CHAPTER VIII.

THE FORGING LABORATORY.

Twenty-four manly-looking Boys with Sledge-hammer in Hand -- their Muscle and Brawn. -- The Pride of Conscious Strength. -- The Story of the Origin of an Empire. -- The Greater Empire of Mechanics. -- The Smelter and the Smith the Bulwark of the British Government. -- Coal -- its Modern Aspects; its Early History; Superstition regarding its Use. -- Dud. Dudley utilizes “Pit-coal” for Smelting -- the Story of his Struggles; his Imprisonment and Death. -- The English People import their Pots and Kettles. -- “The Blast is on and the Forge Fire sings.” -- The Lesson, first on the Black-board, then in Red-hot Iron on the Anvil. -- Striking out the Anvil Chorus -- the Sparks fly whizzing through the Air. -- The Mythological History of Iron. -- The Smith in Feudal Times. -- His Versatility. -- History of Damascus Steel. -- We should reverence the early Inventors. -- The Useful Arts finer than the Fine Arts. -- The Ancient Smelter and Smith, and the Students in the Manual-training School. 58