Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1870-10-04
The AnneaIinq Process.

In glass manufacture there is process
called annealing, which especially interests
the visitor. Glass, on suddenly cooling,
acquires great brittleness. A chill, after
the most painstaking and successful mold
ing of vase or goblet, would cause the
beautiful structure to fly to pieces. A slight
touch of finger nail or crumb of glass has,
in critical moment, sometimes crushed
the finest specimen of artistry to dust
There is a remedy for this tendency in new
made glass. By annealing or relocating
the ware to a degree little below that by
which it was melted, and gradually remov-
ed it from hot to cooler temperatures, the
particles are toughened into more reliable
affinity. A circular train of cars, on
movement, in the establishment which l
visited, bears hundreds of fresh blown YES
sells in easy advances out from hot to or
binary temperature, in kind of gradual
ed oven, and this simple process occupies
thousand fold more time than the shaping
of the articles This brittleness of the
glass is attributable to the disturbance OF
hasty cooling in the arrangement of its del
icate particles. There must be elaboration
in its adjustment to the new state.
This may serve as an illustration of the
brittleness of new converts. They will not
stand rough handling. A single, thought
less word has ruined many young chris
tian. After conversion they must be an
nealed. They must be trained into strength
to resist the ordinary temptations of life.-
Conversion is not enough. By prayer and
patience the new convert must be disciplin-
ed to daily duty, advanced by careful de-
grees into christian work, and come by
time and regularity into strength.
And there are some old christians who
have never been annealed. They may
have been converted years ago, but not be-
ing needed particularly, being more orna-
mental than useful, they have, like blown
but unannealed glass ware, been on the
shelf and hidden. Their names are on the
church register, and that is about their
greatest achievement in religion. They are
never in use. They have become so ac-
customed to the shelf and the shade that
you never miss them. They keep in rear
/ places and dark corners. They have the
form of christianity; they may have tone
enough to pray they may look solemn and
behave respectfully in their distant retreats
may even say 'our church, "our minis
ter" "our doctrines, but all the while they
have never been annealed. A sudden
temptation and their temper flies. Invite
them to the prayer meeting, ask them fol
missionary money, suggest fey hours
earnest work for Jesus, and snap. they g
to pieces They may have been converted
but they were put on the shelf before they
were annealed, and they are worthless ware
have seen so slight thing as bit o
wooden pencil, dropped from the hand in
to an unannealed glass goblet on the work
mans table, shiver it into atoms. But NJ
matter how piece of glass ware has lair
idle and unnoticed on the shelf, it may still
be annealed as easily as new blown spec
linen warm from the makers hand. Th,
two may pass through the oven side b!
side, and emerge together as equals for thu
test of use. And this is what all tn,
churches need-that their crysta!ly clea
and prematurely cold professors should bt
put into discipline, into exercise, into sci
denial, into sacrifice, into endurance 70
Christ's sake for a season, and gradual.
tempered into practical religious work
and then the gospel would have power OIL
the minds and hearts of sinners. Ever.
church ought to have its annealing appa
ratus, and keep it turning until every brit
tie vessel of the Lord is tempered into reas
enable discipleship.- Workday ChristiaHi
ty, By Alerander Clark.