The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1885-10-01
Some Interesting Facts About
Inventors and Inventions.

Long ago III the Sllll nlyStiC OdTueH
of Eden sat the mother of all living,
brooding over her misfortunes and
giveng to the world its first lesson in
Inventions; "and they sewed fig
leaves together and made themselves
aprons Necessity was the mother.
Their eyes were opened, they felt the
need, and the inventive faculty filled
the gap. God gave them the great
lesson in progress "and made them
coats of skins and clothed them"
With this faculty for Inventions, this
first lesson in progress, He "sent them
forth" and left them to the mercy OF
the Law OF "the survival of the fittest"
and the strife begins. 1t is not long
before Inventive genius asserts itself,
the fire is kindled the ground is titled,
the tent is spread, the harp and the
organ join praises, the ring Of the an
vii is heard in the land, and the true
greatness of civilation has fairly set
in.
There is more in this "Ingeniously
gotten up fish story OF the garden Of
eden," than the author of the
quotation will admit or his diseased
eyes will see.
Did you ever think that on this
simple idea Of sewing the fig leaves
together" coupled with the lesson Of
the "coats Of skins" hung the future
greatnes Of the world? for it may be
safely said that to Invention the
world chiefly owes its greatness.
From that time to the present has
been an age Of Inrention-Inyentions
in Stonel Inventions in Bronzel
Inventions in Ironl Inventions in
Steel! Solon said to Croesus, when
the latter was displaying his great
wealth, eff another comes who hath
better Iron than you, he will be mas
ter Of all that gold" A Bessemel
hath come having better Iron and has
"been master of all that gold," and
should another come, it will not be he
who hath better Iron but, he who
hath better machines.
Some interesting and instructive
facts are told of Inventors and Inven
tons. Do the hundreds of visitors
who go into our Cranberry mines ever
see the vision Of the old brawny black
smith OF fifty years ago, forging, witt
his strong and great hammer, horse
shoes and edged-tools. No! they only
see the machines at work and tht
loaded steam-car, and yet the "olC
brawny blacksmith" has played al
important part in the worlds history
, and the ring OF his anvil was laying
the foundation for your railroad, anC
building up your city, No nation hal
been able to play its part without th'
{ smith. Nothing could be done with
: out him. lie was the rivet which
held society together. Freedom AM
! liberty could never have raised thei
proud banners without the old smith
> In the old Anglo-Saxon time his per
son was protected with double pen
atty. He held the first precedency
and in the royal courts, got next tn
!, king and queen. In the Roman war
he was "the mighty war smythe."
Frequent mention is made of him il
the Bible. When Jerusalem was takel
captive by Babylon one of the frs
! precautions was to capture all thes
| smiths and carry them captive int
: Babylon. The Invention OF the Elk
! caliber-the famous sword OF Kin
Arthur, forged by one Of these "might
a smiths" was terror and a thing c
e worship, and was sold to a crusader
: by Richard I, for "four great ship
and fifteen galleys."
9 Gibbon records OF bold Invento
e who arose among the once oppresse
e Turks and laid the foundation 70
y that once great empire. Gatherin
! together all the iron workers they sa
s. lied forth from their mountains an
4 set up their Standards OF Liberty an
!, their weapons soon freed them. Fc
!. centuries after might be heard the al
d vii ring Of Liberty, The Turkish nj
e tion held, in honor Of their Liberation
= = at which piece Of iron was heated j
. the fire and laid on the anvil, and tn
ie prince and mobiles applied the han
O. mer.
I "Speak not lightly Oh, friendl I
j % your village blacksmith, you kno
1f not how much Of your liberty an
lie greatness you owe to him.
is If the history OF Inventors and Il
." yentions could be traced it would
marvellous what an important pa
they have played in the worlds hi
l9 ), tory since those simple lessons in IL
: Garden of Eden.
: Milton sold his Paradise Lost" fl
five pounds. Bunyan wrote his "Pi
grims Progress" Ia Bedford Jail, ar
81 yet these Two books have gone throug
! " i,annn odif,nns hnnr trnnclntnd -,