The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-09-27


and once boys which he could not al.
During that lime tho bureau had been
able TO sem tut only 500 boys whom Il
register at tho bureau every year n
every one expects ct oncs TO got q job.
'Somo OF our boys get more than one
chance 10 make good said the official.
When. for instance, a Arm applies 70
US for a bright, industrious boy Of good
who answers that description. II Is q
waste OF time for me to send 0 dull, lazy
yonngH;Ar who. shows little or no am
bition. OF one who ! have reason to sus-
psct IL undetermined and tricky,
But ~supposing with the best inten-
tions l send n boy who upon trial turns
out to iack application. or one who makes
10 practice OF coming late morning.. or
Ia lmpertinent to his employer or quar-
relsoms In the office, or Ii too SLOW, OF
who shows some other trait which dis
qualities him in his employers eyes
charged and back he ZONES to US looking
for another job.
As a rule his employer hoes not tell
the boy why he Ia discharged. Few em.
ployers take the trouble to do that. and
the boy, perhaps without meaning 7
satisfactory probably to his mother than
It Is to me. At any rate, communicate
with his employer and find out the real
reason. which Is usually n of the faults
I hive mentioned.
what happens2 Realizing that the
experience may have done the boy good,
another employer, a wiser II not q better
boy. Perhaps he holds on to the next
job q little longer than to b first one.
Then he Is discharged.
Again he comes to me with O story
OF his wrongs. and perhaps his mother
comes with him to back him up, and
again / communicate with his employer
and find out why he raj discharged.
@This happened five times In tho case
Of a prepossessiug boy bright enough to
make a good impression on an employer
and to hold almost any Office Job II he
right i was sure that he could make good.
I sent for his mother and asked her IL
she knew why her son had lost his last
Job. As I expected. she told me a story
Of favoritism which had resulted In her
boy being discharged for no fault of
his own, and she was inclined to be in
dignant over It.
Seeing that she was q reasonable,
fair minded sort Of woman I took out the
five discharge blanks which at my request
had been fIlei in by the boys different
EMPLOY rs and spread them before her.
and after she had read them to my relief
\ b6W t6l was ho luOotnOh COUu y
ing her cooperation. Then I had @
straight to the shoulder talk with the boy,
telling him that the associations bureau
was done with him; that we could not
AFFORD 70 let him 30 on queering US
with firm after firm who naturally
boy he would make. good. ! showed the
boy the five letters from his emplove rs.
.'It IL now up to You, l urged, 70 stop
trifing, curb your tongue, n hold and
show you are In earnest or else your
whole life will amount TO nothing
He begged for n more chance, and
got 1t. and I am glad to say he has stuck
has beer raised and his employer tells me
the boy Is one of the best workers he he's
had In the office.
Il tell this story tn illustrate the class
Of material We handle here all the time.
The percentage Of boys who do not have
really take hold is very small, and there
Is a large percentage. ! Am sorry TO say,
which seems incapable Of sticking at any
sort Of work more than a few weeks
This type Of boy, needless to saw l
cannot and do not send out In answer 70
a call from a first class office. What Is
the use?
mot long ago IN architect asked me
over the telephone to send him an Office
boy Immediately. Glad Of the chance. I
sent him a boy who had Registered with
us a few days before and was one OF the
brightest appearing youngsters j had
met In O long time. l
ITO nv surprise the boy did not get
the job, the architect informing me that
the boy was too smart In his manne to
be a stay err. He had had trouble more
thar once with that tv pc. he said. Could
I not send him a steadier sort OF chap?
Possibly that architect made a mistake.
for the boy he turned down Is giving
satisfaction In a brokers' office where I
placed him two months ago.
Staying quality Ia what the New York
working boy most lacks. ! mean Of course
the class which prefers ofics work TO learn
ing a trade. He also needs application.
In these two things thec country boy beats
him every time. II is almost amusing
10 find how many times an application
q country boy hyou can.
in many ways the city boy In by far
the smarter. but Of late years an increas-
ing percentage has developed q talent
for sliding in and out Of a job with n
facility disconcerting TO employers and
for attaching at the start an undue value
TO dollars and cents. Offered s. a week
for a starter with a chance Of acquiring
valuable business training and - with no
chance at all Of learning any thing In par
t~icular. FIVE out Of ten boys will choose
the "a Job.
But bad, good or Indifferent. the assert
ment Of boys Of 10 and under eligible for
emplov ment as ONCE or messenger boy In
a good class concern Is all too small