Evening star., 1941-01-23
Work
Is a Human
Child Loses Pride
And Faith if Job
Is Belittled
By 4neeI0 Patri.

Life for the younger generation
would be far happier if they under
stood that the great number of
them falls below the genius class.
1t would save a great deal of the
economic and spiritual waste of
this generation if they could be-
lieVe that they could be happy as
workers. Instead of being bosses
and leaders and employers they
will be. for the most part, employees
working for wages and none the
worse for it.
The younger people are not to
blame for their attitude of superb
ority toward work. Their parents.
mothers more than fathers, want
to have them rise in the social
scale and believe, mistakenly in
my opinion, that worker who
works with his hands in the muck
of labor - building, manufacturing,
cooking. tending the fires of indus
try in one capacity or another-is
declaSSed. Nothing sillier than that
has ever done a generation of young
people so much harm.
Young people are glad to work.
They delight in accomplishing
something and winning approval
for their skill in terms of praise
and wages. They are not particular
about the job they do at the
start just so long as they get the
start. A girl will cheerfully take
on houseWork or minding a baby,
while a boy will just as cheer
fully take on the job of sweeping
store, delivering goods, or clean
ing up after Workmen. The idea
of working alongside other work.
ers, doing useful work and get
ting money for it is tonic to young
people.
Then along comes some member
of the family with social ambi-
tions and little sense. What?
Our Claire washing somebody's
dishes? Tending somebody's baby?
Impossible. Who'll speak to her?
Surely she can get a decent job!"
How come Pete is working at
the factory? Couldn't he find a
decent job?" whats this I hear
about Toms working with Smiths
gardener? Getting a college edu-
cation and taking a laborer's job
doesn't seem sense to me. Couldn't
he get a decent job?"
The young people are sensitive.
When they hear the job that they
were so proud to get and to fill
derlded, hear themselves called
menials, they begin to wonder if
they aren't making a mistake.
They lose their pride in their work
and soon are without a job. That
happens to all young people who
feel that work of any kind is be-
meath their dignity. There is no
job, however richly endowed with
prestige. money and power, that is
not based on primary human needs.
And if ever there was a primary
human need that did not involve
labor, sweat and dirt, I have never
heard about it. Out of the dust
of the earth we came, in it we live,
back to it we go, in full dignity.
Teach children the truth. All
work is good, as it serves people
Nobody is belittled by rendering
service to the best of his capacity
Take the work that lies to your
hand, the job that offers some
thing, and do your best in it. be-
lieving truly that he who is faith
full in little becomes master over
much. Life has place for eff
cient workers always. Efficiency
is the germ of the matter
Do a job, though it be digging a
ditch, better than it has been done
before and you will be needed, hired
and paid well. But do the job.
MIR. Patri has prepared leaf
let entitled, Helpful Habits" in
which he tells parents how to
set and maintain good habits.
Send for it, addressing your re-
quest to Mr.. Angelo Patri, care
of The Evening Star. IncIose a
self addressed, stamped (2-cent)
envelope.