Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1920-05-08
BEGINNERS WAGES.

lished the portrait of a boy about IS
years old who was leaving school
before he had completed his course
in order to take a position in which
his salary would be considerably
more than that Of any Of his in
structors. There was, no detailed
statement of facts attached, but the
conditions surrounding the teaching
profession q fairly well understood.
The individual who holds any ad-
vanced position in that work must
have had a thorough common and
high school education, and must, in
addition, have taken four years of
college work. To reach any Of the
higher grades of the service there
must also be a background of sew
eral years Of actual experience, dur
ing (which the compensation has been
little more than nominal. Yet q
green boy steps out of his uncom-
pleted school course and into a po-
sition where he will draw more
money than do those whose equip,
ment for their work represents years
OF training and some hundreds OF
dollars of actual cash outlay.
School authorities throughout the
country complain that it is difficult,
and growing more and more difficult
to hold boys and girls fn school after
they have reached the legal wage
earning age. Is 1t any wonder? Thu
incident cited above is merely one
out. of hundreds OF thousands In
which boys and girls, without train
ing and without experience, are TAX
ing up, work for which they are
paid, not only more than. trained and
experienced persons were paid a few,
years ago, but salaries often equal
Ing and sontimes actually SURPRISING
those paid to the trained and expert
enced in exactly the same lines OF
business today
It is not strange that the youth
should say to himself, why shodld
I 80 to school? Why should 1 learn
Z trade? Why should I spend time
and money to learn anything or a,
myself for ANYTHING when I can steI
out right now and arn more money
than the old hands. with all thei,
training? What is education good
for? What is training good for;
Away with them! Me- for the sof,
job, and the short time and the biz
pay, right now"
1t is easy to see that that .is no ,
wise attitude. 1t is not good for tho
youth. and 1t is moi good for society
But what argument is there whict
will be effective with the youthful
mind as against the concrete facts.
And the facts are there. They car
neither be explained away no,
reasoned away.
The conditions under which WI
are operating today place a premium
on ignorance and inexperience. The,
are bound to. result in more iRnor.
ance and less experience. Younl
people are being attracted into posi-.
tons for which they are united and
are being paid the wages Of expertl
when they are capable OF rendering
no more than the services OF appren.
tees. And they have not . the lin.
centixe to improve themselves which
an apprentice has under any ntiona
system because their compensa .ior
as noytces already approaches the
maximum. H.
There will, come a period Of re.
adjustment. The unit will be the
first to be weeded out. Many Of
those who have abandoned courses
o. training no matter for what ac.
tivity, will ind that they have closed
for themselves doors which They
cannot reopen, and that the open
ways which seemed so easy and
pleasant lead nowhere.