Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1851-03-20
Why I left the Anvil.
BY ELIHU BuRRIrr.

taking up the quill, as a member OF your pro-
fession, ! viii be honest now, add tell you
the whole story. | was transposed from the
anvil to the editors chair by the genius Of
machinery. Don't smile. friends Il was ev-
en- so. | had stood and looked for hours on
those thoughtless, iron intellects, those IRON
fingered, sober supple automatons, as they
caught up bale Of cotton, and twIrled it in
the twinkling of an eve, into a whirlwind Of
whzziDg shreds, and laid it at my feet IN
folds Of snow-white cloth, ready for use for
the most voluptuous antipcdes. They we're
wonderful things, those looms aud spindles !;
but they could not spin thoughts; but there
was no attribute Of Divinity IN lhe.n, aud |
admired them, nothing mo,e. Isey ssss
excessively curious, but could estimate the
whole compass of their doings aud destiny
III finger power; so | went away aud left
them spinnIng--couon.
One day ! was tuning my anvil beDeaih
hot iron, and busy with the thought that
there was as much intellectual philosophy
IN my own hammer as in any Of the englne-
ry agulug IN modern times, when most un-
earthly screaming reached nv ears step
ped 10 the door, and there 1t was, the great
Iron Horse Yes, he had cone, looking for
all the world like the great Dragon we read
OF in the Scripture harnessed to half a NV
ing world aud Just landed on earth. where
he stood baying 10 surprise aud Indignation
at the = base use" he had been turned
saw the gigantic heXiped move with pow
er that made the earth trembe for miles.
saw the army of human beings gliding with
the velocity of the wind over the iron track
and dfoves of cattle travelling ia their sta
bes Al the rate of twenty miles an hour tow
ard their ciiy-saughter house. Il was won
derlul The lntle busy bee-wInged machine
~ Of the cotton factory dwiudied into insig-
nlficance before IT, Mnnsjrous beast of pas
sage aud burden IL devoured the interven-
ing distance, aud welded them together |!
But for IFS furnace heat, aud non slnews, II
was nothing but beast, an enormous ag-
greguuon of--horse power And went
back 70 the forge with unimparcd rever-
ence for the intellectual philosophy of my
hammer
Passing along the street one afternoon, |
heard noise III an old building. as some
one pulling a pair of bellows. So without
more ado, | stepped IN, and there, in cor
ner OF a room, saw the chel-d euvre of
all the machinery that has ever been lnven-
ted since the days of Tubal Cam. In as
construction 1t is as simple and unassuming
as a cheese press, went with a leyer-wilh
lever, longer and stronger than that with
which ArchImedes promised 10 lift the
world.
1t is printing press, said boy, stand.
ing by the ink trough, with cuelss turaau
- B. g.
A printing pressp | queried musingly
to myself. A printing press what do you
print 2 asked
Prlut.l said the boy staring at me doubt
fully, why we print thoughts
Print thoughts | slowly repeated after
him and we stood looking Tor a moment
at each other in mutual admiration he N
the absence OF an idea, and | IN ne pursuit
OF one. But looked at him the hardest
and he left another ink mark on his FORE
head, from pathetic motion of his left
hama, to quicken ms apprehension OF my
meaning.
Why, yes, he reiterated, in a tone o.
forced confidence as, if passing an idea
which though having been current hun
bred years, might still be counterfeit, foI
all he could show on the spot, we prin
thoughts to be sure
But my boy asked in honest sober
ness, what are thoughts, and how do yor
get hold of them to print ?
Thoughts are what comes ont of the
peoples minds he replied Get hold o
them, indeedl Why minds ar'nt nothing
you can get hold OF, nor thoughts either
All the minds that ever thought, aud all tn,
thoughts that minds ever made, would n
make bali as big as your fist Minds
they say, are Just like air; YOU can't SCI
them ; they don't make any noise, nor hav
any color, they don't weigh anything. BIZ
Deepcut, the sexton, says, tina, mat
weighs Just as much when his mind Ia
gone out Of him, as he did before. No, sir
all the minds that ever lived wouldn't weig
an ounce troy
Then how do YOU print thoughts 2
asked Ii minds are thin as air, aad iho'i
thinner stlll, and make no noise, and hay
10 substance, shade, or colCr, aud are Ink
the winds, aud, more than the winds, az
anywhere VA a moment sometimes IN hea'
Ell, and sometimes on earth, aud 40 the WI
tiers under the earth, how can you get bol
oi them how eau you see them whe
caught or show them to others z
Ezekiel's eve grew luminous g.lh ne
idea, aud pushing his ink-roiler Ptoudfy
cross the metallic page of us newspaper,
: replied,
Thoughts work and walk in thing
what make tracts and we take them trac
aud stamp them on paper, OF iron, WOOD
stone, or what not That Is The way "
print thoughts. Don't Iou understand 2
The pressman let go the lever. aud TOOL
; ed inlerrogatiyely at Ezekiel, beginning
the patch Oh his strlngless orogans, an
and follow up with his eye to the Top of II
: boys brown paper buff cap Ezekiel con
f pretended the felicity Of his illustration
} aud wipIng his hands on his tow apro
} gradually assumed an attitude of earnest e
position. ! gave him an encouraging wlnl
aud so he went on,
Thoughts make tracts, he continue
impresslyely, as If evolving new phase
Y the idea by repeating i, slowly. Seeing n
assenled TO thus proposition enquirlngly, !
) stepped 10 the lype-case, with his eye IKE
: very admonishngly upon us. Though
make tracts he repeated, arranging in h
= hand a score or two of metallic slips, al
d with these here letters we can take an exa'