Bloomington herald. [volume] (Bloomington, I. T. [Iowa]) 1840-1849, 1842-12-23

G. Smith:
1--WE have thus traced the mechanic,
loaded but too often with the burden OF his
unrequie,ed tolls. through community al
ter community, always laborlng, produ-
cling. sustaining, yet for the most part de-
spised, or at best neglected by that socl-
etv to which his cxer,ions have continu-
aliy been as the very life blood, and vital
breath, and without which those miracles
Of intellect and art, which have shone like
stars along the dark pathway of human
destiny, dazzling the nations with their ra-
dance, and throwing into the shade his
own humber lot, would either never have
existed, or have she'd their light in vain
And if it be asked, why has he been thus
neglected and despised, why this feeling
of avowed contempt or naughty condo.
scension, on the part of the more favored
classes and of depression and hopeless IN
ferior,y on his own, has, under various
notifications, endured even to the present
day. no. only in those countries whose So
cial order encloses aristocratic Incidence
with barrier over which useful industry
may not pass-but in our own land; II 1t
be asked, why does some tinge of those
feelings yet linger here ! answer. that
the principle upon which the original idea
of the operatives inferiority was founded,
is yet partially recognized here, and must
be till he himself, by his own advance
ment, does it away"
The principle Mr. Smith believes TO be
the little amount Of intellectual labor which
the practice Of the mechanics arts was
generally understood to require; griev-
Gus error. but one which has been and is
perpetuated by the unretined and unintel-
lectual character Of too many practical me-
| chanics. Mr.. Smith continues:
II beg my brethren then to remember,
that our place in the social scale has at a.
ny given period of history, precisely that
which our intellectual advancement enti>
tied US to fill no higher, of course, and
no lower. This believe 10 be the truth,
and TO illustrate this truth, as an all-impor-
tant principle has been one main purpose
of what have said this day. Let us not
quarrel then with our social position, since
it always has been precisely what we have
made it ourselves, and always will be.
+" What would the half savage horders
who constituted the operative class of the
ancient world have done with freedom,
with social equality? What would they
have done with it in the middle ages 3
! What would our rude ancestors, British,
Saxon, or Norman, have done with it 3
eighteen centuries made himself worthy of
it? And alas, my friends, is any great
portion Of our fraternity the world over
prepared even now! Blu, l need pursue
this train of thought no further your own
reflections will carry it out better than my
words. improvement then should be our
aim; improvement in its largest sense;
! religious, moral, and intellectual. You
| need not trouble yourselves about polti-
cal, fo- that will follow in the train of the
others, and all the powers of evil can
prevent nor retard it. Forget not, how
ever, that the workshop and the plough
have no right to engross our whole at,en-
ton; the wants of the body are, in our
country, easily supplied; let each Of us re-
member then that he has affections and
sympa,hies to be cherished and improved,
| OH iuNCICCt W UC CuttlVdtdus Il SOul 10 Uc
saved: remember that the operative is to
win for himself social as we'll as political
equality; let him qualify himself then for
this accomplishment of his destiny, not
| only by the moral and intellectual i'm
| provement which will secure it, but also
| by that courtesy of manners which alone
will render his position when gained
graceful and an easy one,
He is told of his political power, that he
holds in his hands the deslnies of this
| people, and it is true he stands then be-
fore his God intrusteG with solemn respon-
slblllles-let him feel their full weight
let him determine TO do his part, and do it
maniully. towards the dissemination of
light and knowledge, as he may find oppor-
tunlty: let him turn away from all appeals
to his passions under pretence of further
ing his political rights remembering that
there is neither satisfaction nor improve
ment IN hatred, envy, malice, or uucllarit.
ableness but ever cultivating the spirit of
brotherly kindness towards all men; let
him wait in humble hope for that promis-
ed day when all injustice shall cease, and
when enlightened Christian phian,hrophy
shall extend the kingdom of peace. and
good will, and benevolence, throughout
all lands, from the rising even to the set
ting of the sun"
We sincerely trust that this excellent
advice may be ingrained in the heart of
every working man in our community
Our author afterwards speaking with much
earnestness on the propriety of appropria-
ting Immediately some of the funds of the