Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1861-02-22

fruH ,IoonnrmcArEDl rarf.f
The Times on tho Werking-men- Goa
sistent NJ UsuaI.
To ne Editors Of ne Daily Press.
The Times takes good deal Of trouble to
ridicule the proceedings of the Working
men, and quite turns up its sagacious and
arsiocrstic nose at the idea that they are
able 10 perform the ordinary work Of apo
.'itical party, as well as the thieves, police
n en- and walters on grog- shops and public
ofit es that do it under other names and
organ isations. The following, taken from
the same paper few months ago, will show
ho,c its conductors have changed and tn
those who know them BEST it will not be
hard to gues why they have changed:
ADVANCING IL e INTERESTS OF WORKING MEN.
An advertise uent appeared in some of the
pnpers yesterda V, calling meeting to ad-
vance the genera, interests of working-men,
at Gordon's Hall, on Central avenue. The
night was very disa greeable; but matter of
so much Importance conid not be negleetedi
so in spite of wind ud RAM ana hsll and
advance the general interests of working
men" of course, the m seting was composed
OF workipg-men, says he reader Ihere
was the blacksmith Will \ his smutted face
and sinewy arm, the ca rpenter with his
hardened handsa and his brol Eed countenance,
the stone. mason with his broad back, the
shoemaker, the tailor, and tn e Working-men
of every gTade-they were u Nere, Of course,
"to advance the general in terests of the
working meD." Well, if JOu suppose they
were there, you are much mia Naken. The
individuals who were assemble, I, and who
are 10 "advance the general inte rests Of the
working. men," were not Workii7grmen at
oil lnaf "A IN
lawyers. A President N7as elected. and -
Secretary chosen. The President stated the
object of the meeting. ThG'se who hadcalled
this charitable assemblage were of the opin-
ion that something should I've done to elevate
the working-men Ito their own standard,
pre-hapsll This could be hest done by Civ
ng them (poor ignoramuses y an opp0rtu-
nily for intellectual culture. Several of the
gentlemen" present, thereuDon arose, and
concurred most heartily in tb e proposition,
and expressed a willingness to loan their in
tellectuality to cause so nobk, and philan-
thropic.
There seemed to be an apprehe nsien, how
ever, that the ignorant wOrkfug-men
wouldn't appreciate the movement, and that
the light of the intellects there assembled
might shine for nothing. Nevertheless, it
was agreed that this movement to elevate
the working men, and to give the mechanic
an opportunity for intellectual culture,
Greene. We suppose, though it was not re-
solved, that if Mr.. Greene succeeds in the
work of elevation that the working-men will
have further opportunities for mental cul-
cure, by listening to addresses by two legal
Majors, who were so forward in the move
mentl Tall oaks from little acorns grow,
and there is no telling what an amount of
intellectual culture among working-men,
win be the product of that little assemblage
of great minds % last evening.
More earnestly speaking, the working
men and mechanics will not thank these
gentlemen for their kindly offer, simply be-
cause, as class, mechanics are as intelli-
gent, if not more SO, than young lawyers
and lecturers who seek to train them. And
we venture the assertion, that there is not
an association of mechanics in the city that
can not produce from its hard-fiste mem-
bers gentlemen who, in controversy upor.
any practical question, can vanquish either
of the individuals who propose to ieleYate"
them.
In this country common labor is, to some
extent, intellectual culture. There is genius
and mental progress in the work shops. Me-
chanics of all kinds read, and are as well in
formed upon general topics as other people.
They are no worse off, intellectually, as
class, than lawyers, or some of the profess
sions, many of the members of which know
how to "gab," and that's all. The days are
gone by for mechanics to be regarded as q
set Of ignoramuses who must be melted to
intellectual culture by gentlemen who have
nothing else to do than smatter law aud run
for office.
We hope Mr.. Greene's initiatory effort to.
enlighten the obscured mechanical intellect
Of the city may prove access Times of
NOVember 27, 1860.
L, A. A.