Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-02-14

Reading Matter on Every Page
WASHINGTON CITY;
SATrRDAY ......-february IL, 1874
The Lap-stone Calling the Jack plaue
HnlxAr

10 seems 70 us that the partiZsns OF Mr.. Cor
corsn, in persisting in setting up comparisons go
cialy, sndin regard to good citizenship, between
him and Governor Shepherd, are doing their
patron doubtful service. The attempt to make
social distinctions in this republican country,
founded upon wealth or birth, Is fiunkyish and
un-American t-the last degree, and in this in
stance has, Tor conspicuous reasons, particu-
larry absurd aspect. The truth IL, that both
Mr.. Corcoran and Governor Shepherd are
"men who have risen," and what IL honorable
10 one in the fact Ia honorable to both. To in
sist mat the one by reason of his wealth ia eIe-
waited to a social plane, placing his actions be-
yond the reach Of criticism, and that the other
Is only can illiterste mechanic, }" Gan upstart''
who should be punished for presuming to assert
equality with the millionaire money-lender, Is
both untrue as a matter of fact, and insulting
10 the dignity Of honorable labor by which
they both have risen. Mr.. Shepherd is in no
sense more ''ilIiterate mechanic" than Mr..
Corcoran. 1t will be conceded probably by
most people that he has quite as vigorous a
mind as Mr. Corcoran; has had at least equal
advantages for q good English education: and
has svsiled himself of those opportunities with
equal quiekness and application.
If il Is ereditable to Mr.. CoreOran that he rose
from the lap-stone to a prominent position in
business and society circles 1t is equally credit
able to Mr.. Shepherd that he rose from the Jack
plane TO the first place in his native communi-
~. Unless on the ground maintained hereto
lore by Jealous Knight Of st. Crispin that
''there is nothing like leather there seems to
be no sound reason why the mar who has
pushed an awl should outrank, socially the
man Who has pushed a jack plane. Mrs Dahl
gren and other authorities on official and social
etiquette, sets down the exact order of prece-
oence Tor diplomats, Supreme Justices, Cabinet
"incers, senators, &c, &c, but we have no.
where seen IL asserted that a shoemaker ia soci-
ally the superior of a carpenter. And going
back to history for light. tn, re seems to be no
valid foundation for the claim. So far a. Sacred
History is concerned, the carpenters seem 70
have had rather the best OF il in the social scale
While number Of the most conspicuous per-
sODages who figure in that history graduated
from the carpenters bench, the shoe. makers of
the period see m to have been rather Iow-doyn
whites and little or no mention is made of them
This Is probably due to the fact that the cover
ings for the feet in those DAYS were little more
than loose sandals, and consequently the trade
OF making them was a trivial one, calling for
no special skill or training. The sandal trans
lated shoe) worn by the women Of those times
was, however, more ornamental affair and its
manufacture, doubtless, required considerable
SKILL as Indicated by Cant VII, I: Chow
beautiful are thy feet with shoes, princes
daughter The sandal for men a. that day
was undoubtedly clumsy concern, and the I'M
tying OF II was 30 troublesome that the task was
assigned to servants, and became symbol of
seryitude; 'The lacnet Of whose shoes am not
worthy 70 unIOose."-Luke, III, 10. The carry
ing OF the shoes of another is also spoken of "a
mark of inferiority: "whose shoes I am NOT
worthy to bear. Matthew, III, II. In modern
tines- however, when a handsome, we'll fitting
shoe or boot is desideratum both for
uress ana comfort, Oe-making has deservedly
taken foremost rank amongst the trades
The shoe-makers, indeed, claim two patron
sAlnts-Saint Crspin and his brother Crispin-
ian, who, according TO the legend suffered mar
tyTdom in England about the end of the Sd
century after lives of great no illness and useful
ness IN missionary work; supporting themselves
IN their travels by making shoes, which they
sold at very low price, as they could afford to
90, the leather being supplied to them gratis by
an angel Under this sanity tutelsge shoe
making attained the distinctive appelIstion of
the "gentle craft" though we think that this
would hardly justify the claim to superior So
cisl position over other mechanics There ia
no doubt, however, that shoe-makiny il noted
Tor the number who have risen from II TO emf
hence This fact has been accounted for by a
distinguished authority on the ground that ssthe
sedentsry and solitary nature of the craft has
an influence in producing degree Of thought
fulness, while the act of hammering his leather
il calculated to stimulate the mental yigor of
the operative"
On the other hand the carpenter, from the
larger and more vigorous nature of his
operations, would seem likely to develop into the
more expanded and robust mind. "The car
Penter," we are told by an authority OF similar
standing to that quoted above in regard to the
shoemaker, "who has any pride or ambition in
ms work, requires q sound knowledge of me-
chsniesl science, especially Of all that relates
10 the Communication of Pressure, the Com
position and Resolution of Forces and the 1
Strength of Materials, in order that he NAV \
adapt his work TO the strain il will be reauIred /
To resist According to this exposition a car
enter-GoVernor would seem TO be about the 4
risht sort OF person to carry on public works
on q large scale; having the energy to apply the 4
pressure to Old Fogyism; organize forces; and
make bis work strong enough to stand the strain 4
from the combined lowers Of inertia and pure i
cussedness.
AS regards those who have risen from the two I
trades in the last century or more there seems
to be pretty fair equality. Roger Sherman,
the revolutionary patriot statesman, was shoe /
MAKER CLIFFORD, the English essayIst was a shoe /
MAKER 20 was Bloomfield, the poet; and Villa IN /
Carey, the missionary. A year or two ago there |
were as many as fifteen shoemakers in the legis |
iature OF Massachusetts,. Vice President Wilson !
prfdes himself on having worked at the lap |
stone, and President Grant, IL not exactly a |
shoemaker, tanned the leather to make shoes.
On the other hand, James W att, the inventor
OF the steam engine, started as a carpenter; 80
did Gregory eth; 50 did Chantrey, the sculptor;
20 did Senator Oglesoy; 90 did Stephen A.
Douglas; and Abraham Lincoln, too, was more
OF carpenter in early life than anything else
fenee-carpenter, at least. So We have estab-
lished, we think, to the satisfaction OF eysry
candid mind, that CARPENTRY and shoamaking
are alike and equally honorable, and that the
friends Of Gov. Shepherd can claim that he as
an ex-carpenter is the peer of Mr.. Corcoran as
an ex shoemaker.
As regards Their careers since the one left the
iap-stone and the other the jack-plane, the
comparison Is quite rs favorable to the Man of
Whaeks-the carpenter, 80 to speak-and the
man OF Wax-if we may be permitted to so desig-
n~.e the shoemaker. The one has m ade money