The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1877-08-18
Magazines, &c.

/ The September Harper, already issued, Is
notable ior the bcauty its illustrations, which
number nearly a hundred and the agreeable
variety OF its contents.
The opening article, Landing Of a Ship
gives very vivid idea of the immense ship
ping business done at the New York docks,
and how il is done. What to an ordinary
man seems such a stupendous, incomprchensi-
| bic maze, he will be surprised TO find so sys-
tematic and simple, on study of the article
! and its admirable illustrations.
Miss Commits paper on the Domestic and
Artistic Life of Titan" with its seventeen eff.
fectiye cngravings, will interest more people
than the mere lovers of art.
, John Draper has IN exceedingly interesting
paper on Thermometers, with nineteen illus
tratiOns
But to the largest Auinber Of readers will be
found most attractive, we nrprebend, the adj
mirably illustrated papers on Prince Edward s
Island and Mount Shasta,-thc former pre-
scnting natural scenery in its soft and lovely,
and the latter in it, rugged and sublime as
'pac'.,
The late labor commotion Is doubtless re.
snonsblc for Edward Howland's thoughtful
lpapcr, entitled a Railroad Study" The wri-
/, ter goes to the root of our reckless, harum-
/ scarlm system, anti shows that the stockhold.
= cr and capitalist are upon the whole greater
sufferers than the sgricuiturist. In the same
way, the article of Mr., Leonard Bacon on the
; !" American Workman from Il European Point
of View" is seasonablc, The point of the arti-
cle is that the sO.called cheap labor of Eur
rope is more dreaded here than there is any re
! al occasion for. Mr.. Bacon refers, for example
g to the despair in Switzerland on the discovery
+. there that the American watchmakers were
{ driving Swiss watches out of the market:
c At first thought it was supposed that the SUI
e pcriOr advantages Of the American manutac-
turer arose from his use of machinery for OPP
y erations that continue in the Old World to be
wrought out by hand work. If this were all
Il or nearly all, it would be an easy matter TO i'm
(. port or 10 initiate the Neutrality-suspicious. are no
n patent laws in SMitZerlnd-and by COmbi
,. Inc capital in great establishments, to 60 ON
:, with their business with the double advantage
of the low wages and abundant skilled labor OF
the Old World and the organization and mp
" planes of the New.
D. One eminent American house, however, will
ample capital, had made this hopeful but cX
lpcnsivc experiment The finest business edi
flee in Geneva was built, three or four year.
ago, by Americans, and stocked with the bcS
American matchmaking machinery. TIL,
most Skilltul Geneva watCh-makers wer,
sought for ut high wages-high, that is, fol
Switzerland, but low for Amcrica-and III,
world looked for Il splendid success. But tn,
beautiful building is now let out in lodgings
and the machines are advertised for sale. Ev
identity the secret of American success lay il
something else.
have followed the coniecturcs and propo
,als of the Swiss newspapers on this point Will
great interest They demand patent laws io
the encouragement Of invention, schools o
technical instruction for artisans relief from
the interruption of work by militia service
l., and other governmental pallativcs; but the,
+, do not touch the main point of the superior
, ty of the American manufactures, and that i
W. Mo pe,soHdl S"pcrtordy # TIE imericd, Tork
num-
ID. Our travellers first wonder in America is t
in see hor m'ch is made # u mdH, in cuisines
IL, point of view. He gets into Il stage on Broad
way, the most crowded thoroughiarc in tn
world" and j. struck by the COntrvancc q
ell fare box and doOrstrap, which enables ON
at man Ia do the business of three ON Paris lin,
81. In horSccar he admrcS the hell punch, whic
saves the company the salary of c0htr0i,ur an
does his work more cilcctualy. On railroa
ny train he is amazed to find only one conductor
" and nothing of the army of watchmcn who q
European roads stand guard at curve and cru
al sing, He recalls the starting of Swiss train
,rl each one OF Il series of conductors cries ~,
for ccSsvcly, " Fertig," then the cht de irdi
calls " Fort" then hc whistles; then the be-
rings; then the locomotive whistles: finall
Iay the train starts. In America, the conducto
,e surveys the whole train When all i read,
II he makes a sign 10 the engineer, and off 81
nd goes. Ii is the travellers business To kno'
;" the time of starting, and if he gets left once h
TIA is likely to take better care another time
Al this 10y way of showing how, cvcrywhci
i'd in America each mans labor Is made Ia 90 d
", far as possible You find the same distinctio
between the manufactures of the Old Worl
ld. and those of the New. q" In Europe as bus
un ness increases, the proprietor cnlargcs his {
Establishments; in dull times he contracts i
r.. When competition compels he improves HI
~ machinery. 80 far a. he is driven To- Ifwag,
SIT are too high he moves his concern into III
OF country, or To some region where manuiactur,
FED do not abound. The American pursues al
iOihcr course. re c0ntrives to increase III