The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1920-01-24
EVEN RICH WORK, THERE'S NOTHING
 ELSE TO DO

Isn't 1t tough to be well fixed fan cially and yet have to go to work? Well, rn+her. And yet that is exact ly the plight of many a man since the prohibition amendment went into effect, according to students of the labor situation and reports of em- pfoyers, who have noticed g. return to the old job of quite few men who retired some years ago to '-take it easy"
 Whats the reason?
 Why, with the saloons and cafes all closed and most of the clubs rather deserted a man has to choose be- tween two. things - hanging around the house or going to work. Of course, if a man is mentally occupied in the more serious things of life, no such alternative exists. If he is just a natural loafer he isn't troubled, either. But if a man is just one of those average men who accumulated some money and then dropped out to take-1ife easy and spend much of his time playing poker or pinochle at the club or in the cafe t'back room'' with the boys the situation is a de- pressing one. And more men spent their spare time that way than most people realize.
 A case comes to mind Of a printer, well known in newspaper circles, who came into about $200,000 some six years ago. He quit work and has been living "the life of Reilly ever since. He was not a man who dissipated or wasted his money. He was and is a steady, reliable, easy going man of the middle class whose idea of taking life easy was to drop around the back a Cof T the afternoon over a friendly game. Or he might just drop in and while away the hours with pipe in mouth, 1 feet on the back room table, news paper in hand.
 He didn't hang out' at the saloon l by any means. He attended to certain
 work about his home, did the buying ! of house supplies, fooled around the yard-over the garden in summer l but who found a certain comfort with the boys at the cAfe. He drank very l little, but the cafe back room was. his l club. Then prohibition came and the 1 closing of the saloons. Well, this man i tried loafing week and then went to 1 the paper he last worked on and l asked for a job.
 You want to go back to work ?'' asked the foreman. Don't kid me-
 
 ! "Why?" asked the foreman 1 q thought you were we'll fixed" i ''I am," replied the printer, 'but ] damn it, there's nothing else to dc now but go to work
 1 And he is now back on the Job. ] It is a peculiar coincidence that in l looking into this particular case therl l were cited several similar ones in the printing trade alone.
 But do you assume that the feeling is confined to the printing business Many employers in many lines are re porting the same experience. Mer who they know do not need to work
 and who have not been working, ar, l reporting back og1 the job.
 Cases are cited of men who wer; so- called clubmen and who had fol years spent most of their time a l fashionable clubs. They had all kind i of money. Now that the clubs ar
 dry, even these sons of luxury ar looking for something to do. Thei plight is sadder than that of the mal | with a trade or profession. Some O | these men have never done much 0
 anything. And they don't know hoy
 to do anything well. The story is be ing told of a. man of fifty who ha
 plenty of money, but who recent1
 entered the employ of a bankin
 house doing a limited amount 0 , clerical work. The banking house i
 presided over by friends of, his The do not regard his services as wort , anything, but they 'Fkid'' him alon , and pay him small salary out C |, sympathy for his state of mind H f doesn't care anything about the sal 5 ary. He is held to no regular hour. l He simply drops in spends the tim I at a desk which he used to spend g the club.
 ''Fverybody's going to work" re marked one employer. Its rea1l , quite amusing
 But as our printer friend said
 There's nothing else to do.'' No~oa A x.->a .,A,,~>