The Red Cloud chief., 1881-04-14

days rather than n mere ramblc round
the hall. A lifetime itself would hardly
be long enough TO explore the eases IN
the galleries OF models, each Of which
represents many times the labors ana
hopes of a life. Some of these moiei
resemble toys; and we have seen Young
children express enthusiastic admira-
ton of the perfect little cooking-siove
and set of furniture, or OF the steam
engine and cannon which they could
have carried home with ease. Int which
are the miniature counterparts of the
engine that hurls the great ship tri-
umphantly against the tempests,
and of that which whirls red hot mes
enger of d~esolation from one scorchcd
horizon to another. Upon others, such
as the monstrous sewers and reapers
and mowers, one cannot look without
a patriotic pride. In fact, the whole
building. with its contents. Is 4 source
of this pride, for there is nothing K
it in the world, and no other such col
lection of the evidences OF utilitarian
and practical thought and method.
Shut up in these cases is n great part
of the work of the brain OF the countryi
of its struggles and hopes and crueldis-
appointments and lucky triumphs.
Very few of the exhibitors succeed
either in fully accomplishing the enter
prise on which they have set their
hearts, or in winning fortunes.
Often the way in which the inventors
of these models would accomplish their
ends is too complicated 10 be practical,
or some more skiilful and digionorable
person sezes the idea pm which the
originators have spent the best part OF
their lives. and works it out success
fully; or else the public fail 10 appre-
ciate the invention before the years OF
the patents life expire, and then they
reap nothing from the harvest.
1t is the small inventions which pay
the best, as a general thing, and esPe-
cially new toys. The patent of q GER
tain toy was sold before IL vas Is weck
old fortcn thousand dollars. and the
purchaser made handsome fortune,
the patentec Immediately Puting him;
self at work on another. ~ ~
Occasionally inventors who come
here to obtain patents, in looking over
the models, see so many that they could
improve upon, or that suggest new ideas
~ themselves, that their brains are
caught in a whirl of confusion and
novelty, and they become temporarily
insane, and have TO be taken care OF till
they recover.
Literally, the word "patcnt" is part
of the phrase Letters patent" This
means an open letter from King or Gov
eminent, with the seal attached, giving
the inventor exclusive right TO manu-
facture or sell the article thus patented,
and the last word of the phrase has now
come TO stand for the grant of that
right.
In England, patents are granted to all
who apply for them. and the rightful
ownership is settled afterwards by
means of lawsuits. Here, however, we
settle the rightful ownership and the
novelty of the Invention before grant
ing the patent at all, and SO avoid as
much lawsuit rs possible.
OF course we think our W system
much the best. Every inventor, by the
way, paws n fee, and by means of these
fees the Patent Office is said to support
itself, and to cost the Government moth
ing. A good part of the building was
erected from the accumulation of these
fees. which are always more than the
expenditures.
1t is a superb thing to have done from
the first profits of intelligence; and il
the Capitol may be styled the temple OF
our liberty. this majestic pile is certain
ly the temple of the practical intellect
| of the country. Harriet Prescott SPOT
ford, in Youth'S Companion.