All craftsmen belonged to a guild. There were a baker’s guild, a tailor’s guild and so on.

Duties

A guild had a lot to do: – It set examinations to see who could become a craftsman, it made sure that goods were properly made, it fixed wages and looked after old or sick members. It took a long time to become a member of a guild, there were three stages:

1. Apprentice:

At twelve, a boy went to work for a master craftsman. He lived in the master’s house and learned the trade. The boy had to spend seven years with his master. An apprentice was not paid but his master gave him food and clothes. The master could be good or cruel.

2. Journeyman:

After seven years, the apprentice became a Journeyman. Now he was paid for his work, he could leave his old master. Some Journeyman travelled town to town looking for work.

3. Master Craftsman:

For have a workshop and sell his goods in the town, the journeyman had to be a master, for become a master he had to make a Masterpiece to show the guild that he was a good craftsman. If the guild thought his work was good, they let him become a Master.

Homes

Most townspeople lived in a small wooden houses with thatched roof and only two room with little furniture. Before the house there was a long back garden.

Diet

They grew vegetables and kept cattle, pigs and hens.

When you were around ten or so, and saw a person in uniform,

climbing into the cockpit of an airplane, getting ready to fly

the plane into the horizon. Was that when you wanted to

become an airline pilot? Or the time you focused on your

favorite school teacher, and thought quietly to yourself , “I

want to become a teacher, and help kids learn.” How about

when you were in the chemistry class laboratory, and got a

serious rush, from experimenting with the test tubes, and the

butane burners, and under your breath, you said “I think I’ll be

a scientist, when I grow up, this is fun.” Maybe, you liked little

children so much, that you wanted to be a mother, and a wife,

which is a great career as well.

Did you stick with your first choice, or did you change your mind,

as most of us did? Are you happy with your final choice, do you

wish you had followed your first choice? Talk about growing up

and the choices of a career, you made, if you would. Did your plans

materialize, but most of all are you satisfied now, that you are all

grown up. The best I did was, having the desire to attend Michigan

State, for whatever reason I don’t know. I did attend the University

of Pennsylvania, which, I would suppose, satisfied that desire.

I wanted a career in journalism, because I loved the printed word,

fancied myself, as a reporter of sorts. The closest I got to that, was

writing reports as a bank examiner, sort of a reporter.

Like to hear your comments, now that we are all grown up. Or

maybe you are still growing up, as are a lot of us. So thanks, to all

of you grown up kids, who hopefully are still growing.