Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1874-06-17
Opposition to Great Inventions.

IItOlblOu SAYS budU UOuu Il duSt: one
of the three inventors of printing, was
charged with multiplying books by the
aid of the devil, and was prosecuted
both by the priests and hepeople. The
strongest opposition to the press has,
however, says Our Own Fireside, been
presented in Turkey. The art of print
ing had existed over 800 years before
printing-press was established in Con-
stantinoDle. From 1925. to 1740 that
press issued only twenty three volumes.
It was then stopped, and did not re-
sumo it's issues until after an interval
of more than forty years. About 1880,
press was established at Scutari, and
between 1880 and 1907 issued forty vol
umes. Again it's operations were sus-
pended, and were not resumed until
more industriously than heretofore, al
though fettered with the paternal over
sight of the Turkish Government. The
ribbon-loom is an invention of the six
teenth century, and, on the plea that it
deprived many workmen of bread, was
prohibited ins.Holland, in Germany, in
the dominions of the Church, and in
other countries of Europe. At Ham
burg, the council ordered loom to be
publicly burned. The stocking-loom
shared the fate of theribbon-loom. In
England, the patronage of Queen Eliza
beth was requested for the invention,
and it is said that the inventor was
impeded rather than assisted in his I'M
dertaking. In France, opposition to
the stocking loom was of the most base
Il -1,~
had adopted the invention, manufac-
tured by the loom pair Of silk stock
ings for Louis XIV. They were pre-
scented to the French monarch. The
parties, however, who supplied hosiery
to the court, caused several of the loops
of the stockings to be cut, and thus
brought the stocking-loom into disre-
pute at headquarters. Table-forks APP
pear SO necessary part Of thefurniture
of the dinner table, that one can scarce
~ believe that the tables of the six
teenth century were destitute of them.
They were not, however, introduced
until the commencement Of the seven
teenth century, and then were ridiculled
as superfuous and effeminate, while
the person who introduced them to
England was called Furcifer They
were invented in Italy, and brought
thence to England napkins being used
in this country by the polite, and fingers
by the multitude. The sawmill was
brought into England from Holland in
1868 but its introduction so displeased
the English that the enterprise was
abandoned. A second attempt was
then made at Limehouse, and the mill
was erected, but soon after it's erection
it was pulled down by mob. Pottery
is glazed by throwing common salt into
the oven at certain stage of the bak-
ing. This mode of baking was intro
duced into England in 1890, by two
brothers, who came to Staffordshire
from Nuremburg. Their success and
their secrecy SO enraged their neigh
bors that persecution arose against
them. and became so strong that they
were compelled to give up their works.
The pendulum was invented by Calico;
but SO late as the end of the seven
teenth century, when Hooke brought it
forward as a standard of measure, it
was ridiculed and passed by the name
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