Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1858-06-09
All About u Htli.

The good people Of Charleston, South
Carolina, are, it seems, in want OF 4 new tFo
alarm bell, and have been and are greatly
exercised upon The question whether they
shall give the contract to some OF their own
mechanics, who offered to undertake the job
on the terms of mo bell no pay" or whether
they shall procure a bell from celebrated
fcundry in New York While the Board Of
Fire Masters and the City Council were sill!
discussing the important matter, a COMMITTEE
Of the former body, convinced, no doubt, that
a bell cast in their own clty could not rlng Sd
loudly or melodiJu-!y as one from a dIstauce,
nor bo equally s,rviccablc in giving the alarm
when conhacration dire or tire tenet lnsur-
recton might make 1t necessary to rouse the
slumbering citizens, had determined to take
time by the forelOck and secure the success
of their views, and had already contracted
that it should be east in New York. Thus
their ears will be saved the iutiichon OF bear
inc the tones Of home made bell, albeit
their anticipatory action has led ID au ANNA
tel newspaper quarrel, and the changes are
being ruug upon the subject d tho bell 10 an
ince.sant, if not dCItGD!ng, manner. lherC
are a great many people who are possessed OF
the same notions rs the Committee Of the
Fire Masters OF Charleston. They think
that nothing can be "a good if male III their
own locality as ii manufactured elsewhere
/ TO their eyes and ears every thing from
abroad is invested with superior qualities
/ Such ideas indeed are quite too prevalent
They are often unjust, and always unwise
! and short-Si GIFTED, even in view OF personal
/ interest 1t may be set down as an anzlom
that every dollars worth OF manufactures,
from a shoe to a locomotive, which IS lm-
} ported from any other place, when It couii
be made on the spot, IS pccuuiary loss u
/ the community in general 10 that extent, less
the cost Of the raw material, ana that such
impOrtatiOns are in fac! lmpOyerlsnlnS IN
their effect. True, the proportion to each per
son may seem trilng, but 1t swel!s to an
enormous tribute III the aggregate, whcn, tor
instance as in the case Of our own city, the
total amount thus sent away aud expended is
/ counted up. The dependence Cfthe prosperity
of any city upon its domestic manufactures
! is more vital aud intimate than is generally
! imagined 1t is not 10 fact erroneous to con-
slider them more valuable even than It's com
merce, for commerce thrust5 its statistics un-
der our eyes, while those Of domestic manu-
/ features are hidden in thousands OF petty
. shops and in the rooms Of solitary workmen.
The domestic manufactures Of the UnIed
States are estimated by tho hundreds OF mil
lions Of dollars annually. Ii Is not merely
/ those establishments which attract attention
from their size and the extent OF their opera
( tons which swell this vast amount but the
small shops and the busy hands that every
where are OF work producing something for
the use, comfort or qualification Of the com
munity. Indeed far the greater proportion
are contr buted from the latter sources
| Every citizeu ought TO patronize domestic
manufactures and home mechanics from
principle. Nor can such a course be COL
sidered either selfish or IlllUeGa; II II, on the
contrary, a duty be owes TO the community
! in winch he lives The folly 81 the Commit
tee OF Fire Masters OF Charleston Is an
e.recious one and should have but few fol-
/ lowers, yet we suppose it will be hard 70 COT
vince some OF the fair sex that silk pur-
! chased on Baltimore street Is hall as good or
! handsome as one bought at Stewards on
! Broadway, New York, Or some OF the sterner
sex that any article whatever can be made
! or manufactured here as we'll as at the East
Ball. inner.