Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1871-07-04
sTAUNTON, VA, TUESDAY, JULY 4 1871

his right hand was crushed by his father
sledge hammer, and so disabled as to preyeu
MS ever resuming his labors at the anvil. Lik
most Dlacksmiths in the French provinces, hi
: father not only shod horses, but treated thei
diseases. and for this branch of the busines
the son had manifested much greater relisl
than for the toilsome duties of the forge. m,
inclination thus early developed led him, afte
the injury to his finger, to the bold revolution
OF undertaking the study of medicine Afte
, preliminary training in his native town, b,
longed to complete his studies in Paris, an(
then, poor and humble as he was, to try his
fortune in that far famed city. It was only BY
the contributions of charity that the young
blacksmith was enabled to set foot in the great
capitalize focus Of science and art-the
crowded arena of competitors for fame. There
all friendless and unknown he worked as only
they know how to work who have ,.ovartv f.,
e....4dIus, and lived on his scanty fund as on
ly French students know how to Eve-in a
style which the poorest American student
would consider hardship and a degradation.
!. While still pursuing his studies, he earned
his daily bread n part, by writing for the med
ical journals. Then, when he had obtained
his degree, he tried the experiment Of public
teaching, and found encouragement and sue
cess. Next he became an author of acknowl-
edged ability afterwards a hospital surgeon,
and so, rising step by step, he attained the
highest eminence in bis profession, and while
still in the prime Of life, was made professor oil
Clinical Surgery in that great school which at
tracts to its crowded amphitheatre representa-
tlves OF every quarter Of the civilized world
AS practitioner, the time came when he was
able to say, as he once rather coldly said to a
contryman of our own, 'Velpean never takes
up his knife for less than a thousand francs ;
| 70 Of crJ
"Who would have Asaght t?' said Ellen,
IN an under tone.
''The other day Iaeard you say, Miss Ellen
you had very painful whitlow upon yoar fing-
er cut to the bone, without feeling the least
degree of PAIN
II did, and how thankful was that the
means OF performing surgical operations upon
our sensitive bodies had been discovered, SO
that they could be done without pain Pray,
tell me to whom [ should be thankful for
that"
You are indebted to Sir James Simpson,
who commenced the active business of life as
a bakers boy, In little provincial town in
Scotland, for such was the lowly calling Of his
father. But the soul Of the son yearned for
higher destiny, and he reached it. And it was
but a few days ago that you experienced in the
opening of that whitlow upon your precious
little finger the great good that that bakers
boy did you, and would you now hold him in
contempt for it?'
mo, I am sure do not" she replied
w on doubtless know something Of John
Bunyan?'
20, yes 1 hope have been much profted
by reading his Pilgrim Progress" +"
'Weil, he too belonged to the class of per-
sons you were just now deriding'
''Ah, indeed What was hep
'He was the son of tinker, and numbers
Of our greatest men in truth I may say the
majority of them sprung from humble origin.
1t is useless to mention more of their names-
Read the books which that class of mechanics
known as the printer and book kbinder have put
in your reach. and you will sec for yourself"
But 1t is so tlres0me to read dull books [
don't like it."
THAT is one reason why you hold the me-
chanic in such contempt; you do not know
what he has done for you and the rest of your
race. If you did, [ am sure you would honor
him."
II acknowledge I have never thought much
about it, but have always been taught to be-
leve they were not fit for associates Although
am not fond Of reading | like to hear you
talk upon the subject. since you have told me
SO many things that had not thought of be-
| fore
| Just then. Alice Brown came close to them
ooh, my what beautiful shawl Alice has
| On. How | should like to have one just like it,
Miss Alice Brown nor yourself could never
| have had one, had it not been for the me-
chanic
''I5ut the texture of the material of which
| il is made is so fine-the mechanic had moth
| ing to do with that
the greatest by far than all the rest made the
material, and his sons and daughters n1anufac-
tured it, and brought it to that beautiful thing
which you SO much admire
Il do not wish to interrupt you, MIR. Thomp-
son. but it just now popped in my head, and |
must tell you. We received telegram this
morning that Mary Bard-you knew her did
you not Twas married this morning to Mr.
Smith, in New York. Mr. Smith is one of
| the wealthiest merchants there | am SO glad
| to hear of Mary good luck and how pleas
ant it is to hear SO quickly Of the good fortune
of our friends. 1t would have taken a letter
at least day to have reached us, and by tele-
graph we received the news in few minutes
How pleasant it is; and we returned imme-
| diately our congratulations How pleasant to
be able to communicate with oar friends at
distance in SO short time. :"
''Then thank the mechanic for it."
Il do For had he not put up those tall
poles and extended those wires to such in
mense Length, L could never have received that
pleasant news SO rapidly. I now begin to per-
eeive, Mr. Thompson, that We are indebted to
| the mechanic for almost everything we use,
both as food and raiment Had he never built
the steamboat or sailing vessel we could never
have gotten any fine silks or satins from the
| other side Of the ocean. Indeed, We could
never have seen anybody who was born on the
other side; really we never could have known
that there was such place as this side be-
cause Columbus never would have been able to
have discovered America. [ think | have
been profted by this conversation feel that
| see the mechanic in a new light. What
would grandpa do without his spectacles how
could he read his bible without them which
he is so fond of doing and explaining to me-
Perhaps, the salvation Of my soul may depend
upon the very fact that the mechanic has made
him bis spectacles. And if I should ever live
to be old how much [ should dislike not to be
able to see. You started out believe Mr..
Thompson, with the idea that God made our
bodies upon mechanical principles, thus ma
king him in one sense mechanic but [ did
not then perceive exactly your idea. | think
I now have it. The mechanism Of the eye be-
ing understood, when any Of its parts begin to
change their form from age the mechanic per-
ceives it and remedies it by glasses of proper
shape. The surgeon who is one sort of a me-
chanic, first perceives the defect and then in
structs another mechanic to make just such a
glass as will restore the power of vision.
really dom thiuk will ever hold the mechan-
ic in low esteem again, and what would [ do
without my piano and guitar, had he not made