The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1884-02-16

Not very long ago matchmaking was on
| OF our most prominent industries-promi
| nent not because the capital invested OF
number Of persons employed in IL was re
markablv large rs compared with many
other industries, but from the fact that 4
seemed to offer most striking illustration
OF the triu nph OF American ingenuity owe
all obstacles, naturel and artificial.
Until we began TO make watches Tho
| trade had been almos; monopoliZed BY
| Ssi zerland aud England The swiss bad
attained special celebrity for their skill il
the art and some English makers reduced
work equally good, but tho Swiss watches
| besides beng well made were very cheap
and consequently there were but few part,
Of the world in which they were not known
and. steemed.
But the application of machinery and the
factory system to watch manufacturing in
his country caused sudden change ia the
situation. The irugsl habits OF the Swiss
workman, his simpls diet of black bread
and wine, his pa lent industry, even the
rare technical skill which had been handed
down from father to son through genera
tions Of watchmake's, were not suite ent %
offset the ingenious machinery OF the
American factory-these marvs lous ma
chimes so wonderful in their accuracy and
rapidity, never firing, never making mis-.
takes, needing not even the poor lake Oi
black bread and wine but content with the
still cheaper diet OF steam. IL seems as IL
5wiiIerland's famous industry had seen its
best days and American timep' eces were to
supercede all others.
1t is pity that picture 90 leasing to
our national pride has not yet and perhaps
never will be realized. The American con-
sui at Geneva has recently made report o
our government on this IN atler of watch
making, and from his paper IL appears that
in this industry Switzerland has now r.
gained al the ground which had been
wres,ed from her by our own manuiac
turers.
At "a test Of English, Swiss and American
watches, made recently at Geneva, under
circum stances that forbid any idea of fraud
or error, IL was found that the Swiss
watches were superior TO all others and the
English came next IN point OF merit. But
tue Swiss watches were the cheapest IA
well as the best.
The explanation Of this ia very simple
supplemented it by manual SIX and sys-
tenn of technical training which We do not
possess.
The lesson of this is that mere machinery
will not do everything. Skilled workmen
must accompany good machines in every
country which desires to excel in the indus
trial arts. II is worth while TO emphasize
among them quite number OF mauiactur-
ers-entertain the idea that American
machinery is sufficient within itself to give
US the advantage over oil other nations. IT
Is these persons who, believing that ma
chimes are 4 that is necessary and that any
cheap liborer will do 10 attend them, scon
at plans for tbs technical education of Ie-
chsnics, improved systems OF apprentice
ship aud other reforms advocated by more
intelligent and publlc-spirited men.
Yet, as we see la this illustrate on from
the history Of matchmaking, We cannot
hope to monopol re our machinery, and IL
is therefore Of the highest importance for
us to produce, by means of a judicious
system Of apprenticeship and technica.
training, q body Of workmen rs well versed
in the fundamental principles OF mechanics,
as quick Of eye and deit with hand as the
technical schools Of Europe are now turn.
ing out to compete with us.