The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1870-04-23
WHAT A MECHANICS INSTITUTE
OUGHT TO BEL

An American Mechanics Institute
must not be mere copy of the English i.
In England, Mech49scsE Institutes ate
established by merchants, factory lords,
etc, for the benefit Of mechanics, IN
order to prevent them from being brt-
talized and becoming dangerous to tile
rule of the privileged classes. Pronji-
nent business men and men of science
mingle with the masses only occasion
ally, their intercourse smscks of conde-
scension, the walls OF caste still keep
people separated from each other. TIE
subjects treated in their lectures be-
fore these Institutes, generally refer TO
matters of strict science, as chemistry,
physiology and other branches of nat-
ural science; the. great problems Pf
modern society are carefully avoided /;
dangerous" knowledge is not diffused.
The American mechanic stands on "a
higher plane. Universal suffrage maxi rs
him the equal Of every man in the wide
land. This equality, it is true, his
not yet gotten into full conscious
ness because there has scarcely
ever been right use of the voting
power by the masses, but certainly the
lever is IN their hands to move the
world and themselves upward. They
are really capable Of lifting themselves
out Of the morass, into which mondp-
oily has reduced them. The American
Mechanics Institute must be a grand
exchange Of ideas for all classes for the
very purpose of abolishing all and q re-
ating a nation of gentlemen, nowh ere
better appreciated (see Emersoa's
: Conduct Of Life y, but still astonish-
ingly scarce even here. There mustibe
a suit of rooms, devoted to such social
intercourse, feature that is entirely
wanting in most of our Young Meh's
Associations, where owl-like silence
rigidly presides over dozen of weary |
looking readers, and the craving FOR
men is not satisfied. People must end
will realize that such intercourse is as
necessary to them as the air tliev /
breathe or the bread they eat 1t isiby
such teachings that we teach ourselves. |
This is not an empty phrase but Igo-
found truth, to be recognized as soon
as Practiced on higher scale. Che
Institute will be the high school, the
university not only Of mechanics, but
Of all that fellow-feeling that "ms' kes
US wondrous kind, J" in great DANGER Of
being stifed, will thereby be aroused
and born again with a meaning far
above the common estimate now. The
American people want some meank to
discern their real friends and real
prominence and worth. In Athens
Of old, the people every day Assem- bled
in the market place or courth3 use
square, as we would call it d ow;
there every man aspiring to be
a leader, was critisized by sharp
eyes, no stimulation could pre- vail,
no defects be hidden. They therefore
knewthe capacity of each, they needed
not Micawber like, wait for the corning
man, as we have done during the war,
and are in some sense doing still !;
they had always their PerScles
ready and fully developed wheH the
PolOponesian war came on. All Kinds
Of lectures besides, should be provided
for, and ample care be taken for illus
tration and experiments. Regular
courses ought to be established like
those at the Lowell Institute, at Be ston,
where four thousand every winter have
listened to such men as Agassiz, Gould,
Fenton and others, explaining to the
commonest understanding the woA ders
of science. A library must be founded
a public library-to be used by every
body. We do not see any Necessity
for establishing public library Joy it.
self; the mechanics library is the public
library.
The great object in such institutions
always ought to be to render them suf-
fciently attractive, to equal at least, if
not to outweigh the allurements o. vice,
that knows excellently to take Advan-
tage of these warnings for social inter-
course and cordially. 1t is true there
is no royal road to knowledge, still
there may be refreshments at different
stations. Even Christian partSok of
the fruits on the roadside and rested in
the valley at the foot cf the mountain.
Well give an instance: 1t is not Every
body that reads newspapers or reviews
understandingly. There are a great
many things that newspapers presume
everybody L know, but which are ac-
'tually known by all. A weekly reviewer
Of current events would remedy that.
A prominent man might give a resume
Of this week, another one next week
discussion of questions would nsaurallv
follow, and SO an introduction to higher
kinds of knowledge be given.
There ought to be in such Institute
coffee and tea rooms to held the social
genius to develop itself, to IauncI! easily