The Irish standard., 1906-10-06
With Five Thousand Positions Open in That
City and $4,000 Young People Who
Want Them, but Won't Do
Merely Because They Cannot Spell or Add
Correctly, New and Very Serious
"~ Problem is Presented.

Today, in New York, over five thou
sand positions in various lines of busi-
ness are open to young girls and boys
varying in age from fifteen to. eighteen
years-and not a thousand applicants
ready to fill them, says a recent issue
of the New York Daily World.
But" cries the girl of seventeen or
her brother of fifteen, Il have applied
to half dozen firms and nothing to
do as yet.''
Strange, is it not? Five thousand
positions open, $4,000 young people
anxious to secure work-and still the
employers say. "we have no one to fill
this position..'' ~. - i:,4:-
The Fault Lies at the Door Of tho
Public School System.
According to the business men Of New
York, the fault must be laid at the
door ~ off the metropolitan system Of
public schools: The boys and girls
who seek work do not know how to
spell. or figure. Young people who
have certificates to- prove. that they
have graduated from the grade or
grammar schools, even some who have
had part or all of the high school
( course, are not sufficiently grounded
in the, three RS to fill capably the SIM
plest of business posts.
How do employers. dare to make
such sweeping assertions? :.
Precisely what do they mean?
Readers of. the Sunday World need
not take the mere word of the ems
ployer for this condition of affairs
They canespend day in imagination
with the superintendents of employees
who examine and interview appli-
cants
The other morning one of the best
known and most liberal firms among
the retailers advertised for salespeople,
check girls and boys for the delivery
department. During the day $50 young
people, mostly claiming to have recent
ly left school, filed past the superin.
tendent of employees. Less than fifty
of this number could fill out an appli-
cation blank without the assistance Of
the shrewd young clerk in attendance
upon the employment bureau. Only
few more could write legible hand
that is, a hand which could be read
ut first sight and without the closest
attention. AS for the spelling, it
would make President Roosevelt won-
der If If would. really be worth while to
revise our spelling system, so long
as we do not seem to have any univer-
sal system of spelling now.
Another firm advertised for sales
people and announced that applications
by mail only would be considered. The
head of the engagement bureau said
there were two reasons for demanding
written applications. First, desirable
salespeople would not stand in line
with inexperienced, incapable Begin
esSAS' AAoS SOulu Uo ScCuIcu Oul1
through appointment. Second, the girl
or youth who makes good appear
ance. talks glibly and brings references
from teachers, pastors or neighbors
does not always know how to spell or
figure up sales slip.
A Queer Collection Of Application
Cards.
The collection Of application cards
contributed by the 250 young people
at the first-named office offered study
In chirography and spelling calculated
To- give their future employers ner-
vous prostration. Many boys and
girls, who admitted sixteen or seven-
teen al their age wrote a hand as
crude as that of the primary pupil in
district school. Blots and blurs indi-
Gated either carelessness or lack of
familiarity will. pen and ink. Fully a
third. in answering the inquiry about
their home address, gave the street and
number, without the name of the city