The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1857-07-22
Peeps from a Printing Office.
BY A TYPO.
+" Little drops of water.
Little grains Of sand,
Make the mighty ocean.
And the bcauteous land"

"Ugh " exclaims some would-be sdeli-
cate lady" the very sound reminds one
most forcibly of the smell of oil, and we
shall hear nothing now but the clanking
of machinery, and the clicking of typer"
Well, what of that, fair lady! True
the oil we may use is not SO highly perfu-
med as that with which you smoother
your ringlets; but for all that it has the
same basis-and is applied to far no5ler
purpose. The "clanking" of our machi-
merry may not be pleasant to your over-re-
fined taste; but to the true poet it has a
sound sweeter even than thinking of
cymbals." The "clicking" Of type may
even be disagreeable to you; but 1ce had
rather hear it and cause it than be possess
sed of the gift of Jenny Lind, were we
to have our choice of the two.
Ours is glorious mission, fellow-crafts-
men. Princes and potentates own our
sway. and there is no earthly power
mightier than ours. As we stand up to
the "casc," worn and weary though we
may be, we have the comfort of the thought
that though we cannot find m acre on
Gods earth that we may call our own-
though we are poorly paid and heavily task
ed-though there may not be one to whom
we may say Co. or to another Come
though we may well know that we shall
leave no "mighty name" behind us, with
our name blazoned on history's page, and
sculputred in marble-yet we are assured
that our works "shall not perish" Long
after We shall have been laid beneath tho
sod, the "still, small voices" with which
we have spoken will go on with their
mighty work, accomplishing the good
which We have sought while living. With
our "mallets" we are driving home we'd
ges that shall in time overturn "princi-
cipalitiee and powers" With shooting
irons" of more effect than "Sharpe's II
fles' or "Colt's revolveis," we march to
the battle against Wrong, far more sure of
victory than those who WELD the sword.
Oftentimes as we have stood at our case
merrily sticking" the magical strips Of
metal which seemed as things of life under
our fingers, have we "laughed in our
sleeve" as we thought how many would
be anxiously watching for the result Of our
labors-how many hopes and fears hung
on the mere ipse dsrit of the types--how
much the "leading men" and FIRST wri-
ters' of our day are indebted to the hum
bic but none the less valuable labors Of
the Typo And again our heart would
grow sad as we thought of those to whom
we should be the bearers of evil tidmgs
How many of those who read the dolorous
heading" Dreadful Disaster p Fear
full Railroad Accident and Great Loss of
Life!" DC, are untouched by the sad
news? To many and many home do
we thus convey the sad intelligence, and
as we do so, there wells up in our heart
a prayer for the slowed ones left behind"
and hymn of thanksgiving that ace were
not of those who were 30 suddenly and so
fearfully launched into eternity.
But we have higher and nobler mis-
sion than that of mere messengers. Print
ers are emphaticaIy the Reformers of
the age in which they live. In these dirty
rooms where but few mechanical sounds
are heard, busv work of mind is going
on. Those rough looking men standing
by their cases are even now, perhaps, CIV
inp to the world their own great and noble
notwithstanding with metallic tongues
words that will cheer some fellow Worker,
or spur up some Dreamer to work he
never thought himself capable of-sowing
seed by the wayside that in time will spring
up and bear " good fruit, even an hum
dred fold"-planting vine that shall at
some future day shelter the weary pilgrim