Litchfield enquirer., 1851-07-10
LrrcnFELD COMM THURSDAY JULY TO- 1851 w

ehimedes-- whose power, not confin>
ed to matter. reaches the mind and soul
of a generation Of immortal beings.
My heart beat as looked at its work.
ings. Rolling and turning a.single mo-
ment blank sheet OF paper becomes
stamped with characters of life and love
Songs of freedom and the teachings of a
glorious liberty appear upon its ample
pages! Tldings of joy to telling millions
bidding benz look up, and hope, and
work. and believe! Lessons of noble
meaning fill its varied columns. The
strifes Of millions daring to be free-the
struggles of millions looking for their bet.
ter day-;he promises of truth speaking
in the trlumphs Of the age-all radi~
ant upon its surface In a few hours
tens of thousands will 0e moved by these
impulses, and hundreds of thousands
will feel their hearts thrill, and their
souls waken responsiyely to the swelling
flood
thought Of the past. saw before
me hundred thousand scribes consum
ing life>time in accomplishing tie la
Dor which this crouchng engine and this
wonderful mechanism will perform in a
day. saw a nobleman give one half
his estate for a few imperfect volumes Of
ancient fables, and Of NEUROLOGICAL fol-
lies. saw the millions untaught; and
locked up in the recesscs of some ants
quated monastery l pictured the illu-
minated manuscripts and the classic
parchments, too precious to be used-and
for this reason pre~erved until Art made
them sacred as monuments by making
their transcripts universal.
/ looked at the revolving instrument of
mind, and the proud achievement of gen.
ius and art, and l-sald, as my heart beat
with higher enthusiasm. Its maker is
greater than an Alexander or Napole>
on. They exhausted the resources OF the
world, and laid them with the lives of
millions, upon the altar of their ambition
but he developes the resources Of the
mind, stimulates the industry of the
world creates joy where before was sor-
row, and pours light where before was
darkness, and conquers in the domains
of the human soul. 1t is conquest for
eternity-while theirs was conquest for
moment of time"
/ thought of the day that is coming
when The Press shall bless every land
with its fullest beams-when the Ian
guage of every tribe shall be written; and
the pens of another day shall t'ansfuse
the jargon of benighted Africa into words
of love and liberty-when the isles shall
hear what the waves declare as they
speed on their way with glorious tidings
of harmony and peace. L saw the learn
ing of the ancients, the science and the
philosophy Of all time laid down at the
foot of of the poor laborer, and as his eye
caught the mysterious page, l saw it
beam with lofty light and moisten with a
grateful tear. heard the strokes of his
hammer, and the clicking of his shuttle
and the ring of his anvil, and l saw him
read and hope, and labor, and believe.
[ saw him with faith in his heaven born
power open the stores of knowledge, and
as she stopped and pointed with her jew
elled finger to the lessons Of Truth, she
wove laurel Nound the brow Of the
laborer, who toiled and yet made her lis
sister. And as one after another of the
millions looked up ard read, and toiled.
and believed. the poor ceased to go about
the street, and the rich ceased 10 deride
the poor-the knowledge of GoD, and
the knowledge of his works, lifted man
from his degradation, and purifying the
life, ennobling the mind. and beautifying
the spirit. man saw no man but broth
er. and knew no voice but that Of love
My heart beats whenever 1 think Of
that Press. Whenever turn to that
vault with the united power of steam and
of the Press which are at work within it,
| dream Of the Past. and | see the un.
folding, active Present, speaking in earn
est Of the glorious Future. With faith
in the Eternal Promise, with trust in
the power Of this omn;potent lever, |
work, and hope. and believe.