edward bellamy looking backward 2000 1887

At the end of it the apprentice becomes a full workman, and a member of his trade or guild. The length of the apprenticeship naturally differs in different occupations. Having selected this, they enter upon it as apprentices. It is not, however, policy with us to permit youthful recklessness or indiscretion, when not deeply culpable, to handicap the future careers of young men, and all who have passed through the unclassified grade without serious disgrace have an equal opportunity to choose the life employment they have most liking for.

While the miscellaneous nature of the work done by this force prevents the systematic grading of the workers which is afterwards possible, yet individual records are kept, and excellence receives distinction corresponding with the penalties that negligence incurs. This grade is a sort of school, and a very strict one, in which the young men are taught habits of obedience, subordination, and devotion to duty. First comes the unclassified grade of common laborers, men of all work, to which all recruits during their first three years belong. With a view to these two ends the industrial army is organized. The other, and equally important, is to secure for the file-leaders and captains of the force, and the great officers of the nation, men of proven abilities, who are pledged by their own careers to hold their followers up to their highest standard of performance and permit no lagging. 'You must understand in the first place,' replied the doctor, 'that the supply of incentives to effort is but one of the objects sought in the organization we have adopted for the army. Reminding my host of the point at which our talk had broken off that morning, I expressed my curiosity to learn how the organization of the industrial army was made to afford a sufficient stimulus to diligence in the lack of any anxiety on the worker's part as to his livelihood. Leete's good-nature appearing equally so, we sat up talking for several hours after the ladies left us. The questions which I needed to ask before I could acquire even an outline acquaintance with the institutions of the twentieth century being endless, and Dr.

Edward bellamy looking backward 2000 1887