Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1869-08-25
The Meehanie Grent Benefaetor.

When we look around us and con
: slider how many of the comforts o.
life, to say nothing of its elegance.
and refinements. originate in con
structive talent, the mechanic appears
to be one of the principal men in
community; and so he is. 1t re.
quires ingenuity to make a yard OF
of cloth; to work the raw material in
: TO threads; and those threads into
fabrics, and those fabrics into gar
ments. To change the raw hides OF
animals into useful and ornamental
boots, shoes, gloves, harness, and the
like is no child's play. The house
also should be regarded as a part OF
the clothing of the human race. The
umbrella keeps off part of the storm
as well as the cloak, and so the roof
and the walls of house are a certain
kind of outside clothing, as the shuck
and shell of the walnut shield the liv-
ing germ within. The carpenter, the
mason, the decorator, and the carpet
weaver must not be forgotten. Look
at house and its furniture, with the
clothing of the family Look at all of
the conyenieness for cooking and eat
ing, the elegant cOntrivances for the
] gratlncatlon of taste which a well ap-
] pointed house atfordsl and one would
think that three-fOurths Of the hu-
man race were employed in the realm
/ OF manufactures. Viewing the sub
ject from this point, we may ask, is
not the lord of the loom and the an
/ VII lord indeed among men? Ger
tainly he serves the world; and as,
according to Scripture, "he that would
be great, let him be your minister"
so he who ministers to the comfort of
men by the way of clothing, useful
! articles or implement, houses, furni-
ture, and decorations, ought 70 rank
well. Let no man who can construct
house, or a carpet, or piece of use
ful furniture, or a utensil for cooking,
feel that he is, by virtue of his pur-
suit, degraded. If he incline to feel
so, let him look into savage and bar
barous lands, where the three legged
stool has not been invented; where
the skins of animals are used for
clothing, or rude structures of the
bark OF trees are the only houses, and
contrast that nation with those that
are highly civilized, and he will ap-
preciate the dignity of mechanical la
Dor. To be an artisan doubtless re-
quires higher order of talent than it
does TO be what is generally under
stood by the term farmer. The arti-
san has sharp competition. The
world knows the difference between
good and bad work when it
is in the construction of a chair, or a
boot or bureau, but has not vet so far
advanced as to be able TO determine,
i'm general, the difference between
good and bad farming, that we have
nothing really with which to contrast
poor work in that line; and 81 long |
as every man who has only culture |
and aspires to be respected entertains |
the untruthful opinion that to be a til !
Ter of the soil is to be merely a drudge,
and disreputable one at that, so long /
the best talent and culture seek other /
vOcations. The sharp attritions and 1
competitions of rivalry, then, serve
to push manufactures forward toward |
perfection much more rapidly than
any influences now operating tend to
push forward and perfect agriculture.
The mechanic, as we have said, is
forced by competition to educate him
self in his business, to bring all the
appliances of science to the perfection
and development of his work.
The mechanic needs a prominent
brow, and pretty good developement
above it, to give him perception and
talent. He needs a full
temple to give him ingenuity and
taste and a good degree of Wilderness to
the middle and back head to give him
economy, energy, and force. He re-
Iuires good degree of Mental tenn
Derament to give him force, industry,
md activity, and enough of the Vital {
to furnish the steam for {
vigorous effort, and to maintain him ;
N health; and last, but not least, he
needs pure air to breathe and plenty .
If sunlight. Making boots in cellars {
1y gaslight is low business, because
t crushes the man.
We have only space here to glance
It the inventor of the steam engine, I
the power loom, the printing press,
he sewing machine, and all the ma {
,hinery by which various articles of {
Utility and elegance are constructed.
Verify he is creator who can compel
lead iron, wood, and other material
to take the place of fin
yers, and almost takes ti4e place Of
hought. He who looks upon the in 9
Tentor or successful user of machinery (
g an ignoble man, or upon that pur- q
uit as low and base, hes yet to learn C
he first lesson in the realm of truth O
s applied to justice, honor, and res o
)ectability.-Phre1. Journal. /