who will advance the
social interests of your son?
But my hero is carpenter.
Would your daughter marry that, and
would your son-hardly. Before 1 throw
any more stones at your snobbishness I've
confession to make of my own.
Knows She's n snob.
Concerning myself in this matter I claim
that one great difference between me and
the majority of people is I'm a snob, and
I'm always finding this out about myself,
while the otkers-you. for instance, go
through life without guessing the truth
about yourself and are that much worse off
all but hopeless, in fact.
me way L became acquainted with my
carpenter hero was in the natural course
of business affairs. I wanted job done in
my house. and a characteristic American
mechanic came up to give me an estimate
of the cost. Times were dull so he brought
his partner along. The two men measured
and reckoned, and finally gave me a figure
much too high. because they lacked the in
telliSence to perceive what 7 wanted which
was IN the nature of a makeshift-a tenn
porary construction WHICH did not need to
p
manent structure. They. however could
or would. only consider the usual REQUIRE
ments of such a job. and failed utterly
therefore to satisfy my-exceptional need.
- accordingly declined to deal with them
The same day / happened to see young
man at work on a neighbours premises, and
| called him overt told him what I
wanted. inwardly commenting the while on
MS appearance of intelligence and refine
ment. He looked about twenty-three wears
OF age was slight Of build, dressed care
Iuily though proper to his labor and his
face. voice, manner all bore the unmfs-
taxable stamp of educatio and good breed
ing. With degree of dispatch in marked
contrast with the clumsy movements and
laborious calculations Of the mechanics
who had preceded him he also measured
and Inquired, and gave me an estimate in
stantly acceptable. because he had per
Iectly grasped what 1t was I wanted done
l engaged him for the work. and 1 could
not 1all TO be interested in him.
A Search for KNOWLEDGE,
echo the popular sentiment concerning
the absurdity Of every boy nowadays being
too much educated to labor and striving
without reference to his capacity or the
demand to be lawyer or doctor or teach
er-anything that will not soil his clothes
or his hands. l was pleased therefore. to
hnd young fellow who, in the possession
OF brains and culture, was not above work.
ing at trade, and I proposed finding out
something of himself and of his trade He
reminded me of the stone mason who
talks SO wisely and does labor so much
credit, as pictured by Goethe in Elective
Afnnities, and as l experienced quite a
glow OF human interest in this young car
penter could not help being conscious
mat ! was showing very fine character
myself. 1t is certainly nice of me, /
thought-me, such an intellectual person.
who has some of the best people in town
on her visiting list. to be mindful of the
existence of a carpenter and to be dis
posed to DatrOniZp both him nd trad
But when the young man set to work he
attended so strictly to business 1 expe-
rieneed some difficulty in getting a chance
to talk to him, and while l was waiting my
opportunity l even went so far in my
mind as to fancy joining the carpenters
union or something of that sort. 1 felt
sure 1T would encourage other young men
to be deft and reasonable in their charges if
a lady OF Importance like myself went to
their meetings occasionally and let them
realize what a JOY it is to associate with
money in 1t or not
The first day told servant to give the
young man cup of tea at lunch time 1t
rather struck me as ingratitude when he
declined 1t, but braced up-what could one
expect from the toiling masses considering
the treatment they usually get from cap
ltal!-and the next day, with my own fair
hands. I carried the young man a plate of
not soup and some biscuit I fairly purred
under sense OF my own philanthropy, and
my democratic spirit was stars and stripes
all over.
Ready for the Entertainment.
But the young man declined victuals even
from me. However. with this overture the
stage was ready for ma to go on with the
regular entertainment L had planned
You seem to be very different from men
who work at trades I said by way of
beginning. yiCf
He looked at me calmly through his eve
glasses and answered.: tDo you think SOP
" course, thought so or I wouldn't have
said IT. but naturally people of that class
are slow about understanding us. So I
didn't let myself feel snabbed, and I asked
ano1her question, more pointed, too, this
time hoping to touch his loquacity.
I said. an
That. he answered. Hdepends largely on
now pad one needs money. I have felt
mat was getting along handsomely on a
uoliar and quarter day, and I have
neen made to feeleiike a beggar earning
twice that much" r. i
did not seem to- be making great head
way. especially as he. had gone to saving
ana nammerfng But i'll could not accom-
pnsn sympathetic relations with him I de-
termined at least to get in stroke Of bust
ness TOT myself. was about to lose a SER
want. white girl who had lived with me
a NUMBER OF years, and 1t occurred to me
what rare good fortune 1t would be to hire
q SISTER OF TINS young mana servant who