Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1875-09-18
The Artisan and the Artist.

WHERE THE AMERICAN MECHANIC Is M
From an IdreIs bet,ra The N,.ss..,,,,...,.
charitable Mechanics Association. by VIII
liam Ralph EmeTSon.l
IL it need be TO dissparagement q the Ameri-
can mechanic To be told that though he can
EQUIP an army OF a hundred thousand men
WIN clothine, shoes, tents, guns and now
Ger Ger ara put them on remote battle grounds,
ana warrant long tally OF Victories, IN
quicker Time, by quicker steam, brains and
electricIty Than any other nation under
,nea.Ncn, !es IN manufacturing articles OF
taste even The South Sea Islander can beat
MN, with his coarse fabrics OF skin or grass
and lev simple stains; that the ~ Dr Italian
mon can beat him, who In his lonely cell,
VIII lew Tools, cuts his very souls into his
rosary or cructfiN. The Swiss herdsman can
beat the YAM ee whittier on his own ground.
LOT thongn t1e Yankee may sail out OF jail
through the SOFT hearts Of the governor and
council, on frilate Quilt by his Jack knife.
Win q crew OF overgrOwu piratical monsters
80 ugly that u should have Whitfield him
InriheT IN IMAM out, set the power 10 give his
work the least touch OF beauty is wanting:
while, IN few hours, the peasant, watching
ms MOCK on an Alpine slope, win cut the
lght-footed chamois from a block a half
inch high, with the very polse and grace OF
nature In It's delicate limhS "A marvel OF
beauty; and though the A mericam mechanic
may boaSt OF his famous continuous wool
spinner that will do more and better work
win one half the spindle. at le9S than one
, nan me expense, and In less than one-qusr-
yer the space OF the most improved process OF
Europe, Yet the Hindoo weaver can beat
even that. With his primitive loom hung n
a Tree, ne weaveS cotton so fine that "A Ten
yard length or 10. one yard wide, weighs but
Three ounces; with a delicate touch and fine
sense OF beauty and infinite patience ne
spins muslin so fine that 10 is ..run-
ming water" a "web OF woven air. AZ
is "dew OF nighD" Now the reason why
the productions OF these def worFmen
are so beautiful and attractive is that
they nave been done BY hand; they
are the oute 'owth of Thought and .eelinS.
mere Is IN the m the love OF the thing itself
and the very labor OF doing IL; TIE human
soul has been concerned I'm ii; tits uuI0ue i'm
Itself; there is not another like 10 and never
can he. These, then, being the distinctive ex-
cellence- OF every work Of art. il follows that
machlne-made work, which does not eNpreSs
Jnese states OF The mind and heart cannot be
called nne art work.
Let me not even seem to imply that for the
present low state OF the ornamental arts the
American mechanic is any more n caStaway
man the peOpe whose demand A. Is mis- bugi-
ness 10 supply. The supply has been ia All re-
Spects as good and praisewOrthy as the de-
lnand Give him good elementary training
IN The arts OF drawing and designing. Give
nm museums whe.e he shall see only the
Oest OF beautiful things. Let him copy hon
estly and faithfully the simple forms of nat
ural objects. Let him not trust 10 mis- own in
suncts as his guide until he can give reason
Tor The faith tbat Is in him. Lei him not set
up In the market places the work OF mis- hands
unless IL is good, and he can tell why a is
beauiiful. When such opportunities are
given him, then he may with reason be held
responsible for the public taste he shall helm
10 create and for the progress of IN that be
shall in part direct.