The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-04-24
NO. 1856.
Gh 8sbith.

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Trkenulloch Scotland. New York Robert Carter q
g,,,bers. For sale by Gray Ballantyne, Washing
ha. D. {.
When the inventor of the Intercollegiate
telegraph sent his first message from Wash
notion 10 Baltimore, in demonstration of the
triumph achieved, the words that sped through
,be wire and echoed back in the lightning voice
were, What hath Con wrought" 1t is in
This spirit that Mr.. Blakely has written his
hook. His aim is to show that, however much
We nav aud should admire the exhibitions of
human genius and skill in invention and con-
.trpc.ion, our homage is due above all to Him
who made and governs man. He formed his
,bvsieal frame, and endowed him with mind
and al its capacities He directed to its en-
1loyment at the very time and amid those very
circumstances best suited to benefit the world,
and subserve his own great design of advancing
IT, the consummation of the latter day of mil
snnial perfection. To illustrate this position,
h. pursues an attractive course of thought, al
hides 10 most important discoveries or inven-
ious in science or art, and the periods when
they were made-as the mariners compass,
the printing press. the steam-engine, spinning
laill, power-lcom, railways, and the electro-mag-
ur,ic telegraph. He place, his views before
the reader with much clearness, and his argu-
msnts are weighty and conclusive. By a series
If historic facts, he shows that these great
bs,sE,ctions to mankind were bestowed at the
very period when they could be of most util-
It's: that earlier known, they might have been
peryerted, or at least failed of realizing what
has been the result of good from them. He
also refers to the striking fact, that in the case
Of sone if not all of them, they have been, as
ii were, incidental, or accidentally brought out,
by persons whose particular profession would
not have authorized any such expectation; and
thus that Gods hand and counsel is evidently
seen III their whole beginning and progress.
lie claims, too, that there is something like an
inspiration of genius recognised in the Scrip
ture, as well as that higher species, which
bea,s properly the name; and that it is God,
who, at the very time and in that part of the
worlds history where it would best subserye
his designs, has so gifted men, or excited their
capacities, as to make them the particular al
moaers Of these bounties to his great family on
earth Setting the origin of invention back to
the days Of Adam, asserting that the mind,
toe, as 10 its intuitive perceptions, was clouded
BY he fall, and that the earth, under the curse,
rendered labor more than merely pleasant
recreation, he traces the progress of the fulfil
ment Of the great command to "Subdue the
earth!" and believes that more and more the
heaviest effects of the curse have been wearing
away, and in the coming ages of the Church's
glory it will be actually removed; so that the
predictions as to the appearance of the earth
in that day are to be literally accomplished.
There is much, not merely of suggestive thought,
in the relations and bearings, as the author
eyinces them, Of the progress in the political,
mental, and moral state of the world, but the
facts brought together will probably be new to
many readers. We should be glad to quote
some Of the most prominent of these, but can
only mention in condensed form the fol-
Owing:
BY means of mechanical machinery, for in.
stance it is proved that one person does now
he SANE amount of labor which by manual
toll would have required 226 persons, and this
a! less expense Of physical exertion, less time,
and consequently less waste of life, gaining so
much for the application Of comforts to his
state Of probationary existence. One state.
ment, IN reference to the press, we may give
Illustrative of the amount of labor, as to sin
gle public journal-the London Times. From
report by Mr.. Cowper, I" it appears that Oh
tue 1h of May, 1850, the Times and Supple
ment contained seventy-two columns, OIL
1860 lines, made up of million pieces o.
type, Of which matter about two-ffths were
written, composed, and corrected, after sever
o'clock in the evening. The supplement wa:
sent 10 press at $50 P. NJ. the first form o.
the paper at AIS A. NJ, and the second form
al +4j A. NJ. On this occasion, 1000 paper;
sere published before G.l5 A. NJ, 81, 900 be
5;e 80 A. NJ, and $4,000 before s.45 A. NJ.
|, Us In about four hours. The greatest number
O copies printed in one day was $4,000; and
tie greatest quantity of printing in one days
publication was on the lst of March, l848,
when the paper used weighed seven tons-the
"eeht usually required being four and a hall
tons The surface to be printed every night
including the supplement, is thirty acres; the
weight Of the type in constant use is seven tons
ana no compositors and % pressmen are con
siaa;!y employed"
Speaking Of the railways Of Great Britain
AID Ireland alone, he mentions that in 1885,
ihe passengers conveyed were 66,Sl0,l75
'lo paid fares amounting to the enormous sun
o. t6,+G5,j75," or above S32,0OO,OOO.
Again, in reference to another branch of in
~uStFy, he says; " A steam-engine of 100 hors,
power has been computed at the strength o.
'oO men. This is sufficient to produce anC
Sustain the motion of $4,000 spindles, eacl
producing separate thread of a mile and 6
quarter IN length in twelve hours. Thus, near
Z every Il hours of $4,000 spindles will pro
'lce $500 miles Of thread-a len 9Th sufficien
70 go two and a half times round the globe. ,
iAese would in ordinary practice require 75(
feTsons to superintend their operations; bu
steam, &c, they can convert as much raw
'0aon INTO yarn as would have required 20O,O0(
PERSONS By the former mode of spinning.
AGreat Britain, it has been computed Their,
machinery doing the work of 100000 0'
''sn. Such are few of the facts sprinkle,
O'ef these pages, and enabling the author t.
conduct his argument on successfully, evincin,
Tic progress of the world and the hand of Coz
in all.
We heartily commend the work to our read
once instructive, and unusually inter
N~l 1t is a most valuable addition to man
"O'Se by which the wisdom and Goodness q