The organ of the temperance reform. (Cincinnati, O. [Ohio]) 1852-1853, 1852-03-12
NJ MBER 8.
ola Hahits Han Powera..

1 kAA A-A--NHAAN 49, $50 = y - NA
Extract Of letter from an American resid-
ing temporarily in Florence. .....
My correspondent is engaged in putting
up sOme fixtures, and thus describes some
of the vexatious incidents of dependence
on the mechanics of that city He says:
"In America / might be saved all this
loss of time but here, where the carpenters
have nothing but red hot poker to bore deep
holes with, not an auger in all Florence
what can be expected from other mechanicsH
A part of my room is fitted up like black
smiths shop where hammer through my
difficulties as best l may. But, you will
ask, how do the Florentines get on Why
they get on as their grandfathers did. They
work without tools, and take as much time
to do thing, as Yankee would require
to do ittwice or thrice over. What would
you think to see a man saving wood holding
the wood in both hands and the saw-frame
between his knees, bobbing up and down
over it, with the perspiration dripping from
his nose And yet this is the way that the
sawyers all do here.
Every thing is inside out, or wrong end
foremost, in this country. The gimblets
are made to turn the reverse of ours axes
are shaped like grubbing hoes and Plows
are made from forked tree. Even the
sculptors are incorrigible. Our celebrated
fellOw-citizen, Powers, has invented and
constructed many ingenious tools and great
improvements in the art and, although all
praise and admire, none will adopt them.
For instance, Mr.. Powers, to prevent his
models drying in the intervals between
> work, or in the night time, has an oil-cloth
e cylinder suspended over the work from a
I, pulley. When this is drawn down, the air
is effectually excluded, and there can be, of
i course, no evaporation. Well, the native
g artists have been to see it but as it never
: had been done by Canova, they couldn't
, make up their minds to try it--They re-
turned to their studies, and still adhere to
, the old method, which is to swathe the clay
, statue from head to foot with wet bandages
of muslin. This soon rOts, and soils the
clay with slime; and besides, it rubs away
the delicate modelling. 1t also requires
considerable time to put it on and take it
of, whereas, by Mr.. P. IS method, it is done
in an instant.
But Mr.. Powers has gone even beyond all
this, for now he models his statues without
the use of clay at all. He has discovered a
process by which he makes the plaster as i'm
pressible as clay, thus saving both expense
and time. This is an immense improve
ment but, nevertheless, the old fogies
E shake their heads at it, as much as to say,
Our grandfather didn't do things in this
: manner
Before closing, l ought to tell you that
Mr.. ?. is blocking out his America in a spot
less piece of Marble. 1t is of the natural
n size of America, if you can guess what that
IS is; or about six feet one inch high. wish
y Congress would order it made of colossa,
. size, say ten or twelve feet high, and put i
m in the place of the ten-pin player on tn
he eastern pOrtico of the Capitol. 1t is rathe
an oversight in the Great West to neglec
their renowned fellow-citizen, whose geniu
y was first excited on the banks of la bell
:. riviere. National IntelEigeRcer.
nj