American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1874-05-09
An Essay ON " Pins"

a pin is an insignificant thing; but til
pin has history and is of great antit
I uity. BY whom invented or when is pa
finding out, but certain it is it has bee
in use from very early period.
AS far back as civilization extends til
pin can be traced. The grandfather {
them all was found in British burrow
among the relics of the time of Suabt
who was historian of the Augustan ag,
five years before the birth of our Lord.
This pin is of iron, an eighth of a var
in length, and has for a head two wing
in which are fastened two other movabl
wings 1t is supposed to have boon uset
as fastening for mantle.
There seems to have been differenc,
between the British and the Roman pin
leading us to believe in the pins exist
ence before Britain had history, befor,
| the invasion of Julius Cesar
| Pins made of bone are constantly un
earthed in British burrows, and one ex
humed in Kent, England has stem OF
| brass, with head of gold, and orna
| mented with red and blue stones and fill
! agree work We are told that before the
invention of pins, or probably before they
| were in general use, both sexes used for
holding together parts of the dress loop
holes Of~lare, ribbons, hooks and eyes
etc, etc. During the thirteenth century,
when Edward L. was King, the women
made use of pins to fasten over the ears
the unlovely garment, the fashion of that
period, which was also raised at the bot
tom with pins, which were of clumsy
size and made of bone.
In 1888, pins were first mentioned in
the statutes as an article of commerce
and in 1910 Catharine Howard, Queen of
Henry VIII, imported brass pins from
France. Pins were not of English manu-
facture until three years later. The ladies
of the court of James 1. used pins with
pearl heads and otherwise richly Orna-
mented.
The pin of our acquaintance was first
made by filing point to proper length
of wire, and at the other end twisting
finer wire, so as to form a head. There
still exist pins of this construction. Four
teen persons were required in the manu-
facture of single pin-the first, to
straighten and cut the wire; the second,
to point; the third, to cut into requisite
lengths; the fourth, to twist the heads;
the fifth, to cut the heads, which is work
of great rapidly, at the rate of $4,000
heads an hour; No. 6 annealed, or
softened, the heads, in order to be sharp
ened by No. Z, who transferred them to
No. 8 to be cleaned and colored; No. 8
next proceeded to whiten with prepare
ton of cream-tartar; No. 10 was the
washer; No. IL the dryer and polisher.
To dry, the pins were thrown into large
leather bag containing bran and were
violently shaken by two men. No. 10
did the winnowing-that is, the separa-
ton of the pins from the bran. By
machinery No. ID prepared the pin
papers, which, according to the size of
the pins, were punched into folds, and at
the same time holes were pricked to re-
ceive the pins, which were put into their
places by No. IA, and then we had pa.
per of pins ready for sale. This opera
ton was capable of much improvement,
and in 1924 an American, Lemuel Well
man Wright, invented the first machine to
Dbviate hand labor. Since then many re-
Improvements have been invent
ed, very complicated in detail, and are
wonderful pieces of mechanism, the &C
lion being beautifully simple, and CON-
pleting, without the aid of the old fourteen
lands, pin in all respects but color and |
polish. After said processes our modern |
pins are prepared for papering by two
to feed the machine with |
bins, the other with papers; and by some
ndescribable means the pins are forced
nto the places prepared for them.
Thus, you see, the subject of "pins,"
which seems beggarly enough, furnishes
rood material for an exhaustive essay.
But to hear any more on this subject l
uppose you don't care a pin."-N. Y.
frdpkic.