Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1886-12-09
A WONDERFUL MACHINE.

JnatS the reason why!
Mrs. II. ". Turner, IN YOUTHS Companion.
A WONDERFUL MACHINE.
5reat-Grandfather Pritchet Surprises the
Boys on Thanksgiving Morning and
Teaches Them an Object Lesson.
Great-grandfather Pritchet rubbed
lis spectacles right and left and up
md down, and blew upon them, and
set them astride of his nose, and took
out his nippers and pincers and
1riyers, and gathered together the
machinery of the new, big, bright en-
CINE with all the insides and outsides
)f "a regular steamer" which the
boys had taken apart. And every one
judged and looked at every one else,
ior Great-Grandfather Pritchet was a
great man in his way, and nobody
could have helped looking and nudg-
ng when smoke-stacks and boilers and
shafts and pipes and pistons went into
\ hempen bag, and Grandfather
Pritchet sat on the three-legged stool
sudhlliS ticu up.
"What is that for, please?" ventured
young Wilfred, chuckling bit to him
self
"I'm shaking the engine together"
was the reply.
ut will smash every single thing"
muttered Johannes.
And Great-Grandfather Pritchet
looked askew from under the
glasses astride of his nose and eX-
,laimed "Odd! very odd!''
So it was; and every one was sure
Of it.
"You said you would put 1t togeth-
er," muttered Johannes, not very glee-
iully, land you are shaking it to
oits!"
How's that? Is it possibler' ejac-
mated Great-grandfather Pritchet,
eying the bag outside; then glancing
within. '.No; not bit of it. Boy, you
are mistaken! 1t is but taking form;
he parts are but selecting their atti-
tudes; they are but preparing to COM
oine-to slip into their appointed
places"
And the nippers and pincers and
| hammers and drivers lay coolly on the
ioor, while Great-grandfather Pritch-
1T shook the bag as before. Johannes
DIT 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 lei
ME have the bag"
"How! Why? For whatp" inquired
Great-grandfather Pritchet, calmly, as
f amazed. "Will it not put itself to-
getherp"
"Why, how can it without handsPn
"How can it without somebody to dc
it?' 'lt takes head as well as hands
to put a steam-cngine togethcr!' three
voices exclaimed.
Great-grandlather Pritchet looked
gravely at his bag
"a head as well as handsp-in Other
words a man. That is odd enough, t,
be sure!-But now answer me this: i
it takes head and hands to put to,
steam-engine together, what must i
take to put man togetherP-man, VIII,
is mass of wonderful tissues, nerves
muscles, bones; man, who is sensitiv
and intelligent - breathing,, moving
thinking; man with his wonderful bod
continually reconstructing itself; so in
finitely delt:ate in mechanism that
pins point of deviation from tn
proper arrangement gives anguish; S
wonderfully constructed that it move
in all its complicated ways withou
effort and without pain; who is to pu
such creature together?"
And the three lads answered.: "God.
Now, suppose l put this steam
engine together and make it I'll
smoothly" inquired Great-grandfathe
Pritchet, eyeing the bag, "what wi
you do for your part, Johannes; fo
the steam-engine is yours?"
81 shall thank you very much, sir.
Great-grandfather Pritchet stampe
his foot with its buckled shoe, and Jt
hannes knew that he had made tn
right answer.
There are four of us here whom Go
has put together. All our joints worl
all our hearts pump; our lungs tai
in the air and puff it out; our stomach
take charge of our food and deal
about to our wearing bodies; our ea
hear. our eyes enable us to se
, and our brains carry on world
, business. Which of us has misfitte
Joint, or badly made bit of machil
cry, or finds any thing at all wrong I
out of place in his whole body? VIII
not one of us; not one of us, though
, am not so brisk runner as ! on,
was-not a soul of us! And who
' have we to thank? Put on your hat
r boys; the air outside, too, is clear al
bright; we shall not spend Thanksgi
l ing morning fitting steam-engines t
: gether when we have not thanked CT
4 that we are in comfortable workir
: order ourselves. Be quick now, al
: fly aboutm
/ And Great-grandfather Pritch
5 stamped hard on the floor with
: spry, bcbuckled foot till the bo
? started for their hats; and the bo
: whisked about as though they we
trying their joints. and Grest-gran
1 father Pritchet hung the hempen b
e on a nail. while he and the thr
= I ,-0uvcro- D~;toba4S xrank to frfvsa than