Masonry Magazine October 1973 Page. 10
Apprenticeship Through the Ages
Consider the plight of Lyman Slocum, Gould Brown and Nathan Knight. Lyman, aged 16, wanted to become a carpenter. Gould, also in his teens, aspired to be a leather-worker. Nathan, only 8½, thought he'd try his hand at masonry. They all had to serve apprenticeships in their particular crafts.
Lyman Slocum lived in Massachusetts in the 1830's. By consent of his father, he was indentured to one Thomas Remington of New Bedford for a period of five years "to learn the art, trade or mystery of a house carpenter." During this time he was not permitted to marry, nor to "play cards, dice or any other unlawful game, nor to frequent ale-houses, taverns or gaming places."
In return for this pristine existence while Lyman was learning his chosen trade, Mr. Remington promised to provide him with a "comfortable suite of clothing, board, lodging, washing, three months' schooling annually during the winter season in the evenings, and to find and give him a set of carpenter's tools when twenty-one years of age." No mention was made of wages of any sort.
Gould Brown, who lived in North Kingston during the 1790's, was hardly better off. He was indentured to a Benjamin Greene for two years to learn leatherworking. Not only did he have to engage in the tanning and curing of leather-extremely obnoxious and tiring tasks but to make shoes "during his spare time." His pay was the "sum of three pounds lawful silver money paid in hand at the expiration of said time."
As his part of the deal, Greene agreed to find the lad "two pair of thick double sould shoes and as many frocks and trousers to ware as he needs in the tan-yard to work, and to board him and wash his clothes for the said time." As something of a bonus, Greene promised to supply Gould with two "setts" of shoemaker's tools, one set to use while he trained, and another "to bring away with him when his time is expired."
Nathan Knight, the aspiring bricklayer, was practically in the same boat as his counterparts-but for a much longer period. Back in 1676 in colonial New England, Nathan had to put in a 12/½-year apprenticeship under a Samuel Whidden of Portsmouth to learn masonry. He, too, was restricted from marrying during this time or from having anything to do with booze, broads or bawdy houses. But being only 8½ at the time, he probably didn't care. At least not for awhile anyway.
These are but a few accounts of the trials and times of early apprentices compiled in a fascinating new booklet released by the Manpower Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor. Apprenticeship, Past and Present traces the history of job-training back to the 1600's, about the time when Europeans began colonizing America. Naturally they took many of the customs governing the learning of trades to the New World with them.
One ennobling fact of those times was that craftsmen, or masters at their trade, were held in unusually high esteem, especially in Europe. Their prestige as important members of society is borne out in this excerpt from the Welsh Bardic manuscript of the 14th century, the Red Book of Hergest: "The knife is in the meat and the drink is in the horn, and there is revelry in Arthur's Hall; and none may enter therein but the son of a King of a privileged country, or a craftsman bringing his craft." There were the craftsmen, right up there with royalty!
In early America, most apprentices were indentured to their masters up to the time they were 21, which would explain why their period of training varied from a couple years to a dozen or more. During this time they were legally obligated to remain rigidly loyal to their masters they were literally bound to them body and soul-to serve them "well and faithfully, and their secrets keep and lawful commands duly obey." Their masters in turn fed, clothed and housed them, and gave them whatever handouts they thought fitting of the times.
Some young men became apprentices because of a genuine interest in or a knack for a craft. Others joined their ranks out of sheer economic necessity, those whose parents were too indigent to support them; thus many were indentured to masters before they were even 10 years old. Still others paid off the cost of their transportation from Europe to the colonies by serving as so-called apprentices but were hardly more than servants and learned little or nothing about a trade.
The word "indenture" came about in interesting fashion. In many European countries it was the practice to tear notches, or indentions, in the duplicate copies of apprenticeship documents. This uneven edge thus became a fool-proof way of validating the copies retained by the apprentice and the master as being genuine.
In the bricklaying trade, the word "freemasonry" came about in an equally interesting way. Upon completion of his training, the apprentice became a "freeman," and the word "free" eventually was linked with masonry.
Early apprentices in England also were required to create a "masterpiece" of their craft to prove their competence to become freemen. Their works were judged by a panel of masters who then decided whether they could gain guild recognition. If they got the coveted nod of approval, their apprentice days were over.
Some of this country's most renowned figures began their careers as apprentices. Two of the most famous are probably Benjamin Franklin and Paul Revere. As members of a famous family of silversmiths, Paul and his
Attired in white shirts, white trousers and hard-hats, some 35 bricklayer apprentices exhibit their skills in the 1972 California & Western States apprenticeship contest.
masonry • Nov./Dec., 1973