The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1875-11-28
NAV AS IN AUTOMATOM

A little more than year ago Prof Huxley
startled the world with his famous paper OF
animals as Automata." In that paper this
lucid writer and bold thinker used the worG
sutomaton IN much the same sense as we use
the adjective automatic, namely, to describe
something which acts Involuntary, and not,
as Webster defines il, ga Self-moying ma
chine, or one which has its driving power
within itself Prof Huxley meant to say
that the movements Of animals were directly
caused by external impressions independ.
emily of any exercise of will power; in other
words, they were machines, upon which GER
tain causes produced certain effects. We are
not yet ready to acknowledge ourselves as
automata or machines land really the two
words mean the same thing), even if so
great philosopher as Huxley should tell us
we we're.
The differences between q man and q ma
chine are numerous. Ia the variety of work
performed, man surpasses any engine that he
has yet devised, although many of his ma
chimes surpass in perfection their builder.
Where accuracy, great delicacy, or great
strength are requisite, the machine outstrips
the man; and yet so simple motion as that
of walking has been but poorly initiated by
machinery.
The superiority of man to machine is
shown by his ability to devise and construct
machines; it is, in fact, the superiority of
mind to matter. But between the machine
which can do nothing but what it was ex-
presslv built for and the intelligent thinker
and inventor who planned the m achine, there
are all the immediate stages represented by
different members of the human family.
There are men of little brains and much
muscle, men of big brains and less muscle;
men who plod along, year after year, in the
he rub faf hpr frna ID .ul,,
put all their heavy work on muscles of steel
and of leather. The proportion of wide
awake, thinking men to dull routine plod-
ders in different countries or sections OF
country is easily determined by the relative
number of patents taken out in that country;
and measured by this standard, the United
States contains the least proportion of ag-
t)mata.
But there is word to be said in favor of
automata or man machines. Even now, to-
ward the close OF this nineteenth century,
there remain many kinds of labor which can
not be done by machinery. There is also
large number of men, and women too (for
the fair sex are not to be excluded in this
classification, required TO tend the machines,
feed them, prepare work for them, and fill up
the gaps in their work. For some of these
positions there are required skill, thoughtful
care, presence OF mind, nerve and ingenuity.
Yet the more nearly all our motions resemble
those OF machine, the greater is the amount
of work we can do in given time, and the
less the fatigue. As the movements become
automatic and regular, removed apparently
from the control Of the will, they become
more rapid and easier Why has division of
labor accomplished SO much?
Chiefly because a man whose sole work it is |
to do one particular thing not only comes to |
do it better, but learns to do it with the least |
expenditure of time and the least exertion of |
Lrain and muscle; in fact he works very much |
like a machine. The compositor's hand |
travels the same road every time as it goes
from the case to the stick; the bricklayer
always seizes his brick with the same hand,
and makes no unnecessary motions in convey
ing it to its place, in preparing its mortar
lined couch, or tapping it home; the shoe
maker, whose sole labor is mailing on
heels, goes through the few simple
motions automatically, no more stop
ping to see which tool is next
required or where he is to look for his M Is
than an old woman when knitting thinks
about the stitch, or an ordinary person
thinks what muscles he is to call into
play when he is walking. Does a
rapid penman ever stop to recall the shape
of letter, or do his words and thoughts flow
from his finger ends? The
fingers of an experienced player find the |
keys OF his piano as a composer finds his type
boxes, or the hand knitter her needles and
yarn, automatically.
Habit is another term often employed to
designate what we DO automatically but habit
applies alike to mind and muscle. man s
to smoke or drink does not do
these things without thinking about them; {
habit only causes and strengthens the desire. .
On the other hand, man who habitually
swears, like woman who bites her finger L
nails, does il uncousclously, and hence auto
II is acknowledged to be good q
thing to possess good habits, ard not merely
be free from bad ones; so il is equally de3ira- Z
BILE for man employed in any specially TO I
acquire the simplest and best way of doing /
his work; this way selected, let him adhere 10
t perseveringly until it becomes automatic. i
Let the habit become fixed, and he will !
ind his speed increase and the exertion l
diminish. To accomplish this desirable end $
{ is, however. absolutely necessary that no v
upeIhuous movement be made. In feeding
small hand printing press, where each card
must be laid on separately If the cards be =
,iled in such manner as TO involve turning
ach one over or around, the speed is reduced
1 leas, 10 per cent. Every motion, however
light, which must be repeated 90 to 100 times
er minute is time-roobing. The writer who q
rosses his is and dots his 5 can not write ;,
0 fast as he who does not The man who i
pells bought, through, received, etc, in their y
lmpler forms bot. thro', and reed, saves a ~
,rge percentage of time; and if all the silent n
nd useless letters were omitted, the most i
asty scribolers could find time to write dis "
nctly. As that system of short hand which Il
as the fewest strokes consistent with leSibil- 70
' receives the preference. so that language a
hich uses the fewest and shortest words to Fl
tpress an idea perspicuously deserves to At
acome the universal language OF the COM
ercial world.
Practice makes perfect is a good proyerb ID
"a a true one; tu; " hat Is the use OF Per- 10