Evening star., 1943-01-31
Just
| Between

BY PHILIP H. LOVE
Editor, The Junior Star.

Older boys and girls Of today are
In danger of having their lives
warped by too much prosperity.
The war has resulted in shortages
of competent help In many fields.
And these shortages, in turn, have
resulted in higher pay even for
help that is less than competent.
Employers reason that any kind
of help is better than no help at
all. so they bid for the services of
people whom they would not con-
slider under normal conditions. Be-
fore the war young people seeking
their first jobs bemoaned the fact
that lack of experience made 1t
hard for them to get started. Now
anybody can get job, regardless
of eXperience-and at good wages.
And, as a consequence. more and
more boys and girls are giving in
to the temptation to quit school
and rake in what appears to be
easy money.
know 16-year- -old boy who has
stopped high school in his Junior
year to take a job paying $55 a
week. He is laborer on war
project and his new prosperity has
made it possible for him to buy
shiny automobile and lots of clothes.
Another 16-year-old boy of my
acquaintance told me last week that
he had just been promoted from
a job paying $3.50 month to one
for which he will receive $170.
That is better than $40 week.
1t is nice. of course, to earn so
much money so early in life, but
1t Is dangerous. too. The danger
is that the boys may come to regard
this abnormal prosperity as normal
and take it for granted. Then, after
the war, when employers no longer
find it difficult to obtain experienced
and competent help the boys may
have to seek other work. And. since
they will have sacrificed their edu-
cational opportunities they may dis
cover that jobs paying $l70 a month
and better are hard to find. harder
to get and even harder to hold.
They may wish then that they had
stayed in school long enough to fit
themselves for a stable position in
life.
OF course. this Is not to say that
young people should not do every
thing they can to help the war ef-
fort. even If it means going to
work. The manpower problem is
critical. and boys and girls should
do everything they can to aid in
its solution. But
They should not shoughtlessly
throw away their opportunities to
get good education.
They should take no job Just for
the money in it. The only kind OF
job worth taking Is one that will
help to win the war; If. In addition,
it offers possibilities of future ad-
vancement. 1t is doubly worth while
Any other job is not worth con-
sidering, no matter how much it
pays.
They should stick to part-time
work, if possible, so they can con-
tinue with their schooling. If they
do take a full-time job, however.
they should work out some prac-
tical plan for continuing their
education.
They should not allow themselves
to be spoiled" by high pay. They
should remember that they may
never again be paid so we'll. and
therefore should save a substantial
portion Of all they earn. And. Of
course. there is no better way Of
saving than through the purchase
Of War bonds and stamps.
My fathers first Job, as an errand
boy and clerk in a grocery store,
paid him 50 a week. My first job,
as stock clerk in a wholesale dry
goods house, paid 49, Your fathers
first job probably paid little, If any,
more than mine. Your first job
well, no matter how much 1t pays,
you will do we'll not to let 1t go to
your head!