Hi Denise, Thanks for your comment about this subject. We are certainly gaining perspective about this tradition and seeing again how the past still affects the present, and future though there are some changes in the tradition. Happy hunting, Joyce in CA. <A HREF="http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Acres/3231/">Our Extended Family </A> In a message dated 6/1/99 1:13:44 AM !!!First Boot!!!, [email protected] writes: << Just a 20th century note on your conversation; I worked in a firefighter apprenticeship program which indeed placed me in a permanent full time job once I completed my training commitment of 1 year. Currently this program takes up to 3 years to complete but you still get a job out of it when you are finished. I did not think there was such a thing anymore but I recieved a certificate from the Bureau of Labor indicating I had completed my apprenticeship and was now a journeyman firefighter. Obviously the apprentice laws still exist but probably aren't taken advantage of very often. ...Denise Blankenship >>