The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1881-09-15
March of Mind and Mechanics.

March of Mind and Mechanics.
The exhibition of the New England Manu-.
facturers and Mechanics Institute was formal
l ly opened in Boston on thes1Sth ult. The
Governors and Mayors of the New England
States and a large number ofcitizens assembled
in the building appropriated to the purpose
After the preliminary proceedings, an address
of welcome from Gov. Long, of Massachusetts,
Hon. Geo. B. Loring, Commissioner of Agri-
culture, delivered an address, from which the
following is extracted - a
sTe the student of mans varied and constant Of
forts apply all his mental and mora and physical
faculties to the of civilized society this
is fascinating and instructive, and takes a high
place in that long list of'splendid performances
which illustrate the y&s power of the human mind.
| The scene Moreover, bet1ts especially the age in
| which we i've this age of inventors to which be-
longs the merit of having accomplished that which
will always be remembered as our peculiar charac-
teristic; this age of material genius, in which all
physical forces are called into the service Of man
| have not forgotten the intellectual accomplish
ments our times; the flood Of light which science
has shed upon the re- 81 earth and
speech and newspaper and volume: the audac1ous
spirit OF inquiry the keen and quick recognition of
human rights the unerrtng sagactty Of our popular
instincts this social and civil system, untried BEFORE
the experiment Of our country. which appeals to
| and develops every human faculty in every human
| being asking for development have not forgotten
ali this Neither can forget the inspiration Of our
time as made manifest In art and literature L know
a picture, by VIM Hunt, in this city, before which
| Raphael himself might bow In reverence share
with you all the rich Inheritance Of Hawthornes
| genius think, II Plato were to appear again on
| earth he would enjoy morning call on Mr.. Emer-
son at his rural retreat In Concord. think that
| Shakespeare and Milton and Walter Scott would be
amazed at the lavish supply Of thought and beauty
furnished us by the authors of our day; and that
werthy IN the nigh blanc Of
where they earned their immortal renown. But,
| however this may be, am sure we have before us
| here spectacle which would arrest the profound
attention of the great of the past 1t occupies
the most vigorous thought of the living-this gor-
geous spectacle the creation of that calm and we'll
poised and acute operation of the mind called tngenu
ty that great creative power known as the power of
invention might the artists Of the most artistic
age find their masterpieces transferred from the can
yass by the power Of light and those fruits of gen
tus, designated for the palaces of the rich, duplca
ted and redupltcated in startling perfection, to
adorn the walls Of the humblest and poorest-a
Sistine Madonna for every worshiper Claude
Lorraine for every lover of nature Here might the
spinners and weavers of ancient fabrics find their
skllful fingers outdone by that delicate machinery
which is driven ny giants 1orce and guided as It
for the qualification of his tastes the supply of his
comforts and conveniences and most economical ne
cess1t1es Is here provided And that vfgor and ca
pacity Of the human mind which was once applied
to adorn and embelish life in Its higher walks is
now at work to make life comfortable and beautiful
for all.
'sRecall the ancients and teach them the power OF
steam; put Columbus on board the Great Eastern
furnish Galileo's tube with Alvin CIarks lenses;
send the armies of Caesar by rail into Gaul give
Homer an edition of the Had from the University
Press; besiege Troy with 1ronclads;- cothe the Ro
man legtons from the power-looms of Lowell arm
them with the Spencer rifle; shoe them from the
machinery Of Lynn; heat the houses of Pompet1
with steam, light them with gas, and illuminate
them with electricity send daily paper with news
whispered to its columns from the four quarters Of
the globe every soldier in Darius: tell Governor
Bradford to telegraph to John Robertson in Leyden
IN e of n n HaS
have demonstrated to the great mind of old what |
untiring and superhuman effort the modern mind |
has made for the elevation and advancement Of man
kind. More than forty years ago the mechanics Of |
Boston were told, by the most accomplished orator
Of that day. that the man who, in the infancy Of the
arts, invented the the plane the grtndstone,
the vice the handrl and those who In later per-
iods have contributed to the wonderful system of
modern machinery, are entitled to rank high among |
the benefactors Of mankind as the fathers Of civil
zation the creators, had almost sa1d Of nations
Sympath1zing with this prophecy, now SO we'll full |
filled, repeat here, what have already set |
forth on the floor Of Congress, that the manufactur
Of America the producers of the textile fabrics
which have charmed the world, the inventors OF |
machinery which seems almost instinct with life, I
the creators of imposing structures which beautfy
our towns and span streams the dtligent, pa |
tient careworn guides of the splendid enterprises
which Is pride and the envy of our rivals, are
among the most useful and honorable laborers in |
country. What towns have they built up |
What Institutions oflearn1ng and religion have they
founded | With what domestic culture and happi
have they filled their homes In war they |
poured almost uncounted wealth into the treasury |
of struggling government. In peace they have in
spired thesRsssdustry and activity OF producing |
people with such majestic force that all the SOph |
tstres of theorists and the designs OF repudiators
have failed to prevent the steady approach Of our
country to sovency and honor.
For our agricultural enterprise as you all know,
1 have the most profound admiration-for its |
Astounding products which now enter into the mar
kets of the world, for those teeming lands which
now supply with food the busy communities which |
represent this floor, for those fertile savannas
and plains whence we derive the raw materials for
the business Of our thrOnged and thriving towns
But cannot forget the stimulus every acre OF Gull
tivated land In America has received from the en-
terprise and energy of our manufacturers; nor can
close my eyes to the accepted agricultural law Of
land, that the farming most truly In accord |
with the spirit and.genius of American social and
civil life Is that which consists Of careful cut1va
ton Of the earth for the supply Of ne1ghbor1ng |
market, with all its opportunities for mental and
moral culture. = = For one, cannot contem- |
plate with composure the desertion of manufac
turing towns, the silence of the spindle and the
forge, the death OF our mechanical industries I |
know their value in peace and In war, and leave 1t
for those who are accustomed to other modes Of
and society," anG have been let to accept other
results to invite their abandonment and coolly con-
slider their destruction A41
ttThis exhibition, Mr.. President, which you and |
your associates have arranged with SO much care |
and skill, belongs to an important and influential
class Of the educational institutions Of time
Unlike those early fairs which attracted the mer-
markets in England and France from the earliest |
period down to the close Of the eighteenth century,
unlike monstr0us trading assemblies which annual
ly gather for trade alone at Nijni-Novgorod and
Sinigagl1a and Leipsic 1t belongs to that modern
system established for rousng the ambition, and |
cultivat1ng the taste and conveying information,
which has been adopted in every civilized country
where skill and ingenuity are of more value than
lions have become part of the industrial enterprise
of modern times, and have been encouraged by the
most enlightened governments and the wisest
rulers" fo5