Wabash express. [volume] (Terre-Haute, Vigo Co[unty], Ind.) 1841-186?, 1859-01-26
Recent Inventions.

"Of inventions there j. no end" The in-
telligenee Of man j. embodied in machinery
10 more and more wonderful extent every
year. The most delicate and complicated pro
cesses are carried on with greater precision.
and infinitely greater rrpidity by these me
chanicsl servants than they could be by man
himself. Gradually the burden Of crude la
Dor is being shifted from the shoulders Of men
aud placed on these untiring workers.
IL is very easy to foresee that eventually the
drudgery Of life. in the most highly civilized
countries, will b. performed wholly 10y ma
cbincy, aud that skilled labor slone " III re
main 10 man. The laborsr who has any pro-
violence for bis children to-day will therefore
seek to give them an education, that they may
perform their part in the skilled labor Of the
future
Even agriculture will no, escape. Move
mcnts have already been commenced To apply
the sane method Of associated aud skilled la
Dor 10 agriculture which has been 80 success
ful in manufactures. Moving and reaping
machinery are great advance already accom-.
plished. The steam pillow is not so distant as
the sewing machine appeared five years ago
Steam shovels are now 10 operation with en-
tire success sirgle shove.lull filling car
from a gravel bank. Power machinery for all
the purposes Of agriculture must be in,rodu-
ced during the life OF the present genera.
ton.
Some persons think that machinery super.
sedes and supplants human labor. adding to
the burden II the masses. This was illustra.
Ted by the lrishmsn Who shook his fist Of tn,
steam engine which was hosting out the YES
sells ctrgo on the wharf At New York. and
then apostrophiscd after this manner: "Arrah
there's one thing yces can't do. and that is
rofs" We believe the Irishman was right
and that j. the limit. Steam engines will no,
he applied to voting. but We shall see them
doirg almost every thing el-e.
The Effect Of machinery on labor is no, "a
linish the amount Of labor done bat to elevate
the Kind Of labor. 1t diminished drudgery
and crude labor. aud substitutes for II. cult
waited and skilled labor. There were great
fears expressed five years ago that the intro
duction Of sewi lg machines would strip wo
men ~ one 81 their few means Of support
through the drudgcry Of the needle. The rev
blution has taken place. and with very slight
shock, u has already opened "a women the
doors % many higher occupations. beside.
giving them double work for their work ia
connection with the machines.
The latorer who il vie. however, will al
ways try TO own the machinery with which
he works. or to own or share in n. So as Ia
reap the reward Of his own iaocr 10th direct
~ and indirectly through the products II the
machine Thus IL u takes two men TO work
sa~-mill. they sould aspire To the ambition
Of owning II together. so ~ 10 obtain It's foil
foil benefit. Ten young women might own
together six sewing machines. aud thus carry
on a clothing mandatory. obtaining al; tie
proceeds Of their labor and the advantages OF
mechanism The share system - one which
the lsborsr should thus avsils himself Of. IN
order 70 be wholly benefited by the introdue.
tion Of machinery.
We had intended ~ speak Of some recent
improvements in the arts connected with the
manufacture Of newspapers. These do not
effect the sdsfisg. any more than the Irishman' =
sieam engine could do The voting Bot thy
affect paper. printing and presses. We shall
reserve this Tor another article.