The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1881-04-23
Our Olio.
Machinery and Civilization,

Machinery and UlVlllzatlon'
Mr.. Charles c. Coffin has been giving {
series of lectures in the Lowell Mass,
Institute on our manufacturing industrie.
and the relation Of invention to civilization
From the Boston Adrertiser We make thS
following extracts from one of these lee
lures
The first need of men in this world i.
for something to cat; the second is fol
something to wear. The earliest histori
cal allusion to the manufacture Of textile
fabrics is the simile in the oldest poem ex.
tant-the Book of Job-the comparison
OF the swiitness Of time TO the weaver
shuttle. The weavers shuttle of the + ST
and the loom Of the Orient through all the
centuries have not changed. Throughout
Asia. aud even in some sections Of Italy
aud Spain, the spindle Of to-day is like
that which Penelope deftly twirled when
preparing garments for her absent lord
The use of machinery in the manufacture
of clothing has been a powerful agency IN
modern civilization Out CT the multitu.
dinous machines of the present century |
select those for spinning and weaving to
represent the progress of mechanic art.
Il is noteworthy that the FIRST movement
in free intellectual thought in antagonism
to the d5gmatism Of the Middle Ages aud
the first mechanism to relieve woman from
uneeasiug toll were eoincideut. During
those years in which Martin Luther, Me
lanchtou, aud their comPcers were awakinS
the world 20 e new intellectual and relig-
ious life, a German carpenter constructed
the spinning wheel, which made is APP
pearance about 1880 The knitting ma
chine was the second inyeniioa-the de-
vice of young carate of Nottingham, the
Rev. William Lee; and during those months
when the Mayhower was crossing the
A,Iantic, the hrs. stockings knit By the
machine we're placed 90 che market
The lecturer commented upon the fact
that the century following Lees invention
rolled away without any Invention, Mcu
were giving their attention to other things.
The SPIRIT ofthl aEe was against invention
The learned we're lost ia ab-,Tacijons, we're
r...arIless ofhumaa needs, utterly ignorant
Of the resources OF nature 70 alleviate hu-
man VOC or 70 iift men 10 higher plane
OF life. Another reason Why inventions
did not come earlier was that all chrIs'cn-
dom through the Middle Ages and down
to the beginning of tie present century,
vas engaged 10 war. The conditions were
all adverse TO scientific research la isl,
lust oac hundred years aso, came Wau ;
first working cngiae. With acoadenser aud
the steam applied 30 pEopal the piston IN
both directions.
Aside from the very few Wind an WaieF
mills. the human race At the beginning oi
the present century was living By IL owa
muscular energy. digging aud deiEias,
spanning aud weaving, Wilh yade iusiEa-
meuts aud mechanism
The world IS mere enlightened uow, but
there are sail many pc0plc who eauno. 50
how the introduction 81 in1ehiac whIeh
viii do che work 81 many men eau be pro
molive of the we'll bciag IT The eommani-
". Imagiae yourselves a. standing on
the bauk q the Merrjmac 10 ISL, With
Nathan Appleton, William Appleton, Ia
triek I. Jackson. Kirk Boot, John ".
Boot. Pau! Needy, sad Nathaniel Bow-
di,ch. No soand breaks tbs Stiffness, save
the rushing Of the water o.cr the rock
Ia Is The caergy &C nature running 10 waste,
aud these gentlemen determined to ST u
to work for thcr individual welfare. They
pafchased the surrounding FARMS aud the
sd canal which other msa had construct
ed Tor tie passage 81 RATS, set themselves
10 enlargiug il. aud W building a daal, aos
working with their own hands, bat sun.
moaiug the farmers, who came Ssih iheir
oxen 10 haul rocks. Sgoncmasuus are
wanted, aud the blacksmith 10 Sharpen
their tools. Young meu come down iFum
Vermont and New Hampshire 10 dig the
canal. The gcntlemen who are P1shins
the enterprise nSed bricks. AnoiheF class
Of lsborers Is called for Lnwber Is need
"a and sawmills arc set 10 hummjag
Masous. hodcarFiers, mixers Of mortar
lime barners. ars set TO wotk, with stlli
more oxen, more teamsieEs and eartmen,
besides eoopers to make the casks for The
Iimc. An architect plans the manulaet0'
~. the carpenters frame 1t, and corps Of
ioiuers finish il. 4 mjilwTighs calculates
the power. sets another corps Of men II
work constructing the great wheel The
manufacturers Of the splanius aad carding
and weaving machines have regiments
hammering aud fling brass, steel aud iron
They in tnra have set the founders, pud,
dIers. and smeltcTs 70 work. Furnaces
send up their lurid flames vessels are sail.
ing on the ocean to fetch aud carry the MA
teTials. The miners far down 10 the earth
the sailor climbing the shrouds ia mid
ocean, the millwTight lost IN thought, a:
he calculates the power OF nature 5 eucrgy
the brickmaker moulding the plastic clay
the joiner plying his plane, the ieams,el
urping his cattle; all have been called irou
former yoealious to aid in building tht
mills Why have they come Because
these gentlemen offer them more remune
ra,iyc wages than they have been reeeiy
ing.
Let US follow on. The mills are erect
ed, the machines are in place, but humar
hands are still needed. The gentlemen
summon the farmers sons and daughters b.
the iudueement of better wages. Hav,
the gentlemen thrown any che out of EN-
ploymeut? They have changed labor
thew have made the spinniug wheel auC
loom Of the household useless lumber, no
throwing the old-time spinners and weaver
out of employment, but transferring then
to one in which they can do more fol
themselves and their iellowmeu. You ask
perhaps, what the masons, joiners, and car
penters who built the mill are TO do wher
the mill is completed Are they not Gu
Of employment? The mill is only the be
ginning. Dwelling houses are needed
stores, shops for the grocer, butcher, baker
Joiner, mason, blacksmith-the whole ira
terpity of trades and occupations. Tht
first mill erected at Lowell was the begin
ming of a city to day numbering between
80, 900 and 90, 600 inhabitants 1t will b.
instructive in this connection to see wha
labor and capital together will accomplish
through the use of the energy of nature, ii
giving value to raw materials
The Southern farmer plows his lands
casts in the cotton seed. lie sells his croI
at II cents per pound, obtaining a liveli
hood by agricultural labor. The operative
in Lowell, by manufacturing it into mus
lin, may make it worth so cents, by NOR,
delicate manipulation into lace worth 81