The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1856-01-02

Rise, Progress and Utility OF Me-
chanism.

and 60 with me to view the mighty
structures Of Egypt, the wonder of the
ancient and modern world Leok upon
these great monuments Of art, and trace
if you can the machinery by which such
masses Of stone were elevated to so great
a height but as this knowledge is lost to
the world, let Us pass over period of
few hundred years to the time when the
simplest of the mechanical Instruments
were ascribcd to tie Grccian and other
dcities of heather mythology
Then arose Aristotle, who employed
the great power Of his mind in produc-
ing the first writing on mechanics and
Archimcdes who demonstrated the fun
damental properties Of the simple in
strumcnts, and bent his untiring mind to
the study Of their principles the result
of his investigations and ingenuity, was
the invention of the screw, which has in
all ages since been applied to innumera.
Die useful purposes.
But the most glorious age of Greece
was rapidly declining the sun Of her
glory was sinking beneath her western
horizon to rise on another nation closely
wrapped int the shades of mental darkness
Rome hailed with delight the downfall
Of Greece, and well might, for with the
accession of territory came also her arts
Of peace, her learning, genius and taste
this wa. the era Of the dawning of liter
ature in Rome and as advancement
was made in learning and arts, discover
les and improvements were also made in
science.
It was about this period that water
was applied to propel machinery, and the
water mill constructed. In proportion
as literature advanced science became
more perfectly developed, and new iu'
yentions and discoveries we're made un-
I'll the close Of the Augustan age, after
which the Roman empire gradually de-
clincd, and the sun of literature sank
beneath the horizon and the blackncss
Of darkness" oyersprcad the earth for
the space Of thousand years On cast.
ing an eye back to this period We sec a
flood of light bursting upon the world
and mankind, as ii were, Weakening from
deep slumber to life of activity and
usefulness; and ignorance, barbarsm,
superstition, and feudal slavery, retreat.
ing before advancing civilization, knowl-
edge. religion. and freedom. Some Of
the principal causes Of this change were
tie invention Of the mariners compass,
the invention Of the art f printing. the
discovery Of America and not least, the
great improvements and inventions in
mechanics
Passing over period Of two hundred
years, during which many important in
ycntions were made, we come to the ae
cideutal discovery of steam as prime
mover Of machinery, and this is the
most important prime mover that the
ingenuity Of man has yet devised, such
as with its numerous improvements
has caused an entire revolution in almost
all departments of labor aud is now en-
ployed in locomotive and stationary en-
giues all over the world, But progress
does not stop here Improvements arr
being made which add not little to it
utility; and ingenious and cultivated
minds are investigating the principles
ana making expert ments on another mo
tive power which, if successful, will caus
another and still greater revolution. Bu
some who are averse to progress and i'm
proyement may doubt their usefulness
let such but take fair view Of the sui
icct. and their doubts will be at once r(
moved let them compare labor in foi
mer tim when only the simpl mechar
zeal instruments wore known, to the pre-!
ent time for instance; in building on
of the pyramids of Egypt, vast masses
stone amounting to nearly eleven mi
= lions Of tons were elevated to a grea
height requiring the labor of one hundre
thousand men for twenty years, Th
advantage which man has gained by cal
ing to his aid the powers of nature il
, stead of depending on his own feebI
arm, is eviuced by the fact, that one ma
with the help of the steam engine, ca
perform as much labor as twenty seve
thousand Egyptians, working at the rat
at which they built the pyramids I'll
advantages gained by other improy
ments are not less,
. Every nation and every inhabital
Of the world, however Insignificant, a
immensely indebted to the mccbaui
Without his skill aud labor, there wou
neither exist the opportunity for acqui