The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1860-02-21
GREAT MEN WHO ROSE FROM THE
RANKS

'FRONT.' barber-shop rose Sir Richard Arkwright,
the inventor of the spinning jenny, and the founder
of the cotton manufacture of Great Britain; Lord
Tenterdcn, one ofthe most distinguished of English
Lord ChefJ Justices; and Turner, the very greatest
among landscape painters. No knows to
certainty what Shakespeare was; but it is
questionable that he sprang from very humble
rank. The common class of day laborers has
given Brindey the engineer; Cook, the navigator
and Burns, the poet. Masons and bricklayers can
boast of Ben johnson, who worked at the building
of Lincoln's Inn, with trowel in his hand and
book in his pocket; Edwards and Telford, the
engineers; Hugh Mler the geologist; and Allan
Cunningham, the writer and sculptor; whilst among
distinguished carpenters we find the name of lingo
Jones, the architect; Harrison, the chronometer
maker; John Hunter, the physiologist Romney
and Ope, painters; Prof. Lee, the Orientast; and
John Gibson, the sculptor From the weaver
class have sprung Simpson, the mathematician;
Bacon, thesculp ptor the two Miners, Adam Walker,
John Foster, Wilson, the ornthOogist Doctor
Livingstone, the missionary traveller; and Tannahl,
the poet. Shoemakers have given us Sturgeon,
the electrician; Samuel Drew, the essdyist; Clifford,
the editor of the Quarterly Review; Bloomfield,
the poet; and William Carey, the missionary;
whilst Morrison, another laborious missionary was
maker of shoe lasts Within the last year
profound naturalist has been discovered in the
person of shoe maker, at Banff, named Thomas
Edwards who, while maintaining himself by his
trade, has devoted his leisure to the study of
natural science in all its branches, his researches
in connection with the smaller crustaceg having
been rewarded by the discovery of a new species to
which the name of Pranza Edcardsii has been
given by naturalists.
Nor have the tailors been altogether undsting-
uished, jackson, the tailor having worked at that
trade until he reached manhood. But what is,
perhaps, more remarkable, one of the gallantest
British seamen, Admiral Hobson, who broke the
boom at Vigo in 1902 originally belonged to this
calling. He was working as tailor's apprentice
near Bon-church, in the Isle of Wight, when the
news few through the village that squadron of
men-of-war sailing off the Island. He sprang
from the shop-board, and ran down with his
comrades to the beach to gaze upon the glorious
sight. The tailor-boy was suddenly infamed with
the ambition to be a sailor, and springing into
boat, he rowed off to the squadron, gained tho
admirals ship, and accepted a volunteer.
Years after he returned to his native village full
of honors and dined off bacon and eggs in the
cottage where he had worked as tailor sapprcntice.
Cardinal Wolsey, DeFoe, Akensde, and Kirk
White, were the sons Of butchers; Bunyan was
tinker, and Joseph Lancaster a basket maker.
Among the great names identified with the invcn-
ton of the steam engine those of Newcomer,
Watt, and Stephenson; the first blacksmith, the
second maker of mathematical instruments, and
the third engine fireman. DIR. Hutton, the
geoiogist and Bewick, the father ofwood engraving
were coal-miners. Dodsley was footman, and
Holcroft groom. Rafin, the navigator, was
common seaman, and Sir Cloudesley Shovel
Herschel played the oboe in military
band. Chantry JourDeyman carver, Etty a
journeyman printer; and Sir Thomas Lawrence tho
son of tavern keeper.
Michael Faraday the son of poor blacksmith
was in early life apprenticed to ok-bnder, and
worked at that trade until he reached his twenty
second year, he now occupies the very first rank
as philosopher, excelling his master, Sir
Davy, in the art of ucidly expounding
the most difficult and abstruse points in natural
science. Not long ago Sir Roderick Murchison
in the far north ofScotland, a profound
geologist, in the person ola baker there, named
Robert Dick When Sir Roderick called upon
him at the bake house, in which he baked and
earned his bread, Dick deincated to him, by
features and geological phenomena of his native
existing maps, which he had ascertained by
travelling the country in his leisure hours.
On further enquiry, Sir Roderick ascertained that
the humble individual before him was not only a
capital baker and geologist but first rate botanis
Il found,' said the Director-Gencral of the Geo
graphical Society, :" to my great humiliation, that
his baker knew infinitely more Of botanical science,
aye, ten times more, than did, and that there
we're only some twenty thirty specimens of
lowers which he had not collected.-Some he had
obtained as presents, some he had purchased; but
he greatest portion had been accumulated by his
industry, in his native county Of Caithness, and tho
specimens all arranged in the most beautiful
,rder, with their scientific names affixed"