The American advocate of world peace Elihu Burritt (1810-1879), called the "Learned Blacksmith," conceived measures that helped internationalize the 19th-century pacifist movement.

Elihu Burritt was born in New Britain, Conn., on Dec. 8, 1810. Though he possessed a good mind, he was forced by his father's death to leave school and apprentice himself to a blacksmith when he was 15 years old. He began so intensive a program of self-education, especially in languages, that his health suffered.

Following some business experiences, Burritt settled in Worcester, Mass., as a blacksmith and there began a serious study of European and Oriental languages. He gained command of numerous tongues, including Hebrew, Chaldaic, and Syriac. Word of the abilities of the Learned Blacksmith reached the Massachusetts governor, himself a scholar, who referred to Burritt as exemplifying democratic values. Burritt, a shy and earnest young man, was offered a chance to study at Harvard but refused...