Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1858-12-29
By HENRY WARD BEEongN

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By HENRY WARD BEEensf -
Among the things which we did not, but now
do believe In, is the Sewing Machine. One thing
alter another had been inyented; one machine
alter another had superseded manual labor. uu.
tll human hands seemed about to go out of use.
ior any other mechanical purposes than that OF;
lovers pressure, orators gestures and for beaux
and pel!esNg gloves. But We always consoled our
selves that one or two things there were vet
which no machinery could perform. We could
Imagine children put through a whipping ma.
chine, and we had long been accustomed to sec
them taught by automatic machines. There
was the time houorcd business handed down tt
us. without break, from the Garden of Eden.
OF cOurtinG-and kissing as one of its ordinances
mo machinery could ever perform that Ma
chlnG poetry, and machine sermons, we were
iamlar WITH. Babbage can make machines for
IcIpher'ng, for computing lOgarirhms, for casting
up interest but can he invent machine for Sd-
cIHg interest, and capital too, for that matter
And oh! can there ever be n machiuc for an.
Iswcrlng letters? We would pay any price for
machine into which letters being put, and Il
crank turned, there should drop out at the other
ride answers MS good as the letters, folded, d-
sccted, and stamped
But machines have steadily gained ground,
aud the iron muscle has relieved tile flesh hand
machines for boring, saving, cutting, plain
ing; for making bread, q wish there was one for
eating some OF IT'D for pumping water, for ma
king cattle draw their own drink. But, notwith.
standing, we firmly believed that some things
would never be done by any fingers except llu.
man, aud eminent among these impossible things
was Sewlngli 'NOthing5we were sure could ever
perform that except the latest and best inven-
ton of Paradisc-Womanl sl %
+ When the ruInors began to prevail, then, re.
specung an Invented sewing machine, we lifted
our eye brows gently, and went OH ourway with
q quiet consciousness that VIC could not be ta-
ken in by any such story. Wercgarded it as
OF a piece with new found morality in old poitl-
clans, with the thousand annual rumOrs Of some
heaven dawned virtue in Washington City-a
mere device to catch the cTedulous.
But day by day the clatter grew Indeed we {
surprised ourselves with coat sowed in impor-
Iant respects by machine. We sawslinen pyrn-
mids of =hcetng made for hotels and steamboats,
by sewing machines.
The case was growing serious indeed; and, Mt
last, 1t came toa head, when the lead of the
family Informed us that n woman was to come
in few days, with her Wheeler and Wilson,
and do up the family sewing. OF course, we
submitted without word And the three capa-
Die persons OF this household began to prepare
matter for the machine, to an extent which
showed how perfectly they had been fooled by
the story Of its executive ability. Piles ofIarge
stun lay in each corner; little stuff covered the
tables and miscellaneous stuflay eyerywhere.-
" = ran aShl1SE COTTON heapS, werN IN danger oil
getting tangled in webs of linen and shcet.ng at
every turn, and such ripping, and tearing, and
cutting, and busting, as went on, would lead
one to imagine that an army was to be clothed.
The day dawned. The woman came, and the
iron and - came with her, only ttelddy
had to act as beau, and offer her aid to wait on
Mcssrs. .s---- and ----. After alittle, there
arose a hum from our chathber, not unlike the
buzz OF wheat mill, such as we have heard in
summer, sitting under willow trees on the edge
Of stream, over against a red mill white-dust-
ed. Soon. we heard excited exclamations-
Everybody seemed stirred up. The girls left
their work; the children fUrsoOk their play things
and VIC followed the example.
IheEe sat before the simple machine-stand a
fair young woman, some sixteen years old,
whose foot, like.that Of old fashioned fax spiu+
ners, was working the trGadle with the nim6lcst
motion. Then came the conviction, for the first
time, that sewing was conquered aud vanquish-
edi Long Sheets entering the fatal pass,
Streamed through, and came out helntued, ina
ridlculously short time. An hours work was
done uo before your eyes in one minute. a
shirt was set in, of such dimensions, that 1--WE
call Baron NJ Munchausen to'witness y a man could
not get roundit by fair walking, Unless than,-
well, IN some time! Itstreaned through the
ai!-puncturing and d-- about US soon
as good-sized flag, being hoisted, would unrol
and flow out to the wind. A bundle Of linen
took its turn, and came forth collar, u hand
keTNhlel, cap. 1heTe goes IN piece oil Cloth!
there comes out a Shirt! NE were beWildercd.
NOtmuch was done for some hours in that house
but gaze and wonder. We mistake. A good
deal more was done and done more efIcctuaIly
Than had ever been done in ten times the time
betorcA What heaps sofltowcls-what piles of
sheets-what bedfuls of small trumpery--whut
bureaus full of fine trash-what carpet liWering
stacks of unmentionable matters that make up
the cloth inventory of household wealth
The dsmayed woman of the hodse saw her
three days prepared work melting away before
noon, us three days April snow disappears in
few hours.
The voracious machine began to show its
teeth and to demand more food-and now it vas
a fair race, whether two women could prepare
us much as one machine could perfofml Il did
our very souls good. At last, we hoped that
this was working fast enough, Oh what early
hours ouFilnmp las beeninade to- ill1mtnel-
All, what breakfasts have we eaten, and seen
cleared away, long before the sun touched even
the cheek of day. What impeluousindtstry had
glowed about the house, forenoon afternoon,
night, midnight-never enough, never OYER.
matchcdl Wegrew tired even to look ut r.
| Al. last said yvi, YOll'vA nOt vnnr match NOSS.