The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1910-10-28

MIN life's vocation?
Sg If not, perhaps you would
N do we'll to look little into
this line of human en-
deavor, especially If your boy has CIV
en- you cause to believe that he takes
to subjects mathematical naturally, or
is good at mastering this branch of
learning. For there is today probably
not more promising or cleaner field
of industry for young man than
architecture. And what makes the
opportunities in this professionalism
profession it is-exceptionally bright
Just now Is that the general aim in
building is to combine art with utility
and also the entire land is reverbera-
ting with the sound of hammers and
rfveting machines.
Not few of the country's leading
universities teach architecture in
schools especially organized for this
purpose. Probably it would be we'll
for your boy if he has architectural
ambitions, to attend good school of
this sort, provided the family finances
permit. But if they will not, do not
be discouraged, for more than one sue
cessful architect has made himself
such ere now, by starting as an office
boy in an architects Office And as an
office boy, or minor clerk, your boy
would do we'll to start, if he cannot be
sent to a reliable school of architec-
ture.
or course, as an office boy, your boy
will get only four or five dollars a
week in actual money But all the
while he will have his eyes open, pick
ing up the very simplest rudiments Of
the profession; and pretty soon, as
some of the mysteries of blue prints
and compass, and T square, and tr1-
angle, and box wood scale, and thumb
tacks begin to clear up, his employer
will give him an eraser and tell him
to clean an Unfinished drawing of it's
pencil marks. This may be within
two or three months from the time
the youngster starts to earn his first
weeks wage as Office boy.
Then, within about six months or
SO he is put before big table, given
pen and bottle Of india ink, and told
to trace over the lines of a drawing
that have already been made in pen
Gil. He is also shown how to make
blue-prints, the sheets containing the
plans Of the structure to be erected
that are given to the carpenters and
other workmen on the job. BY this
10 hoo <01 D%L II
aboat water coloring and is set to
make blue sky behind a finished
drawing, paint the house pink, and to
splash vivid green over the grass
in front Within year from the time
he entered the" office-if he has got
on-he will be getting eight or ten
dollars a week.
Within another year he will be CIV
en- a rough sketch of a floor plan and
told to draw it out ito scale" This
means that he must make detailed
picture Of the floor Of house, allow
ing, say, a quarter-inch of space on
the drawing for each foot of actual
dimensions the floor is to be.
It will not be long now till the boy
will know a lot about drawing and
begin to look forward to the time he
will be called craftsman; for, inside
Of three years from the beginning, he
will be earning from SIS to $18 a week
and can probably take the notes given
by the prospective owner Of a modest
dwelling and work out therefrom a
fairly complete set of plans-With
numerous hints and helps from the
boss, of course.
Perhaps the boy by this time has
some original ideas of how a house
ought to look, and is able to picture
his ideas on paper This means that
he has the rudiments of designer In
him. But. anyhow, he has acquired
the foundation on which a real archi
tect is erected, and goes on for three
or four years more, till he can draw
plans for any ordinary building and
make very acceptable designs. He
will be getting, as craftsman, any.
where up to $50 week, and, if he has
studied hard, he may be foreman over
several other craftsmen, If the Office
is a large one, and earning double $50
a week.
This Is apt to be the end Of tbs
architectural progress of your boy I'M
less he has utilized any opportunities
that may show themselves, to get into
business for himself; for there are
few high salaried positions in the pro
fession, and in many cases these come
from political or other pull" OF
course, such a job as the superinten
dent of school buildings in large city
pays as high as $4,000 a year; but
the man that gets it need not neces
sarily be a highly competent architect
Rather, executive ability is the main
requirement.; for he can hire good
craftsmen, and radical changes in de-
sign are generally made through out
side sources.
Your boy has got to get into bust
ness for himself The requirements
for doing this are practically nothing
at all; for all he needs is the few tools
he has long since acquired and mas.
tered and place to draw in. If he
can get somebody that he knows is
going to build house to let him draw
the plans and attend to the construc
r + D. =,