ihe Progress of the Useful Arts. 825 



one shrinks from a view of the mass of misery which its intro- 

 duction may occasion. Many arts are acquired only after long 

 practice; the power of producing certain effects with rapidity 

 and precision, forms the capital in trade of many industrious 

 men. But when some new mode is discovered, that capital is 

 completely annihilated, and the unemployed workman can hard- 

 ly look with any thing but jealousy on the innovation. In the 

 old method of manufacturing paper, great dexterity was re- 

 quired in lifting a sheet, so that it might be of equal thickness 

 throughout, as well as similar to others of the ream. Good 

 workmen were scarce and received high wages ; but when the 

 thickness came to be regulated by machinery, these workmen 

 were either thrown idle or compelled to betake themselves to 

 some inferior employment ; a number, indeed, readily found 

 employment in the continental paper-works, yet still the distress 

 must have been great among that class of men. The members 

 of that craft, however, formed a small proportion of the po- 

 pulation, so that the elastic constitution of human society has 

 already accommodated itself to the new circumstances. But the 

 hand-loom weavers have suffered more severely and for a greater 

 length of time ; their number was more considerable, and of 

 course they experienced a greater difficulty in finding a new 

 employment ; and the circumstance, that the finer and more ex- 

 pensive looms were often their own property, has perhaps ren- 

 dered them unwilling to desert their old employment. 



Painful though the contemplation of such sufferings may be 

 to the philanthropist, it is impossible that he can disapprove of 

 the cause. A small class of the present generation indeed suf- 

 fers, but a benefit is conferred not only on the population at 

 present existing, but on the whole future generations of the race. 

 The distress occasioned by the substitution of steam for hand- 

 spinning, was intense ; that, however, has passed away, and the 

 effect now is, that the peasant is able to purchase fabrics which, 

 a hundred years ago, would have excited envy among the wealthy. 

 The machines for forming the various parts of watches, threw, 

 no doubt, out of employment for a time, the handicraftsmen, 

 but a watch is not now considered as worthy the attention of a 

 Rupert. I might cite examples without number, for in almost 

 every instance, a decided improvement has been accompanied by 



