Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-08-11


The tendency OF modern civilization is to honol
the inventive worker, and to bestow upon him The
praise heretofore reserve for the successful war
rior Nations and warriors have We'd with each
other III assembling such at their capitals, and ia
bestowing high reward for excellence in mechanic
arts distinguished English historian complains
OF this tendency in England and ascribes 70 the ex
hibition given in the summer of 1851 the effect OF
causing continental nations and especially Russia,
To believe that the ancient spirit OF England was
failing her. and to presume TO cast affrout upon her
In the view of this author an eXtravagant venera-
ton was avowed for mechanical contrivances and
the very words which grateful nations had wrought
from out their hearts in praise OF tried chiefs and
heroes, were plundered as it were from the warlike
professions. and given to those who for their own
gain, could make the best goods. He complains
that 1t was no longer enough to say that homes;
tradeeman Is q valuable member OF society
or that man who contrives a good machine is
ingenious. More was expected of those who had
the utterance Of public feeling and it was an.
nounced that glory and honor, even true glory and
true honor, are due to him who can produce the
best articles of trade For the glory OF the mechanic
arts and in token of the conquest over nature a
cathedral of glass was constructed, nclosing them
as in casket, climbing high stately elms.
Kinglake, who so lameuts thinks these things in
dicated to foreigners that England had closed its
grand career by whimsical act OF rehabilitation,
and, therefore, brought on the Of the Crimea in
the anticipation that England, in Its excessive de
voton to the arts OF peace would not bean obstacle
TO continental ambition That her devotion to the
arts Of peace did not unfit her for was illus
trated in the Crimea, and 1t there shown that
people may combine the possession OF military
strength, and the spirit to it, with appreea
tion OF the victories achieved in peace The Crimea
became the scene Of one OF the most terrible and
prolonged conflicts the world has ever seen, and
heroic part borne in it by the nation that but
three years before had proclaimed in the "Cathe.
dral OF Glass, at knightsbridge, peace on earth,
good will to men,"
FRENCH EXHIBITIONS
But England has not been the only nation to
crown with honor excellence in mechanic arts. In
the spring of 1867 France opened its first :" Ex.
hibition Of the productions of Agriculture, Manu-.
features I'd the Fine Arts" This took place at the
very acme OF the Empire, and was witnessed by dis
tinguished guests from all parts Of the earth high
wave Of prosperity swept over France, only broker
and thrown back by the eorruptions and ambition
OF the Empire, which yainly sought by this Exhihi
ton to seat itself strongly in the hearts of tht
French people. 1t is worthy of note that the meant
devised for this purpose 4 tribute to peace ant
industry--a concession to the grand influence tha
the industrial classes are gaining among nations
government more firmly established in the afsec
tions of the people would have gained by this grane
Exposition. As it was, many OF the French peopl,
saw in it only effort TO show how great and mag
nifcent in peace was the genius OF the Napoleoni'
family. A late Exhibition under the Republic wa,
grand and imposing spectacle, where the self
crowned people gave garsnds of honors TO those
who e,eeied in industrial arts. 1t WAS tribute o
the people to the artisans and artists ot the world
and it has not been followed as in the case of Eng
land by a long and destructive war, nor, as in the
case of the Empire by the fall Of dynasty France
was ennobled and invigorated by its tribute to the
genius of industry.
AMERICAS TRIBUTE TO INDUSTRY.
I pass by the Exhibition at Vienna in 1873, when
a strong, hereditary power followed the bent of the
nence in industrial arts, to refer to great
Centennial celebration at Philadelphia where were
assembled in grand temple erected to industry,
not only our own peerless inventors and workers,
but men Of all races and climes each bringing the
choicest fabrics known to the artisans OF his land
the cunning inventions, rare works OF art charac-
teristic productions, all the material things which
priced for use or beauty. great Republic, ex-
istng by the suffrages OF busy millions; a nation
which had vindicated in its centurys history the
dignity Of labor, and opened, in theory and prac
tice its highest stations to the attainment OF the
humbest; land where free men, free thought and
free labor gave witness to the benefcence OF the
maxim that all men created equal that distinc
tions OF birth are pernicous and only distinctions
of merit worthy Of recognition gave its crown
ing stamp to industry, and acknowledged it as the
condition of progress and prosper y. 1t was a
grand spectacle when America greeted the nations
assembled on its SOIL and distributed eagerly sought
honors to artistic and mechanic excellence.
FORMER EXPRESSIONS AND CONTEMPT FOL
LABOR.
This recognition of the dignity and value Of labor
is entirely modern. Not many ages ago the artisan
was a serf, or if nomnally free, the prey of great
and petty tyrants. 1t is long stride III England
from the cSujitior II G,Irtn, born trl Of Cedric
the Saxon to the modern barber eHnobled by the
King for his inventions. There is great step be-
tween the eXpn sion of the Huguenot artisans from
France and the giving by Republic and Empire
alike, of medals and ribbons to such workers, and
glorifying them as the strength OF nations. The
extent and Importance OF the successive immigra-
tons to England, caused by the blind cruelty of the
cf fba
Lecky's recent admirable history OF England IN the
Eighteenth Century. When the news OF the in
tended entry of the Duke Of Alva into the Netier-
lands was KNOWN more than one hundred thousand
persons in few days abandoned their country
Great numbers of them took refuge in England
and they were followed in 1872 bya crowd OF French
Huguenots, who had escaped from St. Bartholomew
and in 1885, the occasion OF the sacking of Ant
werp by about the third part of the merchants and
workmen of that city. A century later the rcvoca-
ton Of the edict Of Nantes produced new emgra-
ton OF French Protesants, variously estimated at
from fifty to one hundred thousand. Several thou
sand Germans, chiefly from the Palatinate, went
over in 1903; many others in 1872, after the perse
cutionsi in Salzburg; and towards the middle OF the
century 4 renewal OF persecution III France fol
lowed by fresh Fr-nch immigration In this
manner
THE COMMERCIAL CLASSES IN ENGLAND
Were at length thoroughly pervaded by foreign
element. Spi.alfieids was almost wholly inhabited
by French silk manufacturers. A colony Of French
Protestants settled in Edinburgh where they intro
duced the manufacture of clmbric. Forms of in
dustry before entirely unknown in England were in
troduced there. Cloth makers from Antwerp and
Brugcs lace makers from Yaencennes, cambria
makers from Cambray, glass makers from Paris,
stuff weavers from MeauX, potters from Delft, ship
wri.hts from Havre ard Dieppe, silk manufacturers
fiom Lyons and Tours, paper makers from Bordeaux
and Auyergne wooden manufacturers from Sedan
and tanners from Touraine all plying their in
dustries in England. The manufacturers of silk,
danask velvet canlbric and baiZe Of the finer kinds
of cloth and paper, OF pendulum clocks mathemati-
cal instruments felt hats, toys, crystal and plate
glass, all owe their origin in England wholly or
chiefly to Protestant refugees, who also laid the
foundation OF scientific gardening, introduced nu-
merous flowers and vegetables that had before been
was indigenous to the soil What England thus SO
largely gained was lost by France and the Neither
lands. In the former country the arts were nearly
STAMPED out and the primal causes Of the rcvoll-
ton were set in motion I. is true that these ari-
sans were not expelled from France because they
were such, but notwithstanding that fact. They
we're coldly received in England. and occasionally
mobbed, from the insular prejudice Of the popula-
ton. The age was not wise enough to appreciate
the value of the worker
THE CRAFTSMAN IN LITERATURE.
Wba. we're called the free cities in Europe which
were nuclei of arts and trade, maintained their
scanty privileges bought with money Of neces -itous
mobiles, only by constant repurchsse or by dnt of
arms, The tradesInan was looked down upon as
groveling being, the alternate sport and ey of the
powerful. Shakespeare reflects the sentiment ef his
age when he makes fool OF Bottom the Weaver, a
brutal ruffaa of Jack Cade, and fills Cascas NOUN
with bitter sarcasm on the common peopla The
pays of the Restoration full of unsavory ests at
the expense OF craftsmen, Even Hume designated
the whole class OF workers /" the industrious
vulgar" When enlightened minds thus branded
labor as ignoble its esteem in general society was
indeed low. Early English Parliaments assumed to
fix its wages at a miserable pittance, and to regu
late the prices OF its products TIE transition from
such state Of things to the entire emancipation OF
upon eminent inven ors, is great that it needs
glance backward to appreciate the distance
THE ToILER IN THE UNITED STATES.
In this land the laborer and artia have least
reason to be discontented with their lot While the
fluctuations OF business may affect tbem as they DO
all other classes the laws and customs of society
are such as to give them every protection, facility
and deserved honor and reward. He is certainly
not friend to the toier who seeks to overthrow he
institutions here enjoyed. destroy the conditions
which secure to the possessor either inherited or
earned wealth. L know such projects are not the
nroduct of the American soil, and are not in har-
mony with our traditions. They interfere with the
rights of laborers they threaten the public peace,
and tend to inaugurate reign OF mob violence ana
misrule Unless checked, such ideas may lead to
serious misfortunes, and to none greater than to
the class whose name is profaned as the agent and
proposed beneficiary.
THE DOCTRINE OF AGRARIANIsa.
The doctrine that property is robbery is false, and
its PRACTICAL enforcement would paralyZe enterprise
and destroy every vestge OF national ana lnevldua
prosperity Il would alike deprive the artisan of
r. 80 1,scl ahpr cantagt