Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1852-02-05


iii ohf S Festival ID cslebEatiu Of Franklin's
he b They void have seen As Ene speei-
: hirafrIeelual, moral and pbysieaioi ne menof
arpe is ever greeted their eyes. They would
I've behold Trio ia his glory bis heariwarm,
ynos wish vine: Sui vilh cordial hospitality and ge
hiaf good Fellowship. doing handsome thing 10
hansiscme way. ind evidently sincere in hesrt
a. polite ID maHnsF A6d vel. On some accounts,
re he GLAD tkat tie public did nat witness this fes
tisaL The public are already enough in The dark
ahaEt Igag. without being arr farther chfssca-
tea Thas festival wouId have mystThed them sin
more They wonid bare imagined that . Issps' is
sort Of Dises clad ia iire linen, and faring stump
! iacnsiy eseFy day; thar Abemarlc Notes aud
/ Oh Virginia Ham, farm the staple 81 his daily
dsarcy, and picked oysters and plam-cake has Fcg-
aIar suneh whilst every Sunday s celebrated With
7 Hau3ch Or Venison. Canvass Back Ducks, Tur-
I kew with oysier Sauce, followed b. dessert Ice
cssams. Cakes, Oranges, Grapes Raisins and the
| ike. VIE need moi say tha, forfhe pubtic 10 in
dalge any such fancy would be great folly, though
not much more Irrational and menstrouz Than some
Of The Conceptions 81 the Printers character and
condition which they now entertain. Il IS now sup
! posed thAi the pfin,sFH mere machine, possess
/ Ing not much moreintelligence and sebsbihysihan
the type In III. case thai he is the medum through
which the sunlight 81 knowledge eliminates every
dwelling, but that be neither the gGt nor feels
The heatIwhieh h. conveys There is also another
] shsEisie@e. sslasicn common among mankind. Its
that printers By peculiar law of nature, are ex
em9ted from the wants and nseessitiss AZ other
men that they need no clothing for iilemseEyesana
fhfir families that theE ean 1870 -.
ar auu IUg, and sup on Inoonshine that they re-
quirc 10 houses 10 cover them candies to Tighten
them, do fuel to warm them thar they and their
! families enjoy perpetual health knowing nothing
Of Doctors bills and tha. they have no souls TO he
saved, and are consequently spared The expense Of
per-renls. Their children are presumed to be
their own schoomasssss. When printesssdie, they
are altb be carried upwards in chaiio, Of fire. or,
some other chariot which obyiaie the necessity of
| funeral thaFges. Such must be he opinion OF the
public for il cannot b Supposed that If they believ-
/ ed Typo to be man of like appetiies and wants
with themselves, 50 many thousands would refuse
70 pay him their just dues ana compel him. through
the neglect and dishonesty, of others, so often 10
pass life oftroable, sorrow and privation.
| But fn air soberness, few men are called to en-
dure such CO ntinaous and exhaus,iHg labor as the
| prinler.- Each letter Of the columns upon which
your eyes are resting has passed through his hands.
He Is Al his post from early morn till midnight.--i
| Sun and storm. snow and ice, neither vary nor in
terrupt his duties During the late bitter weather,
the cofnposiiors of our Office for example have
sometimes been up till one and even two o'clock
and theh, walked through The cold night and driy-
ing rain, and sometimes Two miles to their re-
specive homes, returning at an early hour in the
| morning. Such are the tolls Of The printer, and
now eg US say one word as 10 the moral character
Of the man. single fact will speak volumes on
that head. 10 the great State Of New York, whose
huge metropolis is becoming famoussfor the tax
itY of its morals as for its wealth and prosperity
not single printer has been sent for quarter of
century 10 the State Prison of Sing Sing. AtThe
late tynogra phieal estYaiin the city-ef New York
Il was stated by Mr. Bigelow. of.lhe New York
Evening Pest, that six or seven years ago he was
appointed Inspector Of State Prisons, at Sing Sing
1T lay in the line oil his duty observe the anece
dents aRd peeuarities of the inmates Of that insti
tuition He found there some nine hundred persons
Of every nation, oi both sexes of every color of all
ages, except the very young, who exempt from
penaltY-he found Representatives of ever grade Of
depraviy, and every denomination Of crime and
representatives Of every imaginable business, art
and calling In life-save one. And that calling
was the art If Printing. loud applause) There
-. ~ss.''esseS mere ueen Tor
/
single setter Of types. There were carpspters
tailors, masons, .shoemakers, accountants brokers'
doctors Iiaughterl-yes Mr.. President, doctors |;
and IL may add to your surprise, perhaps to your
fegretio learn, that they were not homeopathic
doctors either Imore the pity, said DIR. Francis ii
and YET there was not printer among ihem-
| Therewere also lawyers there, and lie said it with
modification, that one member of that profession
was now there, paying the penalty Of a crime fol
which he had not the poor apology Of poverty. y
And there is also there clergyman; bat there was
Fnot and never had been a printer There was
!. s0metling in the fact worth considering l."
So much for their moral character And, for
their Intelligence, We refer to the letter which we
! published yesterday from John c. Rives (of he
veteran tirm Of Blair and Rives 10 the Richmond
Typographical Association, in which he remarks
have seen The manuscript writings of most oil
the great men who have lived in thscountry during
The lasl twenty years, and think may safely saw
that net twenty Of them could stand the test of scru
tiny otone half Of the journeymen printers employ
ed in my office" Il would be impossible ind ed for
any thing but stock or stoqe 10 pass an appren.
ticeshiP aud much more life ia printing Office,
without becoming elevated and embued with the at.
mosphere OF intelligence which pervades ii, and in-
spiEcd Wtsl1ahe spirit o. Tue age AouTtrue printer
Is no, only moral and intelligent man, bur has
very considerable tnge of romance and chivalry in
his composition His patriotism is Of the most hon
est and enthusiasts kind far purer and more in-
tense than that Of The public men OF the country
Whilst they declare war 81 eight dollars day.s
the printers among the first togo and fshtit out
Al seven dollars month" Teere is no battle
Geld q his country in which Typo" has not done
more than his part in setiiag up the American eal-
saassfand in knocking those Of the enemy into ii.
No man has a Drawer heart in war none more
kindly and generous soul in PEACE Well might
the greatest philosopher Of America and Of modern
lines, as Mr.. Thompson truly and happily Observed,
iasteaaef directing that his name should be associ
led upon has tombstone with philosophy and states
manshp esteem ii his greatest glory that his Mon
ument should bear this inscription -Benjamin !
Franklin, PRINTER.