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THE NATURE AND CAUSES OE

and of those who might be disposed to employ him. As ithinders the one from working at what he thinks proper, soit hinders the others from employing whom they think pro-per. To judge whether he is fit to be employed, may surelybe trusted to the discretion of the employers whose interestit so much concerns. The affected anxiety of the lawgiver,lest they should employ an improper person, is evidently asimpertinent as it is oppressive.

The institution of long apprenticeships can give no secu-rity that insufficient workmanship shall not frequently be ex-posed to public sale. When this is done it is generally theeffect of fraud, and not of inability; and the longest appren-ticeship can give no security against fraud. Quite differentregulations are necessary to prevent this abuse. The sterlingmark upon plate, and the stamps upon linen and woollencloth, give the purchaser much greater security than anystatute of apprenticeship, lie generally looks at these, butnever thinks it worth while to inquire whether the workmanhad served a seven years’ apprenticeship.

The institution of long apprenticeships has no tendency toform young people to industry. A journeyman who worksby the piece is likely to be industrious, because he derives abenefit from every exertion of his industry. An apprentice islikely to be idle, and almost always is so, because he has noimmediate interest to be otherwise. In the inferior employ-ments, the sweets of labour consist altogether in the recom-pense of labour. They who are soonest in a condition to en-joy the sweets of it, are likely soonest to conceive a relish forit, and to acquire the early habit of industry. A young mannaturally conceives an aversion to labour, when for a long timehe receives no benefit from it. The boys who are put outapprentices from public charities are generally bound for morethan the usual number of years, and they generally turn outvery idle and worthless.

Apprenticeships were altogether unknown to the ancients.The reciprocal duties of master and apprentice make a con-siderable article in every modern code. The Roman law isperfectly silent with regard to them. I know no Greek orLatin word (I might venture, 1 believe, to assert that there isnone) which expresses the idea we now annex to the wordApprentice, a servant bound to work at a particular trade for"the benefit of a master, during a term of years, upon condi-tion that the. master shall teach him that trade.