1897 Article, ELIHU BURRITT, The Learned Blacksmith. New Britain, Worcester

Pricing & History

Sold for
Start Free Trial or Sign In to see what it's worth.
Sold Date
Source eBay

1897 Article, ELIHU BURRITT, The Learned Blacksmith. New Britain, Worcester Please scroll down to the bottom of this eBay listing in order to see additional images of this antique Elihu Burritt, The Learned Blacksmith magazine article. Antique article entitled, ELIHU BURRITT, THE LEARNED BLACKSMITH. New Britain, Connecticut and Worcester, Massachusetts. By Ellen Strong Bartlett. This interesting magazine article was removed from the June, 1897 issue of "New England Magazine". The article is 19 pages in length and has 18 illustrations. Elihu Burritt was born in New Britain, Connecticut, on December 8th, 1810. Though he was very intelligent, he was forced by his father's death to leave school and apprentice himself to a blacksmith when he was 15 years old. Following some business experiences, Burritt settled in Worcester, Massachusetts as a blacksmith and there began a serious study of European and Asian languages. He mastered numerous languages, including Hebrew, Chaldaic and Syriac. Word of Burritt's abilities reached the governor of Massachusetts, himself a scholar. Burritt, a shy young fellow, was offered a chance to study at Harvard University but turned down the offer, saying that his place was with the common people. Burritt became an advocate of world peace; he was, in fact, one of the first to see peace as a world movement and helped to establish the international pacifist movement. In 1844 Burritt began one of a number of publications on behalf of peace. He published a weekly newspaper, the Christian Citizen (1844-1851), which became an important pacifist, self-education, anti-slavery and temperance publication, and he traveled throughout the United States and Britain to advocate these causes. Tensions between the United States and Britain over the Oregon border inspired Burritt to publish " Advocate of Peace and Universal Brotherhood" and to publish " Friendly Addresses" with English pacifists. After being invited by these British pacifists to visit England in 1847, while there he organized the " League of Universal Brotherhood." His work entitled, " Sparks from the Anvil," published in 1847, helped Burritt influence public opinion on a broad scale. In 1852, when Great Britain and France were headed towards war, Burritt made personal visits and encouraged a sentiment of peace on both sides. He also sponsored " Olive Branch" advertisements in European newspapers which were widely reprinted. Burritt's additional approaches towards peace involved organizing conferences of eloquent and distinguished inidividuals from a number of countries. The first " Friends of Peace" conference met in Brussels in 1848. Additional peace conferences were held with great success in Frankfurt, London, Manchester and Edinburgh. Before the start of the American Civil War, Burritt advocated an end to slavery through the peaceful purchase of slaves by the U.S. government. The Compensated Emancipation Convention, held in Cleveland, Ohio in August of 1856, drew many notable people but failed to prevent the outbreak of war in America five years later. Disappointed, Burritt turned to farming after returning to his birthplace of New Britain, Connecticut. His publications increasingly showcased his personal experiences, as in his earlier work " Thoughts of Things at Home and Abroad," published in 1854. Burritt now turned his efforts toward reaching influential statesmen and leaders of society, rather than the common man. In 1863, Burritt made lengthy tours in Great Britain and published his experiences in books such as " A Walk from John O'Groats to Land's End," published in 1864. From 1865-1870 Burritt served as U.S. consular agent for Birmingham, England. He published " Lectures and Speeches " in 1866 and also wrote many essays and travel accounts. Burritt returned home to New Britain in 1870. He published " Ten Minute Talks " in 1873 and also translated Longfellow's poems into Sanskrit. ... read more

Items in the Price Guide are obtained exclusively from licensors and partners solely for our members’ research needs.

Flag item for content or copyright

If this item contains incorrect or inappropriate information please contact us here to flag it for review.

If you are the originator/copyright holder of this photo/item and would prefer it be excluded from our community, contact us here for removal.