The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1886-12-01
A WONDERFUL MACHINE.

Great-6rsndfather Pritchet Surprises the |
Boys on Thanksgiving Morning and
Teaches Them an Object Lesson.
Great-grandfather Pritchet rubbed
his spectacles right and left and up
and down, and blew upon them. and
set them astride Of his nose, and took
out his nippers and pincers and
drivers, and gathered together the |
machinery OF the new. big, bright en-
CINE with ali the insides and outsides
of go regular steamer'-which the
boys had taken apart. And every one
nudged and looked at every one else,
for Great-Grandfather Pritchet was q
great man in his way, and nobody
could have helped looking and nudg-
ing when smoke-stacks and boilers and
shafts and pipes and pistons went into
a hempen bag, and Grandfather
,Pritcnet sat on the three-legged stool
shaking them up.
what is that for. please?" ventured
young Wilfred, chuckling bit to him
self.
"rm shaking the engine together"
was the reply.
at will smash every single thing"
muttered Johannes.
And Great-Grandfather Pritchet
looked askew from under the
glasses astride OF his nose and eX-
claimed: 'Odd! very odd!''
So it was; and every one was sure
of it.
lyon said you would put 1t togeth-
,er," muttered Johannes, not very glee-
fully. land you are shaking it to
bits!' ....
How's that? Is it possibler' ejac-
uiated Great-grandfather Pritchet,
.eying the bag outside; then CHANGING
within. mo; not a bit OF it. Boy, you
are mistaken! 1t is but taking form;
the parts are but selectiHf. their atti-
tudes; they are but prepafing to com
bine-to slip into their appointed
places"
And the nippers and pincers and
hammers and drivers lay coolly on the,
floor, while Great-grandfather PritcE,
ct shook the bag as before. Johannes
bit his lip and turned red in the face,
and twirled about on his high heel,
and his brothers whispered among
themselves, waiting to see what was to
come next.
1t will be ruined. Grandfather
ruined and broken to bits! Please let
me have the bag"
"How! Why? For what?' inquired
Great-grandfathe Pritchet, calm y, as
if amazed. Twill it not put itself to-
gether?"
"Why, how can it without hands?"
"How can it without somebody to do
: it?" at takes head as well as hands
to put steam-engine togethcr!' three
voices exclaimed.
Great-grandlather Pritchet looked
gravely at his bag.
"a head as well as hands?-in other
words man. That is odd enough, to
be sure.-But now answer me this: if
it takes head and hands to put toy
steam-engine together, what must it
! take to put man ogether?-man, who
, is mass of wonderful tissues, nerves,
, muscles, bones; man, who is sensitive
land intelligent - breathing, moving,
f thinking; man with his wonderful body
: continually reconstructing itself; SO in
r ltnitely delicate in mechanism that a
0 pins point of deviation from the
: proper arrangement gives anguish; so
, wonderfully constructed that it moves
Z i'm all its complicated ways without
!. effort and without pain;-who is to pu,
such creature together?"
And the three lads answered: God
Nov, suppose l put this steam
: engine together and make it run
/ smoothly inquired Great grandfather
9 ,Pritchet, cycling the bag, "what will
= you do for your part, johannes; fol
l the steam-engine is yours9'
+ 81 shall thank you very much, sir
s Great-grandfathe Pritchet stamped
l. his foot with its buckled shoe, and 10.
= hannes knew that he had made the
d right answer
1t There are four of us here whom Goo
: has put together. All our joints work
/ iall our hearts pump; our lungs take
It in the air and puff it out; our stomach.
g take charge of our food and deal i
q about to our wearing bodies; our ear
y hear, our eyes enable us to see
q and our hrains carry on a world o
d business. Which of us has misfittet
:. joint or badly made bit of machin
cry, or finds any thing at all wrong o.
out of place in his whole body? Why
not one of US; not one of us, though
am not SO brisk runner as / onc'
= was--not soul of us! And whom
o have we to thank? Put on your hats
i boys; the air outside, too. is clear an,
bright; We shall not spend Thanksgiv
ing morning fitting steam-engines to
=, gether when we have not thanked Got
that we are in comfortable workin,
IL order ourselves. Be quick now, ant
fly about"
L. Aud Great-grandfather Pritche
stamped hard on the floor with hi
y <pry, bcbuckled foot till the boy
,, started for their hats; and the boy
i whisked about as though they wer
l. trying their joints. and Great-grand
father Pritchet hung the hempen ba
7 on a nail. while he and the thre
, younger Pritchets went to give thanks
| George Khngle, IN 81. Nicholas. -