The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1866-02-14
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William and Robert Chambers.
Work makes the man, the want of acork,
the fellow;
The rest is all but leather and prunella." i.
We have substituted the word work
for worth. and made the poet speak
more pointedly to the purpose. No
better illustration can be afforded of
the value Of work than what the
career Of William and Robert Cham.
bers afford. Political economists
have proved that commodity or
product is not valuable merely be-
cause it is useful or durable, but it is
valuable when, in addition to these
qualities, it can only be procured or
enjoyed through the Intervention of
labor. 1t cannot justly be said that
food or clothes are more useful than
atmospheric air; and yet they are
possessed of that value in exchange,
Of which the latter is wholly desti-
tute. The reason is that food and
clothes are not, likewise, gr-a&t.ss:::::.cccc gr-a&t.ss:::::.cccs
products; they cannot be had at all
times in any quantity, and enjoyed
without any voluntary exertion. On
the contrary, labor is always required
for their production or appropriation,
! or both; and as no one will volunta-
rily sacrifice the fruits of his industry
without receiving an equivalent, they
are truly said to possess an exchange
able value.
The Chambers were ushered into
this existence about the beginning of
this century. William is the eldest
by two years. They are natives of
PEBBLES, a pleasant town in Tweed
side. They were thrown in boyhood
on their own resources, and opened
two book-stalls in Edinburgh. By
slow degrees they increased their bu-
siness, and with it, their acquaint-
ance with literary people. among
whom were Walter Scott, Professor
Wilson, and Jeffrey. William had
meanwhile learned the art of print
ing, and to exc out the profits of his
slender trade, he worked at case and
press himself. Being in want of
some large types, which were beyond
his means of purchasing, he cut the
letters In wood; and, on another oc-
caslon, bound with his own hands
the whole impression of small
volume, which he had first printed
on his own account.
An old gentleman, who was accus-
toned to pass through Leith Walk at
a late hour, records that he never
failed to observe that whilst all the
rest of the street was shrouded in
darkness, lights invariably cleaned
from the windows of William Cham
bers' printing room, where the sounds
OF his ever-toiling press continued to
break the silence Of the night. Ro-
bert was not less assiduous; en-
ployed himself to collect materials for
his Traditions of Edinburgh, which
appeared in 1924. He followed up
the work by his popular Rhymes of
Scotland" ''Picture of Scotland, %
Scottish Rebellion" ''Life of James
L." &C., &c. In 1929, the brothers
worked in joint enterprise-"A
Gazetteer of Scotland" In 1892,
they began the famous "Edinbeugh
Journal" next the "Penny Maga-
sine.'' The Journal reached $4,000
copies. The success of the Journal
induced the brothers to fix their es-
tablishment in High street, where
their handsome printing Office and
warehouse now stand, one Of the
most conspicuous establishments of
Edinburgh. Thence were issued q
series of publications, too numerous
to. be crowded into q newspaper CO.
lumn. Their establishment occupied
upwards of 200 workmen. The depth
OF their premises on High street is
26S feet, with a front of As feet
Their chief printing room, aspacious
hall, lighted from the roof, gives
accommodation to ten printing ma
chimes, with high-pressure steam
engine of ten-horse power The
number of sheets printed in this
apartment, during a month, does not
fall short of 100000; the number of
sheets printed annually averages 1O,-
600, 900, paying about $4,000 of ex-
else duty. SALE.
The crazy rates at which rents are
advanced in New York is exhibited