Burritt, Elihu

Elihu (1811-1879), a New England reformer. A native of New Britain, Connecticut. He was the son of a shoemaker and learned the blacksmith's trade. An ambition to read the Scripture in the original tongues in which they were written led to prolonged study on his part, gaining for him the nickname of "The Learned Blacksmith." He removed his blacksmith shop to Worcester to be near a good library. In 1846 he began to travel and lecture. He visited England and founded a society with a view to suppress warfare throughout the world. Mr. Burritt was an earnest advocate of a "High Court of Nations," an idea that has taken form in the Hague Tribunal. He also took hold of cheap postage as a means of increasing intelligence. He became an apostle of temperance as well as an antislavery writer and speaker. One of his books is entitled Sparks from the Anvil.