Not so with the mechanic of today; if he is not well up in the minutia of his trade, he has but himself to blame, for although there is no royal road to knowledge, there are hundreds of open ways to obtain it; and the young mechanic who does not avail himself of one or other of these ways to enrich his mind, must lack energy, or be altogether indifferent about his trade, and may be put down as one who willl never make a workman.
It has been thought that it would not be out of place to preface this work on the Steel Square, with the foregoing remarks, in the hope that they may stimulate the young mechanic, and urge him forward to con quer what at best are only imaginary difficulties. A willing heart and a clear head will most assuredly win honorable distinction in any trade, if they are only properly used. Indeed, during an ex perience of many years in the employment and superintendence of mechanics of every grade, from the green "wood-haggler" to the finished and accomplished workman, we have invariably discovered that the finished workman was the result of persistent study and application, and not, as is popularly supposed, a natural or spon taneous production. It is true that some men possess greater natural mechanical abilities than others, and consequently a greater aptitude in grasping the principles that underlie the construc tive arts; but as a rule, such men are not reliable; they may be expert, equal to any mechanical emergency and quick at mastering details, but they are seldom thorough, and never reliable where long-sustained efforts are required.
The mechanic who reaches a fair degree of perfection by experience, study and application, is the man who rises to the surface, and whose steadiness and trustworthiness force themselves on the notice of employers and superintendents. We have said this in order to give encouragement to those young mechanics who find it uphill work to master the intricacies of the various arts they are engaged in, for they may rest assured that in the end work and application will be sure to win; and we are certain that a thorough study of the Steel Square and its capabilities will do more than anything else to aid the young workman in mastering many of the mechanical difficulties that will confront him from time to time in his daily occupation.
It must not be supposed that the work here presented exhausts the subject. The enterprising mechanic will find opportunity for using the square in the solu tion of many problems that will crop up during his daily work, and the principles herein laid down will aid very much towards correct solutions. In framing roofs, bridges, trestle-work, and con structions of timber, the Steel Square is a neces sity to the American carpenter; but only a few of the more intelligent workmen ever use it for other purposes than to make measurements, lay off the mortices and tenons, and square over the various joints. Now, in framing bevel work of any description, the square may be used with great advantage and profit. Posts, gilts, braces, and struts of every imaginable kind may be laid out by this wonderful instrument, if the operator will only study the plans with the view of making use of his square for obtaining the various bevels, lengths and cuts required to complete the work in hand. Tapering structures—the most difficult the framer meets with—do not contain a single bevel or length that cannot be found by the square when properly applied, and it is this fact we wish to impress on our readers, for it would be impossi ble in this work, to give every possible application of the square to work of this kind. We have therefore, only given such examples as will enable any one to apply some one of them to any work in hand.
Doubtless, in the early ages of mankind, when solid structures became a necessity, the want of an instrument similar to a square must have been felt at every "turn and corner," and there can be no question about one having been used— rude and imperfect perhaps—in erecting the first square or rectangular building that was ever built on this earth,