The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1880-01-21
THE CLEMENT ATTACHNENT-
SKETCH OF THE LIFE AND STRUGGLES OF
It's INVENTOR.
To the Nashville American

A SKETCH OF THE LIFE AND STRUGGLES or
IFS INVENTOR.
: To the Nashville American
As the Clement new process method of
ginning cotton begins % loom uu into proru.
lnence throughout the whole South
D timely notice of the invention itself would
e not be out Of place 1t viii not be attempt
r ed here 10 give the Jl0iYs 0Usrqg4j of this
: new method Others more familiar with its
details have already done this The object
OF tins article Is 10 give, briefly, am outline
, OF the life and character OF the inventor.
Lewis T. Clement, from data obtained from
t his neighbors, and from impressions made
upon the writer by him, during the last ten
years Of his life. There are some dates
which cannot be given, but the essential
facts are, substantially, as here noted
Mr.. Clement was born, in the wear 1903.
near the east bank of Stores river, I'm the
northwestern part of Rutherford county.
Tennessee. At an early age, with limited
ed"cstlon, he learned the trade of cabinet or
furniture manufacturer but subsequently,
Joined his brother Maj. John Clement I'm
establishing a factory, in the neighborhood
Of his nativity, for making cotton gins.
This factory was successfully run by the two
brothers through number of wears. until
it was accidentally burned, when T. III
Clement with his wife, emigrated 10 the
then new county of Carroll, in west Iennea-
see where he formed partnership with au-
other party IN small factory for spinning
cotton yarns. But there being a better ONT
look for him in the town of Lexington. he
soon transferred his interests into "a factory
there and became its Superintendent And
while there manipulating, with complex
machinery, the tangled and mutilated hbres
of cotton from the plantation gins he first
caught the grand conception OF supersediug
the gin of Whitney 10y an entirely new pro-
cess for taking the lint from the seed But
his business engagements prevented for q
I time every effort at reducing his conceptions
to a demonstration. And not till some
years a0erward, just before the late war.
when he was removed u the ueighborho0d
OF smyrna Rutherford county, aid he be-
gin in earnest to study and plan. But the
distracting incidents of the war disturbed
his dream and forced the clear current Of
his thought into muddy channels
On the restoration OF peace, his patriotic
heart responded ia the cry for help for tho
impoverished South, by a more determined
renewal OF an enterprise that he confidently
believed would place the cotton States on
their feet again; but his surroundings were
entirely new and embarrassing. PcuniIcss.
he resumed in his old age, the trades of gin
wright Fnd furniture maker, in order tO exc
out a decent support for himsefan inva-
lid wife, and it was only during short inter
Ndia VI respite -Stpltu llulft I may say
that he could prosecute his work ON his
models. His progress was necessarily slow.
but he worked and waited Wearis0mr
time until his patent was obtained, and
those familiar with his ideas were convinced
of their ultimate triumph. Two or three
of his friends then advanced means sufi-
cient TO construct a small machine and put
it in operation. Just at this turning point
in his fortunes, while on the road 10 Mash
vile to look after some matters connected
with his invention, he was fatally injured
by an accident at Mill creek bridge, ON the
and Nashville turnpike, and
died on the 22d September, 1879, in the 9th
year Of his age.
Pure, artiess, honest, brave old man
He was always n poor man. He never COW
eted riches. His generosity was proverbial.
The only limit To his muniGcence, was his
ability to relieve
He gave to misery all he had fear:
He gained from Heay n-'twas all be wished
friend.
When once rallied by the writer about
his prospective fortune from his invention
he replied with an earnest gesture, of I can
live to see the South made independent
through the application Of my machine 10
its industries, it will be the contamination
Of all my desires" AIS $.
~-@p~
on YOURSELF A LITTLE-Once there
lived an old gentleman i'm a large house.
He had servants and everything he wanted.
yet he was not happy, and when things did
not go as he wished he was very cross At
last his servants left him. Quite out Of
temper, he went to a neighbor with tho story
of his distress.
at seems to me, said his neighbor, saga
ciously, 1T would be we'll enough for you To-
oil yourself a little, my friend.
"TO oil IJyseif"'
"Yes I will explain. Some time ago one
IF the doors in my house creaked Nobody.
therefore liked 10 90 in or out Of it. One
lay l oiled its hinges, and it has been CON
SANITY used by everybody since.
$50 you think then, that ] am like a
breaking door," cried the old gentleman
how do you want me 20 oil myself%
That's an easy matter, said the neighbor.
Go home and engage a servant, and when be
Ices right praise him. If, on the contuyhe
loes something amiss, do not be cross; OH
your voice and your words with the oil of
ove.
The old gentleman went home, and no
marsh or ugly words were ever heard in that
mouse afterward.
Every family should have a bottle full Of
his precious oil, for every family is liable
10 have a creaking hinge in the shape Of a
7retlul disposition, cross temper, q harsh
tone, or fault-hnding spirit.-SOutberu
Methodist
EXPERIENCE AND lNCIDENT. DR. Muh-
lenberg says of people who says they have
respect tor religion - How vastly cOnde-