The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1838-04-05

The year. the earnings Of navigation and almost the whole
agricultural product the State.
The result Of all, II i could be collGted and exhibited
together, would show that the annual product Of Massa
chusetts capital and Massachusetts industry exceeds
one hundred millions Of dollars Now, sir, Massachn-
setts Is small State, IN Of territory You may
marx ont her dimensions or eight times on the
map OF Virginia. Yet her population IS seven hundred
thousand souls; and the annual result Of their hbo
rious industry economy and labor, Is as have stated
Mr. President, in looking this result, Il Is most
gratifying to find that its great mass consists ~ articles
equally essential and useful 10 all classes. They are
not Injuries, but necesssres and comforts. They be-
long TO food and clothing, 20 household convenences,
and education. As they more and more multiplied,
the great majority of society becomes more elevated
better instructed, and happier IN all respects have
looked through this whole list sir TO fnd what there
is ia it that might be fairly Chased among the higher
luxaries Of life; and what do find In the whole
hundred millions, l find but one such item; aud that
Is an item Of two three hundred thousand dol
lars for "Jewelry silver and silver Plate This IS all
that belongs TO luxury in her annual product OF hun
dred millions; and of this doubt, the far greater
portion was sent abroad And yet hear daily SIR,
OF the amassng Of aristocratc wealth, by The progress
OIL manufactures, and the operations Of the credit sys-
TEN Aristocracy, it is said, stealing upon us, and,
IN the form ofaggregate wealth. swairhng to seize po-
ll.cal power from the hands OF the people, We have
been more than grayey adnonshed that, ~ order
to improve the times, and restore metallic currency
for the benefit of the poor the rich ought TO melt down
their plate Whatever such melting process might
find to upon elsewhere, MIR President, assure You
that in Massachusetts il would discover little few
spoons candlestcks, and other similar articles old
family pitchers and tankards aud the silver porngcrs
OF our nurseries, would be about the whole
Sir, II there be any arisocrals Massachusetts, the
people are all arisocras because | do not believe
there Is on earth, IN highly civilized society, greater
equality IN the condition Of men, than exists there II
there be in the State who maintains what Is
called equpage drives -four horses in his coach am
not acquainted with him. On the other hand there
lew who are not able TO carry their wives and daughters
70 church IN some decent conveyance II is no matter
OF regret TO that few very rich bat II
is our pride and glory that few very poor IL Is our
still higher prde and just boast, as think that all
her citizens possess means Of intelligence and educa-
tom and that OF all her productions she reckons,
among the very chleest those which spring from the
culture oil the mind and the heart,
Nh President, Of the most striking characteristics
Of this age, the extraordinary progress which 1t has
witnessed in popular knowledge. new and powerful
impulse has been acting in the social system Of late,
producing this effect in striking degree.
In morals, in politics, in art, In literature, there is
accession TO the number Of readers, and the
number Of prohcents. The present state OF popular
knowledge is not the result Of slow and uniform pro-
gress, proceeding through lapse o. years with the
same regular degree of motion Il is evidently the
suit OF some new causes brought into powerful action,
and producing their consequences rapidly and strkngy
What, sir, are these causes ."..
This is not OCCASION sir, for discussing such
question at length allow say, however, that the
improved state of popular knowledge but the neces-
saiy result Of the improved condition OF the great
OF the people knowledge is not OF merely
physical wants. Life may be sustained without it But.
in order to live, men must be fed and clothed, and
sheltered; and IN state OF things in which ones ~ We
labor can do no more than procure clothes @ ard shell
ter, he can have time for improve
ment. knowledge therefore. is not attained, and can
not be attained, till there degree Of respite from
daily manual toll, aud never ending drudgery, But
whenever less degree Of labor will produce the abso-
lutte necessarles Of life. then there come leisure and
MEANS both to teach and to learn. D..
But II this great and wonderful extension of popular
knowledge be the result Of an improved condition, it
may IN the next place, well be asked, what the
causes which have thus suddenly produced that great
Improvement! How is that the means Of food cloth
Ing and shelter, much more cheapy and
abundanty procured than formerly Sir, the main
cause take TO he the progress Of scientific art
new extent OF the application of science to art This
1t 49, which has much distinguished the last half CEN
tury in Europe and in America and its effects are
everywhere visible, and especially among Man has
found new allies and auxiaries In the powers of
ture, and IN the inventions Of mechanism.
The general doctrine of political economy is that
wealth consists IN whatever useful convenient
man, and that labor is the producing of all this
wealth i his is very true But then, what is labor
In the OF political writers, and in common Ian
guage 1t means human industry; but, in phiosophi.
cal view, it may receive much comprehensive
meaning. 1t Is not in that view, human toll only-the
mere action OF thews and muscles but is any active
agency which, working upon the materials with which
the world Is supplied, brings forth products useful
convenient to The materials of wealth in the
earth the seas and in their natural and unaided pro-
auctions Labor obtains them works upon them, and
fashions them to human Now it has been the OBJ
ec Of scientlc art OF the application Of science
art TO increase this active agency augment power
by creating millions Of laborers the form OF automatic
machines, all to be diligently employed, and kept work
by the force OF natural powers To this end these
ural powers, principally those Of steam and falling
ter, subsidized and taken into human employment.
Spinning machines, power looms, and all the mcchan-
cal devices acting among other operatives, in the fac
torres and workshops, are but many laborcrs They
usually dcnonlnated -Sdrng machines, but 1t
would be more just to call them labor. doing machines
They are made to be active agents TO have motion,
and to produce effect; and though without intelligence,
they are guided by those laws Of science, which
exact and perfect, and they produce results therefore,
IN general more accurate than the human hand capa-
BILE of producing, When we look upon ono Of these
we behold mute fellow aborer of immense power, Of
mathematical exsctness. aud of ever.dufng and unwea-
rled effort And while he Is thus most sklul and
productive aborer, he is non-consumer-at least be-
yond the wants OF his mechanical being He cla-
morous for food ralment, shelter and makes de-
nands Tor the expenses OF education. The eating and
drinking the reading aud writing, and clothes wearing
world are benefited by the sbors Of these operatives
IN the same way If Providence had provided for their
service millions of beings, like ourselves IN external
appearance able TO labor and TO toll and yet requiring
little or nothing fer their consumption or snbsis
tence or rather, Providence had created Of
giants each of whom demanding no more for his sup
port and consumption than common lahorcr shoudye
be able to perform the work of hundred.
Now sir, turn back to the Massachusetts, tables of
production, and you will that it these automatic
allies and operators and these powers of nature thus
employed and placed under human direction, which have
come, with such prodigous effect to mans aid in the
great business OF procuring the means of living, Of