Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1874-06-18
OppOsitlOn to Great Inventions.

Tradition says that John Faust: one
Of the three inventors of printing, was
charged with multiplying books by the
aid of tho devil, and was prosecuted
both by the priests and the people. 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 a
printing press was established in Con-
stantillople. From 1726 to 174O that
press issued only twenty three volumes.
1t was then stopped, and did not re-
sumo it's issues until after an interval
of more than forty years. About 1850,
a press was established at Scutari, and
between 1880 and 1907 issued forty vol
,lmes. Again it's operations were sus-
pended, and were not resumed until
1920, since which time it has worked
more industriously than heretofore, al
though fettered with the paternal over
sight of tho Turkish Government. The
ribbon-loom is m invention of the six
teenth century, and, on the plea that it
deprived many wOrkmen of bread, was
prohibited in Holland, in Germany, in
the dominions of the Church, and III
other countries of Europe. At Ham
burg, the couhcil ordered loom to be
publicly burned. The stocking-loom
shared the fate of the In
England, the patronage Of Queen Eliza
beth was requested for tho invention,
and it is said that the inventor was
impedcd rather. than assisted in his un-
dertaking. In France, opposition to
the stocking loom was Of the most base
and cruel kind. A Frenchman who
had adopted tho invention, manufac-
tured by the loom pair of silk stock
ings for Louis XIV. They were pre-.
scnted 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 ap-
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 ridiculed
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
tho 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 a mob. Pottery
is glazed by throwing common salt into
the oven at a certain stage of the bak-
ing. This mode of baking was intro
duced into England in 1890, by two
brothers, who came to Stafordshire
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 Galileo !:
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
of "Swing-Swang."