The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1877-07-18
Stolen Secrets.

and Skill OF wOrkmen. lie has no Sc
cret beyond that of producing the
best article at the lowest price. One
hundred years ago the case was differ
ent. What man discovered in the
arts he concealed. Workmen were put
upon their oath, in the name of God,
never to reveal the processes used by
their employers. Doors were kept
closed, artisans going out were search
ed, visitors were vigorously excluded
from admission, and false operations
blinded the workmen themselves.
The mysteries of every craft were
hedged in by qnick set fences of cmpi-
rical pretensious and judicial affirma-
ton.
The royal manufactures of porce-
lain, for example, were long carried on
in Europe with spirit of jealous cx-
clusiveness. His Majesty of Saxony
was specially eircumspect. Not con-
tent with the oath of secrecy imposed
upon his work people, he would not
abate his kingly suspicion in favor of
brother monarch. Neither king nor
kings delegate might enter within the
tabooed walls of Nielsen. What is
enormously called the "Dresden" por-
celain-tbat exquisite pottery of which
the world has never seen the like
was produced for two hundred years
BY process so secret that neither the
bribery of princes, nor the garrulity of
operatives ever revealed it.
There used to be, close by Temple
Bar, in London, an old chemists shop.
The proprietor oft, in days gone BY
enjoyed the monopoly of making cit
rio acid. More favorably circum-
stanced than any other secret maui
facturers, his was a process that re-
quired no assistance. He employed
no workmen. Experts came to SAM
pie and assert and bottle his products.
They never entered the laboratory
The mystic operations by which he
grew rich were confined to himself.
One day, having locked the doors
and blinded the windows sure as usual
Of the safety of his secret our chemist
went home to dinner. A chimney
sweep, or boy disguised as such,
wide awake in chemistry, was on the
watch. Following the secret keeper
so far on his way, to Charlie Cross as
to be sure he would not return that
day, the sooty philosopher hied rapid
~ back to Temple Bar, assembled the
low building, dropped down the fine,
saw all he wanted, and returned, car
rying with Inn the mystery of making
citric acid. The monopoly of the in
ventor was gone. A few months after
and the price of the article was re-
duced four fifths. The poor. man was
heart broken. and died shortly after
ignorant of the trick by which he had
been victitnized. Like Miss Tabitha
Bramble, when informed that the thun-
der had spoiled two barrels of beer in
her cellar, he might have said elbow
the thunder should get there, when the
cellar was double locked, can't com
prehcnd."
The manufacture of tinware in Eng
land originated in a stolen secret
Few readers need to be informed tina,
tinware is simply thin iron plated with
tin by being dipped into the molten
metal. In theory it is an easy matter
to clean the surface of iron, dip it into
a bath of the boiling tin, and remove
it, enveloped with the silvery metal ts
a place for cooling. In practice, how
ever, the process is one of the mos
difficult in the arts. 1t was discovered
in Holland, and guarded from pubIicl,
with the utmost vigilance for nearl,
halt a century; England had tried il
vain to discover the secret, until JAS
Sherman, Cornis', miner crossed tin
Channel insinuated himself surrepti
tiously into tinplate manufactory
made himselfmaster of the secret, an,
brought it home.