West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1885-04-24
LEARNED CoBeLERS.
SSmc Shoemaker, who Have Made ThrIv
Mark la the world.


Mark La the world.
In the oldcn time the shocmakcr's
seat was lonely one. lie who sat on
il wa, thrown upon his own resources
his loneliness made him think Tho
"old cobhlcr' was often Shrcwd and
Intelligent, and even the parson re
spectcd his skill i'm argument The list
OF illu>trous >hocmakcrS Is such long
one that the Sons of Crispin" have no
cause to be ashamed of their gcutlo
craft
Some cobhlcr, have taken vast strides
William Carey stopped mcnding Shoes
in order To become II missionary and
| translator of the Bible. William Gif-
ford jumped from his Shocmakcr'N N,ool
into the editorial char of the QVdrtsrig
RcCictC. The German Cobhlcr, fans
Sachs. became "th' nightingale of the
Reformation, and George FoN, founder
of the Society of Friends. used to pound
the lnpStouc aS earnestly rs hc suh,e-
qucnlly pounded "thc world people
II is n long step from pcgging the
shoes of English c!odhoppcrS to man
aging one oi the largest optical aud
clock works In Great Britain, hut
shoemaker the son of u cobblcr took
that step. The founder uf the BucLmg-
ham Street Works. York where arc
manufactured thcodolitc~. compas>cS.
| turrc, clocks, telescopes and other
Astronomical instruments, was Thomas
Cooke, a cObbicr
His father. "A shoemaker and very
! poor. managed To send 1hombs To
school for TWO wears lie was then
! seated on the cobhlrr's stool, but he
| liked the sun, the sky aud the open air
| and dslkcd shocmnking Captain
Cooks VOYAGES gave him longing for
the sea, and he WAS eager To become a
sailor. That hc might br good sea-
| man and rise in the profess on, tc spent
! his spare time i'm studying ua, i2aiion.
When he was ready to ship bcforo tho
mast, the tear, of his mother persuaded
him to give up the project
He stayed at home aud continued his
studies. He learned mathcmatic, from
AN old book purchased AT stall for
! a shilling. Then lac borrowed book ON
| geometry and optics, and mastered
| their contents
At seventeen years of age he left the
! shOcmakcrs seat aud supported him
self by teaching iumcrs' sons His
success, tempted him 10 open "A village
! school Being very fopd Of the study
| OF op les, he determined to make Il tclc-
/ scope He wi, too poor To purchase
/ lenses. so he made au Obicct-glass out
| OF thick tumblcr bottom. He ground
the glass by hand. made a tube out OF
! tin plate, and mounted the glass i'm it.
An astronomer saw the home made
telescope. and was 50 much pleased with
! the object glass "a, tO spread the news
of Cooke, skill far and near Orders
! came in for telescopes, and th village
! teacher set up little shop, which his
| wife attended, for the sale of optical in
slrumrnt5 He made pumps. clocks,
! spectacle, and telescope, IN little room
| back Oi the shop.
One day, he determined TO attempt
| the con truciion of rejecting telescope
of six inches diameter He cast the
! spcculum. polished it by hand, and Just
"a his hard labor was about to be re-
wardcd. the brittle metal broke. He
| p'rScv,rcd. grinding the largest piece,
until hc had thrcc-und-a-haf inch
! spcculum, which nc worked into good
! rcliccting telescope
Annoyed by the trcachcrous metal, he
| set 10 work to make an achrOmatic
! gia,, lens His ignorance Of the optical
law. of rcfraction had 10 be- overcome
! before nv could give the right curve to
! the lens He studied the mathematics
! Of optics. and made am admirable tel
cscOpe. Orders came i'm, and he in
/ vented special tools to execute his work
! Becoming dissatisfied with the method
! Of polishing lenses by hand hc invent
| ed machine, operated by steam, to
/ polish object glasses. lis business in
/ creased 10 such am cNtrut that hc built
/ the work. in York, anil when he died.
| il was found that hc h,d left hi- mark
/ on nearly every astronomical instru-
mcut YOuh' s. C0mp0J,iol