Hillsdale Whig standard. (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1846-1851, 1850-03-19
Why L left the Anil.
BY ELIHU BURRlTT.


see il, you would ask me what have TO
say for mysel II for dropping the hammer and
taking up the quill, as a member of your
profession. will he honest now, and tell
you the whole story. | was transported from
the anvil 10 the editors chair by the genius
Of marchinery. Don't smile, friends, II was
even so. had stood and looked for hours on
those ihoug ghtless iron i0lellects, those iron
fingered, sober. supple sntOmations. as they
caught up a bale OF cotton, and twirled u IN
the twipkling of an eye into whirlpool oi VIII
izzing shreds, and laid il at my feet in folds
Of snow white cloth, ready for the use of our
most yoluptuous snIipodes. They were won
der(ul things, those looms aud spindlcs; but
they could not spin Thoughts; there was no
attribute OF Divinity in them, and admired
them, nothing more. They were excessive
ly curious, but could estimate the whole
compass OF then doiugs and destiny in finger
power; so came ava, and left them spin
I ning-cotten
One day was turning my anvil beneath
hot iron. and busy with the thought. there
was rs much intellectual philosophy in my
hammer as in any OF the engnery going IN
modern times, when most uuearthy scream.
ing pierced my ears stepped To the door,
and there il was, the great Iron Horse Yes,
he had come, looking Tor all the world like
the great Dragon we read OF IN the Scripture,
haruessed TO hall living world and just Ian
ded on The earth, where he stood braying IN
surprse and indignation al the base uses TO
which he had been turned. | saw the array
of human beings gliding with the velocity Ci
wind over the iron track and droves OF cattle
travelling in their stabeles at the rate OF twen-
! ~ miles au hour, toward their city slaughter
bou.e. It was wonderful. The little busy
bee winged machienry of the Gotten factory
/ dwind!ed into nsignlfcance before il. Mon
strous beast Of passage and burden. II de
youred the intervening distance, and welded
/ the cities together! But for its furace heart
and iron sinews, il was nothing but beast,
! an enormous aggregation oi-hoIse power.
! And went back TO The forge with unimpalr-
ed reverence for the intellectual philosophy Of
my hammer:
! Passing along the street one afternoon ]
heard noise iu an old building, as of some
one putting pair Of bellows. So without
more ado | stepped in and there, in a corner
of room, | saw the chef d euvie OF all the
macheneiy that has ever been invented since
the birth OF Tubal Cane. 10 its construction
! it wa. as simple and unassumlng as cheese
press. Invent with a Iever-with a lever,
longer,
indies promised to liit the world.
.It is a printing press ss::t. 50y s;anding
| by the ink trough, with cueless turban of
brown paper on his head. a printing press"
| oueried musingy to myself. a printing
pressl what do you printr | asked. PRINT
said the boy, staring at me, doubuully, why,
we print Thoughts Print thoughts!.
SLOWLY repeated after him, and we stood look
inc for a moment al each other IN mutual ad-
! miratjon; he in the absence OF an idea, and
in pusut OF one. But looked al him the
hardest. and he left another ink mark on his
forehead, from a pathetic motion Of his left
hand. to quicken his apprehension of my
meaning.
WHY. YES" he reiterated, in a tone o
forced confidence, as il passing an idea which
though having been current hundred years,
| might still be cOunterteit, Tor all he could
show on the spot, we print thOugis 10 be
sure 'But, my boy asked in honest So
berHess. what are Thoughts, aud how cdn you
get hold of them to print thenF 'Ihoushts
are what come out of peoples minds he re
piled. Get hold of them, indeed! why
minds ant nothing you can get hold OF, no.
Thoughts either. All the minds that evei
thought, and all the thougts that minds eve
made. wouldn't make ball as big as your fist
Minds they say are Just like air; you cant SCI
them; they don't make any noise, nor nave
any color; they don't weigh any thing. 81
Deepcut, the sexton, says, that mau welsh
lust ~ mnch when his mind is gone out .
him as he did before. No, sir, all the NINA
I, that ever lived wouldn't weigh an ounce troy.
Then how do you print thoughts! asked
, sIf minds are thin air, and thoughts are thin
or still, aud make no morse, and have no sub
a
winds, are anywhere in a momeut; sometime
~, .a,,h. and ir the waters under the earth
> how can YOU get hold of them; how can yo
see them when caught, or sho. them TO 9th
ersP
4 Ezekiefs eyes grew luminous with me-
!. idea, ana pushing his ink roller pfoud'
e across the metallic page OF the newspaper
N renlied. .thoughts work and WORK in thing
via, make tracks; and we take them tracks
and stamp them on paper, OF iron, woot
o stone. or what not. That is the way "
print thoughts. Don't you understand!
The pressman let go the lever, and locke
L nteuogatingly at Ezekiel, being at the pate
o ON his striugiess brogaus, and following u
Is with his eye TO the top OF the boys brown p'
N per buff cap. Ezekiel comprehended u
:, facility of his illustration, aud wplng h
% hands Oh hs tow apron. gradually assumed
% attitude Of earnest exposition. gave IN
g an encouraging wink. aud so he went on.
Thoughts maks lracls,' he continued 10
o. pressiyely, Us IL envolying new phase OF u
ie idea by repeating il slowly. Seeing we asse
ted 10 this proposition inquiriugly, he stepp
s. to the type case wiih his eye fixed sdmo
ne ishiuply upon us. Thoughts make track
5e he repeated. arranging ia his LET. hand
r. score or two metal slips, and with these Inc
svI letters we can take the exact impression
.xety thought that evsi weUi ou, efibs he