The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1858-08-04
THE ORIGIN OF THE SEW
ING MACHINE.

/ Tho student of mechanics, when, with
/ all his natural taste, and his acquired
love whetted to its keenest point, ho
dwells upon the history of great inyen-
lions, lnvoluntafily pauses aud permits his
mind to picture little boy sitting in the
corner Of an old fashioned hearth, studi-
ously gazing upon the lifting cover of that
crane suspended kettle, as he reads how
it was that Fulton was first led to think
of propellng vessel against wind and
tide BY the expansive power of steam.
/ And as naturally he pauses longer, until
another picture embodying all the wealth
Of that idea. floats iii perspective before
him. He sees myriad of black hulks
with foreheads of fame by night and can
upies of smoke by day, the leaping cour
sers of the deep, animated by and pulsa-
ting with that automatic power. The
rivers of the world whiten into foam at its
beat--alid where heaven gave no stream
to turn wheel, the heayen-born concep-
ton atoncd the want, and you may hear
the song of hammer and of anvil, Welding
beneath its touch the machinery that
does the worlds work this day.
And the hour is fast drawing near,
when that student will also pause when
he comes to the name of Allen Wilson.
1t is now matter of recorded decision in
TIE patent office at Washington, that he
was the first man known to science, as
having taught the world how by machin
cry to sew curved as well as straight
seam at the will Of the operator. He did
it here in Massachusetts,, in western Mass
achusetts, in the year 1850. Aid any
one who will take the trouble as they
pass Main street. to call upon our friend
Mr.. Lee, the agent of the 'Wheeler q
Wilson's manufacturing company" may
comprehend III a moment the simple and
beautiful idea he developed, and made the
sewing machine thereby q practical neces-
sity in every family. For this, without
injustice to any, it is fair to say that when
all other names have been lost III the nier-
cenary crowd, side by side, with that of
Howe, the father of all, shall stand the
names Of "Wheeler d Wilson," the one
the first to invent for, and the other the
first to give to, the world, machine made
for the house,
Already that little contriFaiice is wor-
king out its benefcent use, wherever be-
meath the fretted sky civilized man hath
home. Five years more, and it will be
SO common, that child's painted toy will
be moro noticed by the thoughtless.-
But the archives Of the patent office will
keep the model, and wise and learned men
will pass the names to posterity, and uni
versal mankind viii garner the wealth of
toll spared and time saved.
And the pausing student will also note
it III his menlofy, what it was that fired
the genius of Wilson. Within sight of
his shop, three orphaned sisters sat and
sewed for bread The younger stitched
the elders winding sheet, and the other
stitched her own. One by one, pale con-
sumption claimed them, and they dropped
as the red leaves of autumn drop. AS
the mechanic helped to lower tie last
within her narrow house, shedding upon
her bier the honest tear of neighbor and
of friend, he resolved that way should
be found, whereby the slavery of the
needle should end," They did not die
III vain, for before their graves were grass
ed, the village paper, that announced
their death, contained paragraph desert
bing how its editor had seen p machine
that sewed a curved seam, the first ever
made in the world.
So humanity blossoms from decay and
sympathy festoons the chambers of inven-
ton with garlands too green to fade, too
useful to be lost