The New York public library has released a treasure trove of pictures and documents for free use on their website. When I saw the article about it I decided to go browse the collection. the first thing I brought up was a signed document of a guy who was entering into an apprenticeship under to other men. This was a signed contract to be an indentured apprentice. Each man signed it and put what looked like a thumbprint of blood next to the signature. When I was eighteen years old I started an apprenticeship in the printing industry, and I can tell you it was not the same as what this guy did more than 100 years ago. Times have really changed, that guy probably worked his rear off and didn’t get paid much to learn a trade and hopefully be able to earn a living. It was a signed contract which probably meant he did all the nasty and hard parts of the job hoping to learn the rest of it along the way. Mine set me on a path to a great job and increased my pay about 300% over the three and a half years I was in it. Never in my program was the word indentured ever appear. I worked hard but I can only speculate that it was never as hard as the guy in this contract. To that I say, thank goodness for not being born a hundred years ago!