The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1873-03-08

Anesieaa InventIoas asa Laber.1
Il u curious q nots The great change
thai has talsn plea i fpub'io ssntinsnt
during the last sd6re q s0of years. ne
gsrdisg the eject upon labor Il the No.
cAsaisal appliances Tor increasing pro-
ductiop. It was originally held By the
'labofing classes that ths Introduction d
machinery into their specixt industrisg
wosid iaevit,hy curtail, to . serions
extent, the demsnd Tor manual labor
but in spite Of this popular hllscy, tn.
Implements designed to facilitate manu-
acturing BY the Substitution Of mechan-
ism for handicraft, have steadily worked
t'eir way into general use. Instead Of
curtailfng the demand for manual labor
these so-csiled labor-saving Inventions
haye increased It many fold. As stated
by . popular writer on the subject,
ssths world was mover 50 busy - now,
when no achinery has multiplied its labor
power thousand fold; nor was there
ever time when the people Of civilized
communities were so comfortably CLOTH
cd and housed - at present. The sci
ences vie with the arts in contributing
10 the well-being Of mankind. In the
laboratory OF the Chemist, rs in the shop
Of the inventor, the work Of utilizing
aud multiplying methods, and applying
new discoveries to old processes, goes
steadily forward" Who're machinery is
found to do work which had required
skilled labor, the lakor is still needed to
meet the wants which cheapened pro-
duction creates. Take the sewing ma
chimes for example. It is safe to say
that these machines have created en-
ployment for score Of persons whore
but one found employment before. Some
idea Of the rapid increase In tho use Of
these so-callej, ''labor-saving" imple-
ments may be gathered from the fact
that the statements of the officers of
our leading companies, made under oath
show a sale in one year, 1870, Of 343,
500 machines. 1t is sale to say that
the whole number manufactured and
sold in the United States in single
year has grown to at least . million.
That the supply no more than keeps
pee with the demsnl, my be inferred
from the fact that the manufacturers are
enabled to keep up the prices, in the
face Of > constantly increasing COMPETE
ton. And what is true Of sewing ma
chimes, is equally true Of great variety
Of other mechanical inventions. eft
was thought when steam was applied to
locomotion" (says the authority from
whom we have quoted) "that the horse
would comparatively cease to be . do
mestic animal, because Of the COS. Of his
keeping and the few uses to which he
would b put outside the farm AMI pri-
vate stable. Tho locomotive, it is true.
has abolished che numbering stage lines
except in remote districts or uudevelop-
ed settlements. But there arc more
horses employed now than ever before.
The locomotive has simply quickened
| al the pulses Of trade, commsrcs and
production, and the horse has become IN
indispensable adjunct to his iron rival"
It is evident moreover, that the wonder
ful development Of wealth among the
civilized nations is due more to the gi-
gantic growth Of mechanical inventions
and their countless applications, than
TO any other agencies; and American
genius undoubtedly stands pre-em inent
in this department Of skill and science.
Inventions for economizing the rougher
kinds Of manual labor, may b. said to
have been the off-springs Of necessity in
this country. In England, where labor
has always been abundant and much
cheaper than on this side Of the Atlantic
the genius Of invention, it has been
truthiully said, ''has trodden rather the
higher than the humber path OF lie
has tended rather to achieve great ends
than to effect simple purposes, has given
mechanical handicEaft less attention and
devoted itself to great ply steal revolu.
tons. In the United States it is fal
different there ID scarcely an interes,
700 humble, labor too mechanical o,
common to escape the attention Of tn.
inventor, who, with an almos. infinit,
Ingenuity. sets himself tn work 10 com.
bine ell the mechanical movements and
to invent new ones, until the sleight o
the hand Of the operator is initiated {,
the life. and the dead metal is snduei
with life and power with which flesh ant
blood cannot compete. "With all on
so-cslled labor-saving machinery Their
is no OCCASION for idlenes, for the want
Of society increase in proportion 70 thu
increased capacity for production.
d If the present session of Con
gress has not been prolific IN legis