The Iola register., 1890-11-14
WOMEN WATCHMAKERS.
A Plan Proposed for Starting Schoo
of Instruction in New YoBk.

A Plan Proposed for Starting n School
of Instruction in New York.
There have been three female watch
makers in New York for some time.
They learned the business from their
father. Now Mr.. Solon Brewer, of 219
Sixth avenue proposes to start school
of instruction for women who desire to
learn the art and mystery of watchmak-
ing. There are schools in Philadelphia,
Chicago, Waltham and several other
places in this country where the art OF
making watches is taught, and where won
women may go and learn If they see fit.
There is no such place in New York. and
Mr.. Brewer has come to the conclusion
that such place is needed, and the way
he talks about it is in this wise:
There is no reason why women should
not learn the art of Matchmaking They
| are, in fact, and have been for long
time, employed in the watch factories
of this and other countries. But the
factory work is generally confined to
one part of a watch. One girl makes
nothing but wheels: another works only
on parts of the escapement: another on
pinions, another manufactures screws
and so on, and they might go on for
years and years confining their atten-
tions to one particular part, and never
learn to make watch. .. . s....
''Of course, the perfection of machin-
cry is so great that watches are no
longer made by hand, but, when watches
get out of order and parts get broken,
and the watch repairer goes to work,
there is no telling what part of watch
may need to be understood. Therefore,
a watch repairer must understand all
parts of all kinds of watches. Most of
this work is now done by men. They
| sometimes pay as high as twenty-five
dollars to thirty dollars month for tu-
ition. There is no practical way of
teaching the business by appretice-
ship.
1T recurred to me that there must be
women with special qualifications for
matchmaking. They have the natural
ability for delicate manipulation of
small tools such as watchmakers use.
Many girls inherit natural mechanical
ability from their fathers. There is an
obvious difference in the way in which
they handle sewing-machines. One girl
will fuss and meddle and fool with her
sewing machine half her time and get
little work out of it. Another girl will
run the machine smoothly and regularly
and seldom get into trouble with it, and
will always know how to do what she
has seen the machinist do. There are
plenty of women who handle mechanical
tools with the same efficiency as can be
attained by men. There is no reason
why such women should not learn to be-
come good watchmakers in two or three
years. OF course any one familiar with
mechanical tools can learn much moro
quickly than one who has to begin with
out such knowledge.
81 would not advise girl to attempt
to learn matchmaking unless she had
some natural aptitude for it, otherwise
money spent for tuition would be thrown
away. If girls head is full Of amuse-
ments and ideas, and preparations for
matrimony alone, 1 should advise her
not to attempt matchmaking. But if
girl knows how to drive tack and is not
afraid of soiling her hands and is will
ing to tread a lathe, or push a file, or
blow into blowpipe, l see no reason
why she should not learn the business
as quickly as man. The old notion is
that it requires five or six years to teach
an apprentice. But ordinarily a good
deal OF that time is occupied in mere
manual labor about shop which has no
special relation to the art of watchmak-
ing In the school no time would be
lost, but all of 1t would be devoted di-
rectly to the art of Matchmaking. l
should begin by teaching the pupil by
means of an ordinary marine clock,
which is substantially big watch. l
should show how to take the movements
apart; how to regulate the escapement;
how to construct the parts one after
another, just as they do in the trade
schools, where they learn to make a
watch out of the raw materials. Some of
the girls are simple enough to inquire
whether they will be paid while learning
OF course they can not expect to be paid
for learning, but must have some capi-
tai to start with.-N. Y. Sun.