The Portland daily press., 1888-01-20
INVENTORS.
Mr.. Fassett's Lecture In the Me-
chanIcs' Course.

The second lecture in the Mechanics
Course was given last evening by Mr.. F. 81.
Fassett. the well-known architect, ON "In-
yentors." There was large audience pres
ent who were much pleased with the lecture
and received it with every mark of approba-
ton.
Mr.. Fassett, in commencing his paper,
spoke of the neglect which has been always
awarded great inventors who should be
given place among the worlds benefactors,
Every school child is taught the life and the
beauties OF the works of the leading men of
literature, but who of these very children
can do more than repeat the names of
few among those inventors by whose genius
the world has derived inestimable benefit.
The inventor Is usually a poor man In
need of money and the result, too often, is
that upon the completion of the work of
inventor, the capitalist gobbles up the
whole thing and makes fortune out of the
years, while the inventor remains poor
and sees his friend, the capitalist, benefited
by the fruits Of the poor mans study, labor
and, perhaps, loss of health from too close
application to work. The old proyerb is as
true now as Of old: "'It is naught, it is
naught, saith the buyer, but when he goeth
away, he boasteth.'
One seldom sees these men outside of
their shops or places of business. They are
not politicians, belong to no secret labor
organizations, have nothing to do with
strikes, are not Anarchists and Communists,
and are generally temperate in their private
life. They are the best of the communities
in which they live and are and ever have
been among the worlds greatest benefactors
few inventors who are fortunate enough
to live in the present age have amassed for
tunes and some have even built up great
and lucrative business and founded cities.
We all know of the great works of Krupp ct
ESSEN. Pullman, Mccormick, and Others
But" said the speaker, II intend to call
your attention now to few inventors whose
names have been almost forgotten" The
lecturer then spoke of the lives and labors Of
John Harrison, the inventor of the marine
chronometer; John Lamb, who introduced
the silk industry into England; Frederick
Koenig, the inventor of the steam printing
press, and Eli Whitney. to whose genius the
world owes the cotton gin. OF the invent
ors of more recent date, Mr.. Fassett briefly
alluded TO Mccormick, of whose reaper
vanced the line of civilization 30 miles west
ward each year; and John Ericsson, whose
inestiniable service to the government of the
United States, in its hour of peril, has
never been requted.
The story OF the lives of these men, with
the exception of Mccormick, are a record of
selfdenying application TO work and the
bitter disappointment of repeated rebuffs
and continued neglect. Inventors, with few
exceptions, belonged to what are termed in
England, il not in America, the lower
classes, and with few exceptions their early
advantages have been limited. Arkwright
was barber; Watt, mathematical instru-
ment maker; Fulton had only a com mon
school education, and George Stephenson, at
the age of Is was attending an evening
school. 1t would have been a great misfor-
tune to the world if Homer, Dante, Shakes
speare and Milton had not lived. Would it
not have been as great, or even more of a
misfortune. IL Guttenburg, Watt, Stephen
son and Morse had not been born.