The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-03-29
PRACTICAL PEOPLE.

EN&T&&I
sneer al tie reamsm scllemers
and say: IT trust ii the Judgment Of
Mr.. -, because IL lisa practical man
with no nonsense about him.
In other words, Mr.. - embraces no
Improvement until he has seen it thor
Oughly tested. He has watched with
gneers the gradual uprising of the edifice
of improvement, and when it towers up
beautiful and strong, he enters with the
rest and cries out Behold our work."
from the house top.
We remember Ill Of the tribe who
answered the first suggestion OF the
transmission Of words by an invisible
electrical power. 81 don't believe in
transmitting messages byinvisible agen-
cy. / am a practical man, sir, and | be-
Eeve in seTnapIores which | can see
working, orin a man and horse which I
can see travelling with my message"
| Should any more novel mode Of commu-
nieation arise in the course of time, it
will be the practical man who will stand
in the way and cry out in favor of the
old telegraphie system.
The practical man for years opposed
the use of gas, or any Improvement Ill
metallurgical operations. To him Watt,
Stephenson, Faraday, were schemers
and humbugs. Palissy, the potter, was
roundly abusedb by afriendof this calibre
after one of his repeated failures.
"You are a fool" he said, wasting
your substance on idle experiments.
Make pots as we all do, aud don't follow
this will of the wisp."
But in the days Of the. successful pot
ter's glory, the same man, cringingly,
imp1ored permission to watch the Master
at work that he might pick up some
knowledge.
Pfactioalp people require thatwe should
all make u pots according tosthe old
form. The whole progress Of Arts and
Manufactures depends upon successful
) discoveries, and they, intheir inception:
| must be nothing but schemes disoWned
by the practical pot makers.
J No DiscoVeFer ever came out OF then
, ranks. No Inventor has ever yet be-
1onged to the guild. Il they had thei]
: own way we would be to-dayin theyeal
| One, as fan as Arts and Sciences are con,
cerned. It is always the schemer wlt
inyents, and the practical man Whc
throws a cold /" douehe mon theinvention
' We have a large proportion Of TIN
> practical element here in this very Ope
lousas. Our streets are undrained be
: cause the town has always been health,
J and there is, therefore, no necessity TO
: going to the expense Of drainage. Wer
some .sta1Wart reformer to begin tn
work of cleaning CUTTERS, and dissipa
= ting tic foul oders which salute our oil
= factories at every turn, we don't douh
: there would be o universal cry w
: are practical people who have livedi
: the midst of this all our lives, and "
don't see the necessity Of this superfu
Gus work and expense
- We are without railroads, for neve
l having tested their benefits, how can W
be expected to rush ahead blindly, an
= perhaps be the means of introduein
roughs, and disease into our peaeeft
midst2 Paeeshere go to ruin, and OPT
ID 1onsas, in many portions, presents ii
T. appearance of some widowed old COZ
g. hnentaI town. This want of enterpri
resolves itself into q preponderatir
practical element, as we understand
i'd Many may diifffferw with usa to the meal
We ing OF the word, but we are correct, vii
e. the history of the Ages. A practic
man is opposed to any encroachment
progress with which he is not familis
He is usually the last. to recognize e
de goodness or greatness of any schen
II which will overthrow any establish
system. As he fought violently again
b.. Mr.. Bessemer in hisgreat scheme Of ii
PEI uroVement IN the mandatory of ste
4, and only sueeumbed because he cou
Of not compete with larger minded m
ot- who adopted It and succeeded, SO =
it will always ind the so-called praetie
man, lance in hand, to defend the d
order which sufficed affornaer generate
he