The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1837-10-10
MECHANIC ARTS.

The following sketch of Gov. EvERErr's re-
marks before the Massachusetts Charitable Me-
chanic Association is copied from the Boston
Mercantile Journal.
The subject which was powerfully and i'm
pressivcly urged on the attention o fthc audience
was the improvement and Wonh Qf'the Mechanic
.AHs. The orator illustrated the vast benefit Of
art to man, by making an ingenus comparison
between man when destitute of knowledge in
mechanics, and when able to raise by artificial
aid, an obelisk of granite one hundred feet in
height, or to travel by means of locomotives, in
stead of three, at the rate of from twenty to for
ty miles an hour. He alluded to the invaluable
discovery of the Alphabet-when after pictorial
and symboHcal improvements had been made
for ages, art stepped in, and by creating the
&, almost re-created the mind of man. BY this
wonderful creation of the alphabet, wisdom was
imbued with the gift of tongues, and spoke
imperfect tradition was thrown aside and thought
rendered imperishable.
He considered the Mechanic Arts as the great
instrument of ciulization-this term being but
another name for the aggregate oftle arts of life.
In Illustration of this position he drew an in
genius and intensely interesting parallel between
N''HNo' ih"h anu lSuOTuHl he
spoke of the tremendous power of steam-which
four years ago was estimated to be equivalent in
Great Britain as moving power, to the labors
of three millions of men-thus adding three
millions to the existing population Of Great Bril-
tain, devoted to carrying on the works of civil
zation-and this population was quiet and or
derry, consuming neither clothes nor food, and
among which, tumults, mobs and riots, were UNI
known. His description of the Steam Engine,
which by economy, labor, and creating power
has produced such vast revolution in the me-
chanic world, was exceedingly beautiful.
Mr. Everett alluded to the very great advan-
tages which civilized man would derive from a
correct history of the mechanic arts, (which should
embrace description of their gradual progress,
until they had reached their present compare
lively perfect state-and he conceived that the
men who had devised important improvements
in the mechanic arts, were as much entitled to
the gratitude and respect of mankind, as those
who had devoted their lives to the fine arts 20
etry and philosophy. He traced the progress of
spinning, from the simple mode in use among
the ancient Greeks and Romans of forming the
thread by twrling it through the fingers, to the
spinning wheel, and finally to the art ofspinning
by power, which has produced such revolution
throughout the world. He spoke of the aston
ishing pfomptness with which many important
had been made and carried into
effect. Before the improvements in the steam
engine, made by James Watt, it was cumbrous
and an almost useless machine-and when the
idea of separate condenser occurred to him, 1t
was considered matured, and reduced to exper-
iment, in the course oftwenty four hours. If the
day on which this improvement was discovered
could be ascertained, 1t should be celebrated, be-
ing as deserving of celebration as any day in the
calendar. The idea of an improvement in some