Martinsburg gazette and public advertiser. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1826-1833, 1828-10-30
TIE MECHANIC

ht iiN hiEih'y VI w btb"o
ured by their importance to mankind,
there is nothing perhaps, which can
rank above the Mechanic Arts In
fact, they may be called the lever, the
fuIcrum, and the power, which Moves
the whole. They do not want the
"w hereon to stand" of Archlmedes;
they have a sufficient foundation in
themselves
What gives to civil nations their su
periorliy over the savage? II is chiefly
Mechanic Arts. BY them The beauti
ful and convenient mansion is substiiu
ted fer the rude and unc omiortable hot,
and scarlet and fine twined linen"
supply The wardrobe. 10 place Of skins
OF Wild animals. They are the, foun.
dar1oa OF nearly all the improvements
and comforts Of life, and further, we
may say, Of the glory and the grandeur
of the world. By them the farmer
ploughs land, and by them the mariner
ploughs the ocean; by them the mon
arch is adorned with his crown; and
by them the peasant is clad in comfor
table garments by them the trmmphai
arch is raised 10 the hero, and by them
the temple ascends TO the Deity, by
them the wealthy roll in chariots and
loll 90 couches; by them the table is
spread, the bed is decked, and the par
Tor is furnished. To them the poet owes
the perpetuation Of his fame Homer
sings and Caesar triumphs in all ages.
Through them we are instructed by
the wisdom OF PLATO, and charmed by
the eloquencc OF Cicero; through them
we admire the iustice OF Aristides and
the heroism of Leonidas
And much Of this is owing 10 the two
single arts, thatet printing, and the man
ufactory of paper. By the former,
learning has been rescued from the
gloom of the dark ages; bot without the
latter, The benefit OF printing would be
circumscrIbed to very narrow bounds
1t is by means ofthe press chiefly, that
so much OF Chrlstendom owes lis escape
from The thraldom of superstition
But. in speaking of the dignity of
the Mechanic Arts, we could not confine
them to The mere hand that executes,
without thinking of the head plans; for
without the latter bit little more credit
would be due TO the person who exer.
cises these arts than TO the automaton
Tulk, who mechanically astonishes the
world at the game Of chess To pro
duce the great effect we have mention
ed above, to do so much to enlighten,
to beauty and improve the world, to
labor for the glory and happiness of O
theirs, and vet be ignorant OF the springs
BY which the important movements are
carried on. who'd Ill compOrt with the
dignity Of The mechanic Hc would he
C'f we may compare small things with
great') Ike the sun in the heavens,
which renders light and warmth, and
comfort TO mankind, without itself being
conscious thereof.
There is 4 philanthropy in the NE
chanic Arts. The mechanic who
brings to his occupation an inventive,
enlightened, and enquiring mind, who
is master of his craft, in theory as well
as IN practice, has mere of real phlIo
sophy, III him than twenty of those min
ute philosophers who spend their lives
IN puzgiing the world with empty ne
taphvsicaI spcculati0ns, and of whom
Cicero speaks with so much deserved
contempt. The mechanic WIN per
tectIy understands his trade, as wen in
the principal as the practice of it, gets
himself degree of no incoDsiderable
rank and honor, and that without thu
Intervention Of q college, or the formal
vote OF learned corporation 70 be
come an ingenious and enlightened me
chanic, It Is necessary that the youth
who is destined for trade, should
bring to bis employment mind iuqui.