ia in Egypt, from there to Joppa, and
thence about forty miles on the backs of Camels to Jerusalem, where they
arrived safe to the great joy of the missionary and others interested,
and attracted a great deal of attention and admiration. I also sent my
clocks to China, and two men to introduce them more than twenty years
ago.
I will here say what I truly believe as to the future of this business;
there is no place on the earth where it can be started and compete with
New Haven, there are no other factories where they can possibly be made
so cheap. I have heard men ask the question, "why can't clocks be made
in Europe on such a scale, where labor is so cheap?" If a company could
in any part of the old world get their labor ten years for nothing, I do
not believe they could compete with the Yankees in this business. They
can be made in New Haven and sent into any part of the world for more
than a hundred years to come for less than one half of what they could
be made for in any part of the old world. I was many years in
systematizing this business, and these things I know to be facts, though
it might appear as strong language. No man has ever lived that has given
so much time and attention to this subject as myself. For more than
fifty years, by day and by night, clocks have been uppermost in my mind.
The ticking of a clock is music to me, and although many of my
experiences as a business man have been trying and bitter, I have the
satisfaction of knowing that I have lived the life of an honest man, and
have been of some use to my fellow men.
APPENDIX.
GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR KEEPING CLOCKS IN ORDER.
Pendulum clocks are the oldest style, and are more generally introduced
than any other kind. I will give a few simple suggestions essential for
keeping this clock in good order as a time-keeper. In the first place, a
clock must be plumb (that is level;) and what I mean by plumb, is not
treing up the case to a level, but it is to put the case in a position
so that the beats or sounds of the wheel-teeth striking the verge are
equal. It is not necessary to go by the sound, if the face is taken off
so that you can see the verge. You can then notice and see whether the
verge holds on to the teeth at each end the same length of time; or (in
other words) whether the vibrations are equal as they should be. Clocks
are often condemned because they stop, or because they do not keep good
time, while these points and others are
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