True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1857-07-29
An Age of Improvement.

An age OF Improvement,
The inhabitents Uf ancient Egypt spent
ages and innumerable treasures, in the
of pyramids, in digging ca
tacombs, and In elevating pliers, but in
all This waste Of time and consumption Of
money there was nothing truly useful ac-
which would send down 10
future ages blessing upon their name.
Their pyramids stand to the present day
as splendid monuments of folly; nothing
Of any practical utility is to be found in all
the relics of ancient Egypt. The same may
be said Of Greece and Rome, great ar
chitec!ural designs. magnificent buildings,
and incontestable proofs that the masses
Of the people had been made slaves to ac'
as NEAR beasts of burden, to pamper the
pride of mUnarchs, mobiles and :yrants,
may be found on every page of Greecian
and Roman history, but in all this their
is nothing to be found to elevate the peo-
pie, to spread intelligence or to teach
mankid that they were men. How vast
" different is the present age; the mote
of the present generation is utility and
progress, men work not only for the
present, but likewise for all future time
Our age is pre-eminently the ulllilarian
time of the world. Every faculty of the
mind seems to be upon the stretch tC
gain the pinnaicle o! useful knowledge
and the possession of useful power, ant
that object is no, attained by the labOri
Gus ascen, of the steps Of an Egyptian
pyramid, but by something more pract
cal, John Bull with his old fogy ideas i;
behind the age, and can only follow in the
footsteps of young America, as fast as hi
aristocratic gout ENABLES him ; although
after his muddy brain has managed IL
gain an American idea, he always claims
the paternity, from stolen book 10 a pill
fered engine. The despolism Of pow er il
Bonepart ridden France will long keeE
her behind the age. With strict proprIe
ty America may be pronounced the home
of ulilitarianism. Ii is true, we have no
produced Homer, with his soul-strin!
Illiad, or Virgil or Horace but few
superior works Of Sculpture or painting
grace or public halls, yet even in the fin
acts, we are but little behind the ancients
The artistic skill of Powers will compar
favourably with the statues penuS de
medicis or Apollo. B,Iyidere and III
statues OF Mills, Grenough and Crawfor
need not be vailed before the proudes
works of ancient Athens, and Hiawath
will last as long as the EnGd of Virgi
But these are not the works which thro
such halo Of glory around our counIr!
and which make it the admiration OF 4
astonished world.
franklin in his electric discoveries
painted with lightning his name in tn
clouds of heaven, where it will RENAME &
long as the Sun enlightens the day, an
the moon and stars enliven the night.
Fulton erected his monument and wro
the glory Of his country in the might
waves of the Atlantic and the cease
flow Of the inland waters Of the world
The puff Of every steamer reveals Il
name Of The master hand which discove
cd the latent power of the Electric flu
every where defused.
"Morse who was simple sculptor a
most starved, and as maker of the beau
full, would have sunk into eternal moi
ingness, by tie controlling of subtle flu
Which prevades all space and forms Il
6 life of man, has written his name al
, coun,ry's glory on monumen, that t
hardest granite cannot equal
Boston now speaks in familiar conv'
solion with New Orleans, St. Louis a
New York and all combined may he
e conversation freely with the citizens
q Sleubenyille, and the time is not far {
9 tent when the Monarch of the East "
}. hold friendly chat with the President
:, the United States, each seated in the ca
= tai Of his own Country.
# The anvil of the Blacksmith works
ct iron into plow shares or rou'horses,
t. the time will speadily APPROACH when
'e sword will only be made for ornament
~ The useful is usurping the place Of
5. ornamental, and our age will in all fut
time be looked upon, not only as the i
81 but likewise, as the golden age of
world.
- Utah Controlled by Foreigners.
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