The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1882-02-02

stone walls, CONSTRUCTING
weapons, keys, files, saws, hammers
and other tools. They have tun
neled long distances beneath deep
foundation walls and accomplished
feats which would be regarded as
difficult even with the aid OF the
best implements. 1t is SAID also
that .the finest and most perfect
tools known to mechanical experts
have been fabricated by criminals
in order to effect their depredations
upon society; coins have been coun
terfeited which could only be detec-
ted in the melting pot, and bank
notes which could not be detected
at all. This unlawful work has been
performed under fear of discovery
and terrible punishment, at night, in
remote places, under ground in 10
calities where the ordinary sounds
of work would be the means of de
lection and with a thousand him
ORANGES in the way. The tool ma
kers and tool users have furnished
their quota to the ranks o. evil
doors, but in the main in spite of
their surprising ability these
wrong doors have and are constant
ly defeated and made to suffer, be
cause in all society they are .argely
in the minority.
A retrospect of the result of tool
making and tool using shows very
clearly that the destiny of nations
has been decided oftener by their
position and capacities in this res
pect than by any other factor in the
case. It's undertaking the matter
to say that tools have revolution
lied the world, for they have no,
only done this scores of times, but
they have been a constantly acting
force in bringing about the slower
and deeper reaching changes which
have passed over human society.
To illustrate by an instance which
comes within the personal knowl
edge of many readers of this paper.
The cotton gin, by the use ofWhich
the production and use of cotton was
rendered possible to an unlimited
extent, placed the scepter of com
mercial and political power in the
hands of the cotton raising section
of the United States. People talk
about "great moral ideas" Grace pc
culiarities, ''the diffusion of intelli
gence," and other influences which
brought about the condition which
existed just before the rebellion, but
the simple fact is, that the cotton
gin made cotton tn e most profitable
crop that the world ever saw upon
large scale; consequently the cot
ton growing sections controlled the
national power.
1t was not the genius or states
men nor the inherent ability of the
people, but the ease, celebrity and
cheapness with which this nipple
ment separated the cotton seed
from its fiber that decided the
course ofnational history for a cen
fury. The order of things institu-
ted was broken up by a process SINH
lar to that which began it. Anoth-
er section Of the country, having
been driven to study the tool max
ng problem, did so with such good
success that there was great profit
in the industries which were con
nected with tools than with that of
producing the raw material that
they worked upon. In other words,
there was more money in manufac-
turing cotton than in raising it. In
the mean time tools and methods
were discovered; the work of wood,
iron, bars, chemicals and all other
necessities of humanity had kept
pace with the textile improvements.
When the struggle for supremacy
came, the tool makers had the best
of the business.
Today the tide is turning the 9TH
er way, so far as locality is con.
cerned; the tool makers are spread
ing themselves over the producing
regions, and in a few years there
will be a total change of the geo
graphical center OF power. The
prophetic gift is not necessary to
enable one to see what may be
called the tool making interest will
continue to control our national del-
tiny, neither does it require great
perspiouity to see that the benefits
of great improvement in appliances
are coming nearer to the individual.
Patents are expiring year by year
in the most important proce sses,
monopolies which have heaped up
money in few hands are lettering,
prices of finished products are
steadily and permanently falling and
cost of the necessaries of life is CON
stantly decreasing.
Through. the efforts of the genius
inspired tool makers of the past,
life will be made easy for genera
rions to come Tradesman.