Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 180, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 August 1911 — Chicago Boys Work During Vacation [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Chicago Boys Work During Vacation

CHICAGO.— With the closing of the schools it is estimated that there are about 100,000 boys between the ages of 14 and 20 years who look for summer jobs. That is, there are 100,000 the first week. When the second week comes along there are about 60,000 who still think they want to work, about 20,000 tue third week and about 15,000 who retain their determination throughout the summer. The average high school youth of this year expects to earn at least $lO a week to start, with a raise at the end of every fortnight. Alas! It seems employers have not the proper respect for their culture. : r ost of these boys, the really valuable ones.

get over their self-esteem after being rebuffed a few times. One high school student, who had completed his sophomore year, and who durlng'the winter had been one of the most popular boys in the school, started looking for a $lO job and ended collecting bundles in a department store for $3.50 a week. He had some good stuff in him, however, as was shown by his raise to $5 a week before the summea was over and the offer of a better job when he had finished school. In one department store last year there were no less than 14 boys from one of the local high schools, all of them selling “gents’ furnishings." These were the older boys and in other stores there were high school “men" doing everything from collecting bundles, wrapping them, helping with stock, doing the work of four assistant office boys, to jobs paying $lO a week, a remarkably high wage for the inexperienced youth of tender yean.