The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1941-05-08
HEAR YOU HAVE A
JOB FOR A BOY"
JEANETTE S. MURRAY

One of the State College dormitories
had burned. A new one was to be
built, and they were selling the old red
brick, Professor Russell bought some
for the terrace and driveway Of his
new house.
"Here's a job for you, David" said
the professor as he got up from
breakfast on Monday. "I'll pay you
for cleaning that white mortar off
the bricks. How about five cents for
fifty?"
"Oh, that's too many bricks"
"No, it's fair price; they have been
partially cleaned. See what you can
do"
Eight-year- David worked alone
before and after school that day, but
it proved dreary task. Dad suggest
ed taking a friend in on the job, SO
David told Jimmy about it, and next
morning he came to work.
Dad was just getting into his car
the following day when two boys who
lived on another block appeared. "Is
it all right for US to go to work %
one inquired.
"How did you know about the
bricks?"
"Oh, the boys at school were telling
that there was job for pay at Rus
sell's."
"Do you really want to clean
bricks?"
eyes, we do"
So Dad left four boys working. They
provided their own tools-trowels
knives, scrapers, whatever they
thought best-and each built his owl
pile of cleaned bricks. No one was
urged to work; the initiative came
from the boys themselves. Others kept
coming. By Saturday, ten were work
ing, some of them high school boys
even the Colonel's son scraped with
a right good will.
Dad was impressed by the way the
boys stuck to the work. He had eX
pected a lot Of fooling and side pla!
and had thought he might have tC
hire a college student in the end. He
was surprised and pleased.
The boys had planned to go to the
pool Saturday afternoon. Jack, th'
least fond of work, finally said
"Aren't you ready to go swimming
now?" But none of the others wanted
to go. He kept urging at intervals
Finally, Ted said, "Wait till l ge
twenty-five more bricks done" But
when these were finished, he wa
II fp on
other fifty. SO Jack did not go swim
ming; none of the others could stol
work long enough to go with him.
"My pile is ready to be checked!'
the boys would shout whenever Mr.
Russell appeared. He was business
like, with an exact count, strict re
quirement of clean bricks and promp
pay. The boys liked this By Satur
day night, the two thousand brick
were all cleaned and the pay rol
amounted to two dollars.
The boys had worked happily ant
industriously-each absorbed in hi
own efforts-and they pocketed thei
final pay with complete satisfaction
To a child, play is simply work tha
he enjoys-watch him dig a hole il
the sand or move blocks in his wheel
barrow When presented to him il
the right way, real work become
the best form Of play.
These boys were all sons of facult,
men and well-provided for. 1t wa
not the need of money that influenced
them. They were attracted by tn
idea of an actual job. This fascinate
children, especially adolescents.
1t is true that children should hav
an allowance and, at the same time
definite work about the home withou
being paid for it; but an exceptiona
lob like this with definite pay is yer.
desirable.
Another reason these boys stuck t.
the Job so we'll was that the assign
ment was eXact-ffty cleaned brick
in a pile meant five cents. Childrel
like to be able to finish an assign
ment quickly.