Excerpt from Biographical Sketches of Distinguished Mechanics, Compiled From Authentic Sources: Originally Published in the Delaware State Journal, Under the Signature of "Rittenhouse"The great mass of mankind have so long been led captive by military glory, and the world has so long been filled with the te nown of heroes and conquerors, that the benefactors of mankind occupy but a small space, in the pages of history. Far be it from us, by these remarks, to wish to detract, in the smallest degree, from the merits of the war-worn soldier, who has periled his life in the service of his country but we allude to that military mania, which, in all ages, has dazzled the world. It is however gratify ing to re¿ect, that of late years they, whose labors have contributed so much, to multiply and diffuse the blessings and comforts of life, and to make even the elements tributary to the welfare of man, be gin to be properly appreciated.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully, any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.