The Literary echo, and Pawcatuck advertiser. [volume] (Westerly, R.I.) 1851-1854, 1853-10-06
The Knife with many Blades,

hc nubC "asH HNuhy hlhueS'
/ sat in my cupola the other night
when for several hours there was nc
alarm Of fire, and revolved many things
in my mind And there came back to
my memory-reviewing the days o!
Childhood knife with many blades,
fifteen or sixteen, which, for Il long
series of months, worried my imagina
ton with suggestions of its beauty and
utility. | passed daily the store Of the
maker, to whose window, as he was .
vender Of knives, it was meant to BE-
the chiefest ornament, | thought that to
possess that knife would be something
like being king among men. Sixteen
blades One blade for making or mend e
ing pen-the world used quill pens
then ano her for whiting the cedar
wood Of lead pencil, and third for
pointing the lead. y fourth forget
the purposes which the fourth was to
serve, but defined its position, and
found special, separate service for
every blade, even to the sixteenth The
possessiol Of that wonderful knife would
have made me the happiest boy in the
world. Some horded shilings | bad
aud | set myself how to procure more
| went on crrauds for busy people, that
| might earn a few cents. | bought
periodicals and vendcd them. In short,
in several months | grew rich enough to
purchase the knife at the makers valua-
ton-and the price, how well recol
lcct it, was seven dollars. Seven dol
lars at that time, would have nearly pur-
chased a suit Of clothes, good for a boy
Of my rank Of life. But | wanted the |
knife and had it.
| owned the knife with sixteen blades
aud never was President proudcr of
his chair in the White House, on his
lirst reception day. OF course, it was
an awkward, bulky, useless thing, and
was not long in making the discovery. |
The greatest disgust seized me when
found that neither of the blades would
cut. With streaming tears I returned
to the maker, and represented my dis
Sonny" he rerli d,
the knife was not made to cut; it was
Intended for show only, but as you
wanted it, let you have it " lie was
model Of a man; he took back tn
knife, and returned me my seven dollars
The next day the knife was in its old
)lace, and there We're boys of my own
lge lettering at the window, and survey
ng it admringIy
Many time since that has that knife
been forced upon my recollection. Have
you not met havc-with men who {
ave sixteen blades; They have a ,
'lade for every possible emergency; I
hey can do anything you require Of t
hem they can edit paper or COM ;
nand ship; they can accomplish any =
hing you most want them to do, from d
he fittings Of "A watch wheel to the iorg- ;
ne Of an anchor, or the welding Of a t
hahn cable. Only that the misfortune O
) that they do nothing well, and they h
ften fail at the point where their SER
ices are most needed. Their Jiades "
,on't cut. |
| see such people everywhere around II
ie when walk the streets or mix in :
ociety. Very fine blades indeed, to Il
,ok at, but they won't cut-try what {,
ou will with them. Considering people h
this manner, | behold the contents of W
4 extensive knife manufactory turned Ii
ourly in Broadway, and | find that W
,ery man [ encounter answers to some in
'ecies of knife. to
Here, for instance, is dappcr little oy
lady's penknfe, with in
other of pearl, or tortoise shell handle,
laid with gold So small is it, you
ould lose it in crease of your vest sa
'cket. And the blade will cut too d,
at is well enough for lady; indeed, in
is as much adapted to lady's use, as IN
C sparkling ring upon her finger. For of
,od service, for pointing a pencil or
aping a too,hpick it would not be
allable But for ornament, and for nc
ratching out the tiniest blot ON richly sa
lbosscd and highly scented note paper, IN
does passibly we'll. 1, serves admira- ha