Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1860-07-28
miscellaneous
OUR FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH A SEW
ING MACHINE.
a "srAR'' PAPER by the REV. HENRY WAR;
BEEcHER.

DEEcHER. :
Among tSe things which we did not, but now
do believe 10, is the Sewing Machine. One thing
after another had been invented; one machine at
ter another had superseded manual labor, until
human hands seemed about to go out Of use, for
any other mechanical purposes shan tba' Of lovers
pressures, orators gestures; aud for beNux's and
bellies gloves, But we always consoled ourselves
that one or two things there we're yet, which no
machinery could perform. We could put our
children through a whipping-mnchine. and we
had long been accustomed to see them taught by
automatic machines. There was a time honored
business handed down to US, without q break.
from the G lrdon of Eden, Of courting-and kiss
ing as one Of it's Jrdiuances-no machinery could
ever perform that. Machine poetry, and machine
sermons, we were familiar With. Bubbage can
make machines for ciphering, for computing l"g'
arithns. for computing up interest, but can be in-
vent q machine for saving interest. and capital too,
for shat matter2 And, oh can there ever be q
machine for answering letters? We would pay
any price for a machine, into which letters being
put, and crank turned, there should drop out ct
the other side answers as good as the letters, fold
ed directed and stamped.
But machines have steadily gained ground, and
the iron muscle has relieved the flesh hand; ma
chimes for boring, saving, cutting, planning; for
making bread, Il wish there was one for eating
some of it, for pun ping water, for making cattle
draw their own drink. But, notwithstanding, We
firmly believed that some things would never be
done by any fingers except human, and eminent
among these impossible things was sewingl
Nothing we were cure, could ever perform that,
except The latest and best invention of Paradise -
woman
When the rumors began to prevail, then, re-
specting az invented sewing-machine, we lifted
our eye brows gently, and went on our way with
a quiet consciousness that we could not be taken
in by any such story. We regarded it as of q piece
with new found morality in old politicians, with
the thousand annual rumors Of some heaven
dawned virtue 10 Washington City-a mere device
to catch the credulous.
But, day By day, the c%lutter grew. Indeed, we
surprised ourselves with a coat, sewed in impoT-
tant respects by machine. We saw linen 2yra
mids Of sheeting made for hotels and steamboats,
by sewing machines.
The case was growing serious, indeed; and, at
last, it came to a head. when the head of the fami-
" Informed us. that a woman was to come in a
few days, with her Wheeler and Wilson, and do
bP ~ AHAb''J SS''DO' NVt
without a wold. Anc three capable persons Of
this household began to prepare matter for the
machine, to an extent which showed how per
fectly they had been fooled by the story of its
executive ability. Piles of large stuff lay in each
corner; little stuff covered the table; and miscela-
neous stuff lay everywhere. We ran against
cotton heaps, we're in danger Of getting tangled il
webs of linen and sheeting at every turn, and such
oA 49, I'D 1919 n
went on, would lead one to imagine that an ARM
was to be clothed.
The day dawned. The woman came, and thu
iron Wheeler and Wilson came with her, only
the lady had to act as beau, and offer her aid t.
wait on Messrs W. and w.. After a l'ttle. there
arose a hum from our chamber, not unlike thC
buzz of a wheat mill, such as we have heard in thu
summer, sitting under willow trees on the edge o
a stream, over against a red mill, white busted
Soon we heard excited EXPLANATIONS. Every
body seemed stirred up. The girls left theil
work; the children forsoOk their playthings, an(
We followed the example.
There sal before the simple machine stand,
fair young woman. some sixteen years old, who's
foot, like that of lid fashioned Hax-spirners, wa
working the treadle with the MINDLESS motion
Then came the conviction for the first time, tina
sewing was conquered and vauquished Lon
sheets, entered the fatal pass, streamed throug
and came out hemmed, in a ridiculously shol
time. An hours work was done up before on
eyes in one minute. A skirt was set in, OF sue
dimensions. that 1--WE cali Baron Muuchausen
witness a man could not get round it by ia
walking, in less than-well, in some time!
streamed through the all puncsuring Wheeler an
Wilson about as soon as a good sized flag, beiD
hoisted, would unroll and flow out TO the wind.
bundle flinen took it's turn, and came forth
collar, o handkerchief, q cap. There goes in
piece of cloth there comes out O shirt! W
were bewildered. Not much was done for SON
hours 10 that house but gaze and wonder. W
mistake. A good deal more was done, and dJn
more effectually. than had ever been done in tie
times the time before What heaps Of towels
what piles Of sheets-what bedfulls Of sma
trumpery-what bureaus full of fine trash-whi
csrpet-liuering stacks Of unmentionsble matter
that make up the cloth inventory Of househol
wealth!
The dismayed woman of the house saw hi
three days prepared work melting away befOl
noon,a u three days April snow disappears in
few hoursl
The voracious machine began to show its teet
and to demand more food-and now it was a fu
race, whether two women could prepare as niue
as one machine could perform IL did our vel
souls good. AT last. we hoped this was workin
fast enough. Oh, what carly hours has our Ian
been made to illuminate! All, what breakfas
have we eaten, and seen cleared away, long befol
the sun touched even the cheek Of day! What ia
petuous industry had glowed about the hOus
forenoon, afternoon, night. midnight-nev,
enough. never overmatched We grew tired eve
to look at it At last, faid We. you've got yol
match. Now. then. Se will cit down and see tb
race, with a satisfaction that shall include yeal
Of revenge for disturbed incidence
For a long time the match was doubtful. Som
times il was the machine that had the advontag,
and snmanLnas IL nna nnt The nnnLaat ma xan