A WORD to YOUNG MECHANICS.

Clutha Leader, Volume III, Issue 131, 12 January 1877, Page 3

A WORD to YOUNG MECHANICS.

When Tubal C»in began " to invent utensils, and .starred to; make-Ya^din^ in., his forge, I suppose the first idea that struck; him— ; for he must have be6n very observing im his r;you.th-rjwasf j-that • some materials are soft and easily manipulated, whilß others" are of a more obdurate, and ungovernable nature^ and consequently/ require different treatment -at ! tl)e' ; harid ! of I '-hi to who J would attempt tp ; wqrk t ithemrjnto .new, ! forms, so as to mould the shapeless mass to his uses, or engraft brder*ari'd s'*des'ighupon bhaos.; v,With -, the .lesson r !tr> 0 -be r Jeaimed from the example of this pioneer of our order in view,- 1 desire to say -a :: word to young., .mechanics that r would have been valuable to rrie while ih the ! maze of'"study ,i iri;thedays'ih which IA was learning a trade. ,.,;. r .- r , -, , r^ I . .Every one that has learned a trad-3 knows tliat'm anv a-* time he* has- been?

without any clear idea of what he- was doing, having merely acted as the machine ofa who-was*. credited with being a .No., 1 mechanic and all which that should imply, but who "'just lacked one-thing, and that ia very; im-. portant one— he did not understand how to tell another how to do "what lie could do exceedingly .we.lLhims.elf^v.andi as a* general rule, got into a passion because his "* cub" didn't' do it' 'just, to his mind-., .Now, I could -drop*. a word pf advice here to journeymen. In start: ing to learn' a trade, niake lip your mind to learn and. - study, ; "both, at the same time. This combination of. occupations, it unfortunately happens,, is rarely agreeable- at-, fifteen or seventeen years of .age, when one has just left school, and all study is looked at as something belonging to hygone days. J have been told by many", a young man that -work was his portion now., and that he didn't have time to study, arid besides he was so tii;ed. at nights that it was out of. the question. My reply to those who speak in this.way is : —

" But you misunderstand me, my 3'oung friend. The lessons y'ori ' want to study are not taught in schools,-, colleges, or seminaries. You never see j the books you need to apply your mind j to now in libraries."

I lay a piece of wood before the carpenter, aud say, " iVIy boy, that is une of your books." . I. present a piece of iron to the blacksmith in the' same manner, and so on through all, branches of mechanism. The .carpenter ah-

swers :—

" Why, -this is.only a piece, of pine, or of oak, and nothing, more." . Thp smith will say : " A bit of iron, that's all." . ," ; „- , .-..-

But here comes the question, " What do you know of the nature of the wobii; or ofthe iron, and why, should you know its nature ? True, you may be able to work them after- a 'fashion, and* your powers of imitation may enable, you to be as good a mechanic as the man who taught you;- but you will never thus, .in the - nature of \ things,* excel, and excellence is what every j'oung man should have iri:view.in ;any persuit, for without it you will be termed just .what you so often hear of — only a mechanic."

Every 1 mechanic should have as thorough a knowledge of the" "material he works as has the best chemist 'in the land ; and this cannot be arrived at without close study and attention to its every natural- feature-— strength, * power; of resistance, .and tensions ; in short, everything connected with its working or transformation' from ionecondition to another. This knowledge is what is, meant when you hear, man spoken of as an experienced mechanic. — Paper Trade Journal.