Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1854-11-01
The Printer Boy and the Ambassador.
BY THE LATE GEORGE LIpPARp.

Genius in its glory-genius on its eagle
wings-genius soaring away there in the clouds!
| This is sight we often see!
| But genious in its work shop-genius in its
| cell-genius digging away in the dark mines of
| poverty-toil in the brain and toll in the heart
this is an everyday fact, yet sight we do
not often see!
Let us for moment look at the strange
contrast between Intellect standing there, in
the sunlight of Fame, with the shouts of mil
| lions ringing in its ears, the Intellect down
| there in cold and night, crouching in the work
shop or in the garret, neglected, unpitied and
| alonei
| Let us for moment behold two pictures,
| illustrating The Great Facts-Intellect in its
| rags, and Intellect in its glory.
The first picture has not much in it to strike
| out fancy; here are dim cathedral aisles,
| grand with fretted arch and towering pillars;
| here no scenes of nature in her sublimity,
where deep lakes, bosomed in colossal cliffs,
| dawn on your eye-or yet, of natures repose
| when quiet dells, musical with the lull of wa
| terfalls, breaking through the purple twilight,
| steal gently in dream glimpses upon your soul.
yes, hot, tired, dusty toll!
The morning sunshine is stealing thro'
| the dim panes of an old window; yes, stealing
and struggling through those dim panes into
| the recesses of yOnder room. 1t is strange
| old room, the walls, cracked in an hundred
| places, are hung with cobwebs; the floors,
| dark as ink, are stained with dismal black
| blotches; and all around are scattered the evil
| dences of some plain wOrkman's craft-heaps
of paper, little pieces of anatomy are scat
tered over the floor; and there in the light of
the morning sun. beside that window, stands
young man of some twenty years-quite q
boy-his coat thrown aside, his faded gar
ments covered with patches, while his right
| hand grasps several of those small pieces of
antimony.
! Why this is but dull pictnr; plain, sober
everyday fact.
Yet look again on that boy standing there in
| the full light of the morning sun-there is
meaning in that massive brow shaded by locks
of dark brown hair; there is meaning in that
| full gray eye, now dilating as that young man
stands there alone in the old room
But what is this grim monster on which that
young man leans? This thing of uncouth
shape, built of massy iron, full of springs and
screws, and bolts; tell us the name of this
strange uncouth monster, on which that young
man rests his hand?
| Ah, that grim old monster is terrible
thing; horrid phantom for disobedient priests
or traitor kings! Yes, that uncouth shape,
every now and then, speaks out words that
shake the world-for it is a Printing Press!
And that young man standing there in a
rude garb, with the warm sunshine streaming
over his bold brow-that young man standing
there Observation-Disclosures prin-
ter boy; yes, an earnest son of toll, thinking
deep thoughts there in that old room, with its
dusty floor, and cobweb-hung walls.
Those thoughts viii one day shake the
world
Now let us look upon the other picture
All here is scene full of Light, and Mu-
sic, and romance.
We stand in magnificent garden, musical
with waterfalls, and yonder, far thro' those ar
cades of towering trees, massive palace
breaks up into the deep azure of night.
Let us approach that palace, with its thou
sand windows flashing with lights-hark! how
the music of full band comes stealing along
this garden; mingled with the hum of foun-
tains-gathering in one bursts up into the dark
concave of heaven.
Let us enter this palace. Up wide stair
ways where heavy carpet give no echo to the
footfall-up wide stairways-through long cor
ridors, adorned with statues-into this splen-
did saloon.
,yA ehand dol
flinging shower of light over this array of
noble lords and beautiful women; on every
side the flash of jewelry, the glitter of en-
broider; the soft mile CLEAN of pearls, raising
into light with the pulsation Of fair bosoms--
ah! this is indeed most splendid scene.
And yonder-far through the crowd of no.
bility and beauty-yonder, under folds of pur-
pie tapestry, dotted with gold, stands the
throne, and on that throne is the King.
That King, these courtiers, noble lords, and
proud DANES, are all awaiting strange spec
tacle. The appearance of an Ambassador
from an unknown Republic, far over the wa
ters. They are all anxious to look upon this
| stl ange man, whose fame goes before him.
Hark to those whispers; it is even said this
strange Ambassador of an unknown Republic
has called down the lightning from Gods eter-
nal sky.
No but this Ambassador will be something
very uncouth, yet it must be plain he will try
to veil his uncouthness in a splendid court
dress.
The King, the courtiers are all on the tiptoe