Online Encyclopedia

maintenance of those exclusive privileges with which in the interests of the public they were favoured. In those times it was believed that neither arts nor sciences would flourish unless such only were allowed to practise them as had given proofs of reasonable proficiency and were formed into bodies corporate, with certain See also:

POWERS, HIRAM (1805-1873)

powers of self-See also:

government and the exclusive See also:

MONOPOLY (Gr. govomeXla or govoircaXwv, exclusive sale, from govds, alone, and irwXeiv, to sell)

monopoly of their respective arts within certain localities; and the See also:

MEDIEVAL

medieval universitas (See also:

CORPORATION (from Lat. corporare, to form into a body, corpus, corporis)

corporation)—whether of smiths and tailors or of scholars—included both such as were entitled to practise and teach and such as were in course of learning. The former were the masters, the latter the apprentices. Hence the See also:

TERM

term apprentice was applied indifferently to such as were being taught a trade or a learned profession, and even to undergraduates or scholars who were qualifying themselves for the degree of See also:

DOCTOR (Lat. for " teacher ")

doctor or master in the liberal arts. When barristers were first appointed by See also:

EDWARD

Edward I. of See also:

England they were styled apprenticii ad legem—the serjeants-at-law being servientes ad legem; and these two terms corresponded respectively to the trade names of apprentices and journeymen. During the middle ages the term of apprenticeship was seven years, and this See also:

period was thought no more than sufficient to instruct the learner in his profession, See also:

CRAFT (a word common to Teutonic languages for strength, or power; cf. Ger. Kraft)

craft or See also:

MYSTERY (Gr. µw(Trilpcov, from tcuvrm, an initiate, µfew, to shut the mouth)

mystery under a properly qualified master, teacher or doctor—for these names were synonymous—and to reimburse the latter by service for the training received. After this the apprentice became himself a master and a member of the corporation, with full rights to practise the business and to. teach others in his turn; so also it would seem that undergraduates had to pass through a curriculum of seven years before they could attain the degree of doctor or master in the liberal arts. On the See also:

CONTINENT (from Lat. continere, "to hold together "; hence " connected," " continuous ")

continent of See also:

EUROPE

Europe these rules were observed with considerable rigour, both in the learned professions and in those which we now designate as trades. In England they made their way more slowly and did not receive much countenance, there being always a See also:

JEALOUSY (adapted from Fr. jalousie, formed from jaloux, jealous, Low Lat. zelosus, Gr. j'i os, ardour, zeal, from the root seen in '&u', to boil, ferment; cf. " yeast ")

jealousy of anything savouring of interference with the freedom of trade. Nevertheless the formation of gilds and companies of tradesmen in England See also:

DATES

dates probably from the 12th See also:

CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century, and the institution of apprentice-See also:

SHIPS

ships cannot be of much later date.

In 1388 and 1405 it is noticed in acts of See also:

PARLIAMENT (Anglo-Lat. parliamentum, Fr. parlement, from parler, to speak)

parliament. By various subsequent statutes provisions were made for the regulation of the institution; and from them it appears that seven years was its See also:

ORDINARY (med. Lat. ordinarius, Fr. ordinaire)

ordinary and normal term in the See also:

ABSENCE (Lat. absentia)

absence of See also:

SPECIAL

special arrangement. By a See also:

STATUTE

statute of 1562 this was made the law of the See also:

LAND

land, and it wasenacted that no person should exercise any " trade or mystery " without having served a seven years' apprenticeship. In no See also:

PLACE (through Fr. from Lat. platea, street; Gr. IrAar6s, wide)

place did the apprentices become so formidable by their See also:

numbers and organization as in See also:

LONDON

London. During the See also:

GREAT

Great See also:

REBELLION

Rebellion they took an active part as a See also:

POLITICAL

political See also:

BODY

body, and were conspicuous after the Restoration by being frequently engaged in tumults. It was probably owing to this circumstance, quite as much as to economic considerations of freedom of trade, that the See also:

ACT (Lat. actus, actum)

act of See also:

Elizabeth never found much favour with the courts of law. Soon after the Great Rebellion we find the apprentice See also:

LAWS

laws strongly reprobated by the See also:

JUDGES, THE BOOK OF

judges, who endeavoured, on the theory that the act of Elizabeth could apply to no trades which were not in existence at its date, to limit its operation as far as possible. Such See also:

LIMITATION, STATUTES OF

limitation of the act gave rise to many absurd anomalies and inconsistencies, e.g. that a coachmaker could not make his own wheels but must buy them of a wheelwright, while the latter might make both wheels and coaches, because See also:

COACH (through the Fr. coche, originally from the Magyar kocsi, an adjective from the Hungarian place named Kocs, between Raab and Buda, i.e. the sort of vehicle used there in the 15th century)

coach-making was not a trade in England when the act of Elizabeth was passed. For the like See also:

REASON (Lat. ratio, through French raison)

reason the great textile and See also:

metal manufactures which arose at See also:

Manchester and See also:

BIRMINGHAM

Birmingham were held exempt from the operation of the statute. Concurrently with the dislike to the apprentice laws which such anomalies generated, the doctrines of See also:

Adam See also:

Smith, that all monopolies or restrictions on the freedom of trade were injurious to the public See also:

INTEREST

interest, had gradually been making their way, and notwithstanding much opposition an act was passed in 1814 by which the statute of Elizabeth, in so far as it enacts that no person shall engage in any trade without a seven years' apprenticeship, was wholly repealed. The effect of this act was to give every person the fullest right to exercise any occupation or calling of a See also:

MECHANICAL

mechanical or trading See also:

KIND (O. E. ge-cynde, from the same root as is seen in " kin," supra)

kind for which he deemed himself qualified. Apprenticeship, therefore, which was formerly a compulsory, now became a voluntary contract.

In the See also:

case of the learned professions the principles and theories which gave See also:

BIRTH (a word common in various forms to Teutonic languages from the root of the verb " to bear ")

birth to corporations with monopolies, and required apprenticeship or its equivalents, have—contrary to what has taken place in trade—been not only maintained but intensified; that is to say, not only have such bodies retained and even extended in some cases their exclusive privileges, but in See also:

general no one is allowed to practise in such professions unless his capabilities have been tested and approved by public authority. Thus no See also:

man is allowed to practise law or See also:

MEDICINE

medicine in any of their branches who has not undergone the appropriate training by attendance at a university or by apprenticeship—sometimes by both combined—and passed certain See also:

EXAMINATIONS

examinations. Entrance to the See also:

church is guarded by similar checks. In such instances the old principle—now generally abandoned in trade—of granting a monopoly to those possessing a certain See also:

standard of qualification is maintained in greater vigour than ever. In some kinds of manufacture the old conditions have been modified by the subdivisions of labour or by the introduction of machinery, which have reduced the amount of skill which formerly was requisite, and thus they have passed out of the See also:

CATEGORY (Gr. Karrlyopia, " accusation ")

category of the higher skilled handicrafts, as only a very slight or See also:

SHORT, FRANCIS JOB (1857– )

short training is necessary to make an efficient worker; but a large number of the higher skilled trades remain which require a See also:

long period of training at the See also:

BENCH (an O.E. and Eng. form of a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. Ger. Bank, Dan. baenk and the Eng. doublet " bank ")

bench, and a careful inquiry into this subject has shown that in nearly all of such trades there is a scarcity of skilled workers, which is due to the falling off in the number of apprenticeships. Many persons qualified to See also:

FORM (Lat. forma)

form an See also:

OPINION (Lat. opinio, from opinari, to think)

opinion deplore that something in the nature of the old standard of qualification is not still applied to those trades, and consider that the only method of restoring a high standard of skill is by apprenticeship. The decay of apprenticeship in these trades is due, not to any inherent defect in the system, nor to its having been superseded by any other form of technical See also:

EDUCATION

education, but to difficulties, especially in London and some other large towns, which place it beyond the reach of that class of persons who have the greatest need of it. Among these difficulties are:—first, insufficient organization, and secondly, want of funds to pay premiums where such arc required. These difficulties are accentuated in London and some other large towns, but in many other districts apprenticeship is actively proceeded with. Efforts are being made, notably by the See also:

NATIONAL

National Institution of Apprenticeship, to meet these difficulties. The Charity Commissioners in their See also:

REPORT (O.Fr. report or raport, modern rapport, from O.Fr. reporter, mod. rap porter, Lat. reportare, to bring back, in poetical use only, of bringing back an account, news, &c.)

report for 1905 recognized the value of this institution, and stated that they would in future enable the trustees of charity endowments for apprenticeship to avail themselves of the See also:

PRACTICAL

practical co-operation of the institution. The See also:

MODERN

modern trade unions, on the other See also:

hand, have done nothing to assist in restoring apprenticeship to its proper place; on the contrary, they have hampered it by restrictions which they have imposed, limiting the number of apprentices who may be taken.

The result of fewer apprentices has been not only to See also:

LOWER

lower the standard of skill in the higher trades, but to reduce the productive capacity of the artisans. The altered conditions now attending apprenticeship are, mainly, that the apprentice does not live with the master, and that the term is generally five years instead of a longer period; but the principle remains precisely the same, and the fact that it is applied more and more largely in See also:

Austria, See also:

Germany and other countries is an See also:

EVIDENCE (Lat. evidentia, evideri, to appear clearly)

evidence of its See also:

NECESSITY (Lat. necessitas)

necessity. The contract of apprenticeship is generally created by in-denture, but any See also:

writing properly expressed and attested'wiIl do. The full See also:

CONSIDERATION (from Lat. considerare, to look at closely, examine, generally taken to be from con-, and the base seen in sidus, sideris, a star, the word being supposed to be originally an astrological or astronomical term)

consideration must be set out, and the See also:

INSTRUMENT (Lat. instrumentum, from insincere, to build up, furnish, arrange, prepare)

instrument, whether a See also:

PREMIUM (Lat. praemium, profit, reward, prae+emere, to buy)

premium is paid or not, must be duly stamped, except in the case of See also:

PARISH (Gr. irapouda, district, neighbourhood; 7r&poucos, one dwelling near or beside, from crap&, OtKOS, house; Lat. paroecur, Late Lat. parochia; cf. Fr. paroisse)

parish apprentices and apprentices to the See also:

sea service (see See also:

SEAMEN, LAWS RELATING TO

SEAMEN, LAWS See also:

RELATING

RELATING To). Where a charity or institution intervenes, it retains See also:

CONTROL (Fr. contrdle, older form contre rolle, from Med. Lat. contra-rotulus, a counter roll or copy of a document used to check the original; there is no instance in English of the use of " control " in this, its literal, meaning)

control over the indentures until the end of the term of apprenticeship, when the See also:

INDENTURE (through 0. Fr. endenture from a legal Latin term indent-ura, indentare, to cut into teeth, to give a jagged edge, in modurn dentium, like teeth)

indenture should be cancelled and given up to the apprentice. Any one who is capable of making a contract can take an apprentice, and the law does not limit the number which may be taken by any master. Any person of legal capacity can bind himself as an apprentice, provided he is over seven years of See also:

AGE (Fr. age, through late Lat. aetaticum, from aetas)

age, though, as he is by the See also:

COMMON

common law exempt from all liability ex contractu, it is usual for the apprentice's relations or See also:

friends to become See also:

BOUND, or BOUNDARY (from O. Fr. bonde, Med. Lat. bodena or butina, a frontier line)

bound for his service and See also:

GOOD, JOHN MASON (1764-1827)

good conduct during the period of his apprenticeship. The consent of the apprentice, however, must be expressed by his executing the indenture. No See also:

child under nine can be bound as a parish apprentice. The master must teach the apprentice the agreed trade or trades; should the master exercise two trades (which he has agreed to teach) and give up one, it would be good ground for dissolving the contract by the apprentice. An apprentice is not bound to See also:

WORK

work on Sundays, but he may be required to work on See also:

BANK

bank holidays. He cannot become a volunteer (soldier) without his master's consent.

It is usual in the indenture to See also:

state whether the apprentice is to be paid See also:

WAGES (the plural of " wage," from Late Lat. wadium, a pledge, O. Fr. wagier, gagier)

wages or otherwise. If the contract is to pay wages, no See also:

DEDUCTION (from Lat. deducere, to take or lead from or out of, derive)

deduction can be made owing to illness or See also:

accident, unless it has been so provided for in the indentures. Nor is the apprentice liable for breakages or similar faults. The master has been supposed to have a right to administer moderate See also:

CORPORAL

corporal See also:

PUNISHMENT (from Lat. punire, to punish, from poena, punishment, Gr. 7rocvil)

punishment, though he may not delegate it. But this right is really obsolete. According to old See also:

CUSTOM (from O. Fr. costume, costume or coustume; Low Lat. costuma, a shortened form of consuetudo)

custom a master provided proper See also:

food for his apprentices, and medical attendance when required; but the modern practice is for apprentices to reside with their parents or friends who maintain them. A master cannot assign indentures without the approval of the apprentice or such parties as are named in the contract for this purpose, even if he should See also:

TRANSFER (from Lat. transferre, to bear across, carry over)

transfer his business. The contract of apprenticeship may be dissolved by (I) efflux of time; (2) by See also:

DEATH

death (if the master See also:

DIES, CHRISTOPH ALBERT (1755-1822)

dies, some part of the premium is usually returnable, but if the apprentice dies no part is return-able) ; (3) by consent; (4) in case of See also:

GRAVE

grave misconduct; (5) under the See also:

BANKRUPTCY (from Lat. bancus or Fr. banquet table or counter, and Lat. ruptus, broken)

Bankruptcy Act 1883, providing for See also:

DISCHARGE (adapted from the O. Fr. discharge, modern decharge, from a med. Lat. discargare, to unload, dis- and earn care, to load, cf. " charge ")

discharge of the in-dentures of apprenticeship and for See also:

PAYMENT (Fr. paiement, from payer, to pay; Lat. pacare, to appease, pax, peace)

payment on See also:

account of premium. Disputes between master and apprentice, in cases where no premium has been paid, or where the premium does not exceed 25, are dealt with by courts of See also:

SUMMARY

summary See also:

jurisdiction. Apprentices bound according to the " custom of London," who are infants above the age of fourteen years and under twenty-one and unmarried, are responsible upon covenants contained in indentures executed by them just as if they were of full age. The term of apprenticeship is usually not less than four years. Apprentices by the custom of London in agreements made at the See also:

GUILDHALL

Guildhall are subject to the jurisdiction of the See also:

chamberlain of London.

Parish apprentices are those bound out by guardians of the poor in England. By the Poor See also:

RELIEF

Relief Act 1601, overseers of the poor were empowered, with the consent of two justices, to put out poor See also:

CHILDREN, LAW RELATING TO

children as apprentices " where they shall be convenient." Owing to the disinclination to receive such apprentices it became necessary to make the reception compulsory (1696), but this compulsion to receive them was abolished in 1844. Many statutes have been passed from time to time regulating the apprenticing of parish children, but it is now under the control of the See also:

LOCAL

Local Government See also:

BOARD (O. Eng. bord)

Board, which issues rules specifying fully the manner in which such children are to be bound, assigned and maintained.

End of Article: APPRENTICESHIP (from Fr. apprendre, to learn)

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.

» Add information or comments to this article.

Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click, and select "copy." Then paste it into your website, email, or other HTML.

Site content, images, and layout Copyright © 2006 - Net Industries, worldwide.
Do not copy, download, transfer, or otherwise replicate the site content in whole or in part.

Links to articles and home page are always encouraged.

[back]
APPREHENSION (Lat. ad, to; prehendere, to seize)

[next]
APPROPRIATION (from Lat. appropriare, to set aside)...