The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1860-12-21
James Hargreaves, the Inventor of the
Spinning Jenny.

simplicity and genial humor, traceable in the
history of Hargreaves, as an inventor. One
mood Of reverie concerning hearty husband
and hearty wife Hargreaves was by trade
a weaver The idea of his machine was first
suggested to him one evening, while be was
absent fiom home sharing the company of
ro'icking friend, at public house. 1t seems
that Hargreaves had gone down, with an old
friend, to the Pack Horse inn, for a comfort
able indulgence in ale and joviality. Proba-
bly, neither of them took so much ale as to
get what Irving calls "a whimsical muzzy
lock-" 1t is, however, not unreasonable to
think that they took sufficient quantity to
make them much more jovial than they would
be if they had not taken any. There was a girl
at the inn-a fresh-looking spinner. of the
name Of Charlotte Marsden. Harry Gar
land, lively Manchester fellow, was also
there and it appears that some one of the
company offered to wager with Harry, as the
jolly rogue was sitting by the spinner, that
he could ot kiss her. An apparently unim-
rortant consequence of the attempt which
Harry then made, was that the girls one
thread spinning instrument was upset, so
that i lay on the floor, with its spindle in
perpendicular and its wheel in horizontal
position. The quick eye of the weaver glanc-
e, at TIE simple overturned contrivance, ard
in moment he was thinking how he might
invent q labor-saving machine. "Whv," said
he to himself, "should no; many spindles be
moved and threads be spun by the same
wheel and band which now spin only one ."
This was the conception which then rose in
the mind of Hargrcaves. DO you suppose
he was inclined to engage further in the sport
CT the occasion Had he rot begun to con-
template srarder triumph than that which
Harry Garland had in view in his attempt to
win The offered wager? While Harry was
playfully catching the maid, James was seri-
ously catching an idea which was destined to
make change in the world.
Harsreayes soon suggested that it was
tine for him to 60 home. Some ofthe COM
complshment Of his resolution; but their
in;erposition was unavailing. The enthu>i-
asm Of his hiarity was cooled. The faculties
ofhis mind were studying the conception of a
spinning machine. Had he remained among
tie merry throng he would, undoubtedly.
have been lost in abstraction. SO, he return
ed directly to his humble home. Did he
more than once stumble in the way and fall
on his hands There is little doubt that he
did for he could see nothing but the ideal
Of a aspirning machine. A spinning machine
was necessarily spinning, spinning, and spin
ming in his mind.
Reaching his cottage, ,i,e takes stick burnt
al one end TO a cua ANA begins to make lircS
on TIE Eoor-lines representing parts of Il
s.nning g-mac!ine Not long af,erward. he
rises ,xci,et!iy to his feet. lie makes few
steps in the room. Then. seating himself on
chair. lie places his elbows on his knees,
holds his head between his hands, and. for
awhile, fixes his eyes steadily on the floor
Socn he springs again to his feet and, in
answer to some little word from his Wlte,wEo
is lying with recent y-born child at her bo-
som, he assures her, in uttcrances Instinct
with Joy, that he has it at last !. Then he
lifts her up with the babe and, holding her
over his drawings, explains their meaning.
ard while She laughs. tells her that she " i'll
no longer nave to toll at her spinning-w Wheel.
He places her in an arm chair and more full
ly illustrates his ideal by turning he: own
wheel ovcr,an,! making it revolye horizontal
ly. Taking her again IN his strong arms. he
replaces her, with the child, on the bed, and
; prints kiss on her Fps. What will ,ou
call it ~ she asks. And tn, generous and
happy Lancashire weaver, in The dialect that
he had Inherited from his mother. answered
II all it What an We call it after ,hysen.
Jenny They called thee Spinning Jenny
aore had thee. because thou beat every lass
in Stanehill Moor at the wheel. What If We
call it Spinning Jenny >"
i'y this name it Was called ard that cheer
iul man AID his cheerful vile lived to hea,
the hum Of lis siindles i'll the factories OF
England.