Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-08-07
THEMEGHzEICS HOLIDAY
WHAT INVENTION HAS DONE FOR
THEiTotIhd WORK PEoFLEa A.

fTAtYf0
as~ ,I..sAs-4ty suaf .k., r.eso.s nav.
AHsdtsA lAn ths ola. HAndisrafss-A
lIAgnIhceht Exhibition Of Machinery,
Tools and Implements That All Me-
ehanies Should Study.
"a good mechanic is master Of his
tools.n The wisdom Of our ancestors Is in,
the old imaxim; but, alasl much Of the
wisdom Of our ancestors was buried with
their bones. Nowadays the tool Ia rap,
Idly becoming master of the mechanic.
| Modern invention Is continually making
the tools more Important, and the me-
/ chanic less important. The workman II
becoming, everywhere and in all the
trades, more and more q mere attendant
upon special machine tools that do the
work-particularly the nice work-auto-
matically and with machine regularity
and precision, while the man merely sup
plies and handles the material The race
i of mechanics that our fathers knew, who
I eould do anything and everything in their
respective trades by deft hand work, are
almost gone In fact some entire trades
ere gone, and more are on tho verge of
going. The majority Of the boys OF to-day
never saw stage driver, formerly
T. THE PRIDE OF THE ROAD,
4 Tho railroads have driven him out Of
existence. And the boys will do well to
take good look at the expert street car
driver, In twenty years from now-pro-
badly In ten years-there will not one be
i left, unless he still fingers In some back
/ village Of the effete despotisms of Europe
where It takes two generations for o new
idea to sprout. Electricity will have taken
the place of horses. The old fashioned
halter, who used to measure your grand
fathers head with tape, and make hat
complete from beaver fur, and later from
silk, is now invisible as ghost. Hats are
made by machinery, in factories. and pur-
chased at store warranted to ct, in &C
curate sizes. The old style shoemaker,
who made foot wear complete from be-
ginning to end, from lady's slipper to q
heavy boot, is nearly gOne.z You can find
him barely lingering here and there in
some small shop on a back street. The
factory has taken his place, The old-style
blacksmith, celebrated by the past, who
NDoANYTHING IN IRON OR STEEL,
in tradition now. In his stead you shall
find putter together Of parts made in a
factory He puts the ready-made irons on
your carriage-he does not iron it. He
puts shoes on your horse-he does not
make them. TS8aT& fS-s9
Tailors are nearly out of fashion. You
shall hnnt long to find one such as every
| village could once boast-a man who
r. measured, cut and sewed all kinds Of gar
ments from shirt to dress coat. Now
there are cutters, and some sewers; but
the latter are growing few. A little longer
and the factory will have beaten them all
from the field. e,f.s.sl sfi f. VIII, j. 81.
THE OLD FASHIONED CARPENTER, ',l
who could build an entire house with his
chest of tools, making the winding stairs
with neevels, posts, and carved rails, and
who cut the cornices, beading, moulding
and panel work and made the doors, sash
and blinds by hand--where is her Gone
forever. Yet little while, and all houses
will be altogether made at the factory, and
only be put together in sites, as they al
ready are mostly.
Still there are handicrafts that seem
perpetual, But don't be too sure. "Ma-
chinery cannot touch our trades, " say the
bricklayer, the type-setter, the painter,
the stone-cutter. They are mistaken. AL
ready large part Of stone cutting is done
by machinery. Already machines have
been devised to construct brick walls. AL
ready type setting machines have ap
peared. Already painting machines have
been invented. Be sure that invention
| will not cease until all these things have
been accomplished and are common.
The old cooper's trade is dying, too
Immense factories now turn out machine
made barrels by the hundred thousand
, cheaper and better than hand work car
, accomplish. The wagon and carriage
, builder has also given place to the factory
And SO through all crafts-the tendency il
, the same. In the factory
, THE TOOL DOMINATES THE WORKMAN.
He obeys the machine, instead of the too
, obeying him. He becomes part of tn,
machinery. He makes Just so many mo
! tions per minute, governed by the in
cessant speed of the machine upon who's,
, movement he attends The results ar,
4 cheaper products, In the main better pro
, ducts, and immensely greater production
! There is less individual skill, but highe
! average grade of work. There is NOR
leisure and less hours of labor per day TO
the workingman. There is less crudenes
and better finish. The world is NOR
! comfortable at less cost. In some thing
I working hardship, on the whole invention
: has proved great blessing to all classe
Of people. If the farmer has forgotten tn
skill Of his fathers, and no longer reaps
mows, sows or plants in the old, slow
hand way, see how much better off he IL
and how much better ne lives, freed fron
the necessity Of toiling fourteen hours pc
4 day. The mechanic no longer works fron