The weekly union record., 1865-03-18
Perverted Ingenuity.


history Of the mechanic arts and how mach
more adyancel might have been the civilization
OF the world, had that ingenuity been devoted
10 the ob,aiument Of useful results.
| The great aim OF the earlier wechsniciaus
seems to have been TO inspire feeling of
wondsr. for some Of the earliest Greek hstorisDs
have left US accounts of wonderful statues.
which initiated the various movements 0! living
beings. Some centuries later, Archyias, of
/ Tarentum who h0uriShed about 400 years
before the commencement OF the Christian era.
added to his renown as a truly wise man aud
great mathematician the reputation Of having
constructed wooden pigeon. which was
animated BY A concealed spirit and could
fly; and Archimsdes who Is considered the
greatest Of the earlier mechaoleiauS. has also
l the reputation OF having constructed similar
automata, bnt Of these we have 10 particular
account. Descending 10 comparatively modern
I times, we 6nd that water clock was presented
10 Charlemagne bv Haroun al Raschid, 10 the
( dialplate of which there were twelve small
doors, corresponding TO the hours. which doors
were opened TO allow Of the egress Of twelve
little knights on horseback, who struck the
hours upon a brazen he'll. \ few centuries
I later, Albert. Bishop Of Ratisbon. spent thirty
years in constructing q human figure. which
advanced to a door when any one knocked,
opened it and salated the visitor. Subsequently
( John Mailer made a wooden eagle, which is
reported 10 have flown 10 meet the Emperor
Macmillan when be arrived at Nuremburg. on
June 7lh. lao. After saluiing him like
good loyal subject, the sagacious bird few back
to the gate of the city. and peFchiug upon IT.
waited the Emperors approach, stretching out
/ its wings and making other signs Of welcome.
/ OF about the same date We have accounts OF an
| iron fly and a crawling steel spider At a still
later period chemistry was called 20 the ard of
mechanism in producing those wonderful imita-
tlons OF animals for il is related Of the peacock
of NergenneS and the duck Of Y aucanson. that
not only were both externally perfect limitations
/ of nature-one walking about and picking up
grains Of corn, and the other muddling in the
water, eating. drinking. and crying "quack
quack r. but they actually expelled the digested
food as though it had really been subjected to
the action Of the stomach The last mentioned
inventor also constructed automatic players Of
musical instruments aud according TO his own
account of his hageoet player, the pressure of
air required for the highest note was ffiy-six
pounds, and that for the loves; ouly single
ounce Since the date OF these last mentioned
inventions. we have had accounts Of an auto
maton which drew human figures aad other
objects; another which performed wonderful
teats of ground aud lofty" tumblng and
there are still in existence miniature birds,
which not only hop from branch 10 branch o. q
tree. but warble like The feathered tenants OF
the woods.
We haze low become 50 familiar with .he
automatic machinery employed in our manu-
factories, that mechanisms OF the above
description have, IN great measure, lost their
interest; and, surprising as they may appear
even to the scientific spectator, the astOnshment
speedily wears off leaving a feeling only Of
regret that so much ingenuity has been per-
verted from really useful purposes. We have.
however, still the satisfaction of believing that
such inventions have not been entirely without
result, for there is no doubt that many Of our
most useful mechanical movements we're in
vented and first applied in these otherwise use
less automata. The same combination of the
mechanical powers which made the crawling
spider, contributed in future years to purposes
OF higher import. The elements Of the tUmoiing
puppet were revived in the chronomeier which
guides our ships through the ocean and the
irregular shaped wheel which directed the hand
of the drawing autOmaton has served in the
present age, TO guide the movements Of the
embroldering machine. Sir David Brewster
has remarked on this subject "ID whatever
way the power OF genius may invent or combine,
and to whatever low or ludicrous purpose that
invention or combination may be originally
applied, society receives a gift which It can
never lose and though the value Of the seed
may not be at once recognized, and though il
may lie long uuproduciiye in the u1genial soil
of human knowledge, it will some time or other
evolve lis germ aud yield to mankind Its natural
and abundant harvest. "-AmericGn AtisaH.