Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1884-07-12
Notes by the Way.

we awake to find ourselves in the pleas
ant home of DR.. and Mrs. Dewitt.
What delightful oasis in LIES checks
cred way are these reunions Of the
friends of other days. 1t was especially
SO with us on this occasion. No fea-
ture of the whole journey was so pleas.
ing as this This was the third Thurs
day in May, the day when all the lead
ing Presbyterian bodies meet in their
respective general assemblies. At IL
a. m. the G. P. Assembly is called to
order in DIR, DeWltt's church in this
place. The attendance was not quite
so full as usual, in consequence of the
remOteness of the place of meeting.
About no delegates answer to their
names, representing some twenty diff
ferent States. Many of them had
travelled hundreds and some thousands
of miles. The opening sermon was
preached by the Moderator, DIR. Nc.
Glumphy, of Illinois. In the after>
noon the organization was effected by
the election of ruling elder Judge
Frizzell, of Nashville, as Moderator.
This is the first instance of ruling ell
der occupying the mOderator's chair U
any Presbyterian general assembly, 1t
was an innovation upon practice and
precedent, but not upon Presbyterian
. ism, which accords equal rights and
privileges to ministers and laymen. No
deliberative body ever had a better
presiding officer than this general as
sembly. The business was nearly all
of a routine character, and was prompt.
ly dispatched in good order and with
perfect harmony. The next meeting
will be held at Bentonville, Ark.
There were many opportunities fol
sightseeing which we did not fail to
improve. The National Tube Work:
at McKeesport cover an area of fifteen
acres. A permit or pass is usually
necessary before one is allowed to en-
ter these works. But after the author
tiles had gotten the names aud occupa'
tons of the delegates they were per,
mitted to enter in groups of dozen Oh
more. We saw with much interes
the whole process of tube manufacture
from its beginning with the flat sheet
of iron from the rolling mills through
the various stages of folding, rounding
welding and polishing ready for ship
ment. Tubes of all sizes, from hal
inch to eighteen inches in diameter, ar
turned out by the thousand. A gres
deal of caution is necessary on the par
of visitors to prevent being run owe
by the trucks with their load of reC
hot cylinders as they go flying from
one machine to another in their pro
gress through the various stages of for
nation. The rattle of the machiner,
and the deafening explosions that ar
constantly occurring in every direction
render it almost impossible to hear tn
loudest talking, or even to hear tn
sound of your own voice. You ca
not fail to be delighted with all 20
have seen, but you are glad to get on
and away from the incessant roar an
sitting air within.
Now little further down the rive
to the glass works. These are on
much smaller scale, but to US eve
more interesting than the tube work
Here you have but little noise, a
though the heat is intense. You 81
the whole process Of glass making fro
the mingled sand, lime, potash and a
senic until it is brought through Il
various stages to the window pane
all sizes boxed and ready for shipmen
The process is familiar to many of you
readers, but l am sure that many othe
have little or no conception of it. f
their benefit | will describe it brief
The mixture above mentioned is p
into large ovens of fire brick and plac
in great furnace, where it Is subject
to the most intense heat for twelve
fourteen hours. 1t becomes thorough
fused into a homogeneous mass. I'll
is simply the glass in melted, almc
liquid state. The workman then 70
upa ball Of this on the end of an If
tuhe ahout seven feet lone. takes IL r