Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1899-06-22
LEARNING AN EASY TRADE"

The following Is from the pen OF
George w. Peck whose love for boys
Is we'll known. We find it in Peck 3
Sun" u sun that casts no shadows. ("
1t IL written in the kindliost spirit
and In IL may he read the secret of
Mr.. Peck 3 strength, which lies not SO
much In his keen sense of humor and
readiness In giving expression to his
thoughts, rs In his setting forth of the
true philosophy Of life:
"a boy writer from u country town
In the interior OF the state asks some
advice rs to what IL the best trade to
learn. An extract from his letter Is
follows.
Il have had to quit school In
order to earn something to help
support our family, AZ my father
Is not very we'll and does not earn
enough to 1.-Two on. have tried
three different places, but they
put me at the hardest, most mental
work, and have been accustomed
to doing the easy work around
the house, and 1t hurts me to have
to do dirty work
"Wcll, boy, you have good deal
TO learn. There Is nothing that would
be better for you than to get II place
In n milliner's shop, where you could
wear u shirt waist and ribbons In your
hair and go to picnics. IT you are GO
ing to learn trade you have got to
begin at the bottom and do tho dirty
,ly a l. In,
bank and sit In tho presidents Office
and cut off coupons the first week, but
you will have to sweep out the bank
and pick up the cigar stubs the clerks
leave and work up from the cuspidoro
TO the bank vault, aud all this will
take time. You seem the kind of N
boy who, II you took " position In "
grocery store, would want to put up
nothing but granulatcd sugar and raj
sins, and candy, aud trade with pretty
girls, but you would have to shag FIR
kins Of butter around, and knock the
top on, and dig into the butter with "
wooden spud and get out some for n
customer, and probably get IRONY
butter on your sleeves, and you
would have TO dig pickles out of n
sour barrel and get vinegar ON You,
and II any customer asked for molas-
ses YOU woold want the proprietor to
go and draw IL for n customer, but
you would have to do 1t, and he
mighty careful and get the dead lilies
out of the quart measure before you
opened up, or You might lose Gus.
TONER for the old man. IT you
thought You were going TO have an
easy time in the grocery YOU would
make the mistake Of our life, for
You would have TO roll barrels of
sugar IN the basement, aud cut cheese,
and sort out rotten cabbage, and
sprout potatoes IN the CELLAR, and
grind cotloc. You net us though IL
you went To work in II livery stable
you would want to sit In the Office, or
drive for the crowned heads, but YOU
would have To wash on horses and
wash and grease huggies, and maybe
drive the hcarso To cheap funerals,
You could not drive the omnibus the
first day, and that is the ambition Of
all boys. It you went to work in n
meat market, you would want to do
nothing but weigh out sirloin steaks
that the boss had cut OF, and YOU
would probably handle them with
gloves, or with n fork: but You would
find that you would have TO turn the
sausage machine, and fry out the
scraps, and make yousclf useful and
greasy. II 20 were in II meat market
and poor woman came IN to buy n
pound OF pork, you would take the
first piece on top OF the brine and in
sist that she should take it, but she
would insist that YOU roll up Your
sleeve aud dig away down To the bot
tom of the barrel OF brine, into the
rock salt on the bottom, to find the
piece she wanted, and If YOU had n
raw place on your hand II would
smart SO you would want to he mus.
tered out af the meat market and
draw pension Oh, you will never
find an easy place to work, where you
can keep we'll dressed and clean, until
you learn your trade. Many boys