The Republican. [volume] (Woodville, Miss.) 1844-1847, 1845-05-31
THE STEAN ENGINE.

Years have rolled away and the vision Of the
tea-ketle is realized,
Talk Of political revolutions, they are nothing
to the revolutions Of science Amid the rcaF Of
a conflict whicbshook Europe, The ancient dynas-
~ Of France fell prosiToie, cfumbled, with the
ruins Of its own Baslile. And now are new has
tiles being creaied-Dew forts erected-lhe tools
with which tyranny playeO It's game Of yore, the
chains are again clanking on the people who
once so nobly burst them. But there is no such
reaction in the revolutions ofscience. The echo
Of the CHEEKY hiss of the old tea-keule, when The
boy, Watt. sal dreamingly listening 10 il, is 10 be
head ia HE loud ioar OF The sIeam-pipe, rising
often above the din Of wind and waters, and pro-
claiming to both that mighty power is battling
with Their fisrceness.
Steam has made this old world Of ours a new
one. II makes ocean voyages, pleasure trips, il
binds cites together, literally with iron bands; il
brings Kingdoms into as close contiguiiy as par
ishes What docs il not do for mani Services
the most mighty and the most trivial. II hurres
him across the Atlantic 10 ten days, and grlnds
coffee in grocers' shops; il has power enough 10
pump up volumes Of water from The bowels Of the
earth, aud delicacy enough 10 drive shuttle and
weave fine linen. Mighty as is its strength, the
fly the huge beams aud OFFENDERS with force
that hundreds ol horses would IN vain crack sin
ew aud muscle 10 control; aud yel, let there be
but the touch Of guiding lever-ihe stopping 81
Understanding no more than a child's
strength, and the vast moving labuc al once be-
comes moiiOnless and passive--ony so mana
lonsSbf wrought and hammered metal.
There IS TO our thinking, something awiully
4 Il. q eta.
cine. Stand amidst It's pondsrous beams and
bars, wheels and OFFENDERS, and watch their IN
ceasing play; how regular and how powerful -
The machinery Of lady's Geneva watch is no
more n:ceIy udinsled- the rush Of the avalanche
is not more awful 10 Is strength. Old Gothic
cathedrals are solemn places, preaching solemn
lessons, teaching solemn things, but 10 him who
thinks, al engine-ro0m may prsach mole sol
emn lesson still. Il will tell him Of mind mind
welding matter at is w--mind triumphing over
physical dlfEicuiiea--man asserting his great So
premacy-'in.ellecl battling with the elements
And how exquisiIeIy complete rs every detail +
how subordinate every part iOwaids the one
great end how every little bar and screw fl
and work together! Vast as is The machine, lei
boil be but the tenth part Of an inch too long OF
too short. aud the whole fabric is disOrganized.
| lis one complete piece Of hnrmony--an iron es-
saw upon unity of design aud execution. There
! is deep poetry 10 the steam engine-mOr Of the
noe,ry Of motion Than in the bound Of an ante
lone, more Of the poetry Of power than in The dash
az a Cataract. Aud ought it mol TO be essun TO
those who laugh at novelties, and put no faith in
inventions 10 consider TINT this complex fabric
this triumph Of AT and sciencs-w once the
laughing stock Of jeering thousands, and once
I only The waking phAnlasy Of boys mind as be
sat aud in seeming dleuess watched little col
umn oI vapOr rise from the spout OE Iea-ketIlei