Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-02-03
ONLY WORK IS LEFT
NOW DRINK IS GONE
Many Who Are Well Fixed Feel
Need of Employing Their
Minds and Get Jobs.

New York, Jan. 29..-lsnt II tough
10 he well fixed financially and yet have
10 90 to work. Well, rather. Ana yet
that is exactly the plight OF many u
man sincc the prohibition amendment
went into effect, according To students
of the labor situation and reports oil en-
movers. who have noticed return to
the old job of quite "A few men VINO nc,
tired some years ago TO take 1T easy.
What's the reason -,
Why, with the saloons and Gales an
closed and most of the clubs rather de-
serted man has to choose between TWO
things-hanging around the house or GO
inc 10 work. Of course, If n man Is
rocntallv occupied i'm the moro serious
things Of life no such alternative exists.
If he is lust natural loaier he ism
Nraubled either. But If n man Is just
one of those average men who accunu-
lated some money and then dropped out
10 take life easy and spend much OF his
time playing poker or plnoche at the
club or I'm the cafe back room" with
the bows the situation is a depressing one.
And more men spent their spare time
chat way thfn most people realize.
4 ease comes 20 mind of printer,
we'll known IN newspaper circles, who
came into about 100000 some SIX wears
ago. He quit work and has been living
the life of Reilly ever since. lie was
was not man who dissipated or wasted
his money. lie was and Is steady, re-
liable. oasy-going man OF the middle
class whose idea of taking lie easy was 10
dron around the back room at 1cnneS-
ssv's Cafe and spend the afternoon over
\ friendly game. Or he might just drop
in and while away the hours with pipe
IN mouth, feet on the Darkroom table,
newspaper in hand.
lie didn't "hang out at the saloon by
any means He attended 20 certain work
about his home, did the buying OF house
slIpplics. fooled around the yard-over
the garden in s,immer-but who found
a certain comfort with the boys at the
cafe lie drank very little but the cafe
hack room was his club. Then prohl-
hition came and the closing OF tho sa-
looms. Well. this man tried loatng
week and then went to the paper nc last
worked on and asked for a Job.
You want 90 go back 70 work?
asked the foreman. Don't kld me.
I've got TO, insisted the printer.
Why" asked the foreman. Il
thought YOU were well fixed.
d il, there's nothing else 10 do now
And he is now back on the job.
IL is peculiar coincidence that IN
looking into this particular case there
we're cited several similar ones IN the
printing trade alone.
But do not assume that the feeling ~
confined 20 the printing business Many
employers in many lines are reporting
the same experincc Men who they
know do not need 10 work, and who have
not been working, are reporting back on
the job.
Cases are cited of men who were so
called clubmen and who had for years
spent most Of their time az fashionable
clubs. They had all kinds Of money
Now that the clubs are dry, even these
sons Of luxury arc looking for something
% do. Their plight is sadder than that
az the man with a trade or profession
Some Of these men have never done much
of ANYTHING. And they don't know how
TO do ANYTHING well. The story rs being
told of a man Of 80 who has plenty of
money. but who recently entered the
employ of a banking house doing
limited amount OF clerical work. The
banking house Is presided over by friends
IL his. They do not regard his services as
worth anything, but they kid HIM along
and paw him a small salary out of SYM
psthy for his state Of mind. He doesn't
care anything about his salary. He
is held To no regular hours. He simply
drops in and spends the time at desk
which he used 10 spend sc the club.
'Everybody's going to work, remarked
one employer 1t is really quite amusing"
But as our printer friend said: There's
nothing elsr do.