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successive steps the physical wants of man have pushed his intellect 

 into investigation, research, invention and discovery, until the circle of 

 human power over the elements of nature has become most wonderfully 

 enlarged. Ill-shapen as must have been the first tools of trade, still 

 Tubal Cain, the primal artificer in brass and iron, unquestionably fur- 

 nished the rude models from which successive improvements have linally 

 wrought out the innumerable variety of useful, elegant, and ornamental 

 implements and utensils. Men were first clothed in skins, and then in 

 garments of more flexible material elaborated by intellect for the occa- 

 sion. But the twirling distaff and spindle, with the spool and hand 

 shuttle of ancient matrons, have been entirely eclipsed by the spinning 

 jenny and power loom, performing the labor of myriads of hands, and 

 daily throwing off immense amounts in textile fabrics of surpassing 

 beauty and gossamer fineness. 



Nor are these the only changes wrought by skill and science. Who, 

 whilst viewing the glorious models of naval architecture, of the present 

 time, would dream of tracing out their prototype in the dug-out or frail 

 canoe once creeping along the coast of Tyre, or in the more recent but 

 clumsy trireme of Grecian pirates in the Levant ? Who, as he now 

 contemplates, in fancy, the rude cabins erected by Adam and his sons, 

 would deem it possible that genius, from such a starting point, could 

 ever reach the proportion, style and finish, and much less the grand 

 architectural design of the Pantheon, or St. Peters of Rome ? 



Whjit modern astronomer, standing in yonder observatory, as he 

 traces, with mathematical accuracy, field after field of the starry vault, 

 measuring the planets in their orbits, and assigning to each its law of 

 motion, now thinks of having derived his first lessons from the nightly 

 \Tatchings of shepherds on the plains of Chaldea ? Who can readily 

 detect in the rude stone-wrought hieroglyphics of some Coptic priest 

 of Egypt, the germ of the present power press, daily throwing off to 

 millions the free-born thoughts of cultivated intellect? Or, stranger 

 stiU, who deems that those mystic figures shadow forth captive lightning, 

 laden with thoufjht and racinjj with light ? 



Nor are these the only inroads made by intellect upon elemental 

 arcana. Geology, mineralogy and chemistry, are daily presenting us 

 with most astounding developments. I have bqt time to pniut your 

 attention to the steam engine, flying in mighty power with its length- 



