The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1893-06-06
AMERICAN INVENTIONS.
Several Reasons Why the United States
Lead All other Nations

Lead All Other Nations.
or all the countries in the world
none is so prolific in inventions as
America Several reasons for this are
assigned by London Engineering. Tha
ease Of obtaining patents and their
cheapness holds out to every man the
chance of creating for himself piece
Of property by the exercise of his
brains. The high rate OF wages insurea
the inventor of a labor-savlng apple
ance patient hearing ffcm capitalists,
while the Independence of thought ana
feeling which pervades all classes leads
to original views and to bold attacks
on difficult subjects. Hence everyone
is potential inventor. especially if he
has an acquaintance with science or
manufacture. Whatever a mans occu-
patton, he must daily find himself
called upon to do so or to suffer many
things which he would gladly emanci-
pate himself. The proverb says: There
is remedy for every Ill but DEATH"
and seeing how many ills there ares
the opportunities for dewsing remedies
are not only numberless, but they are
present too all, The unenterprising bear
with patience the inconvenience that
surround them but those with active
mind busy themselves with cxpedient5
to tighten the burden Of life, and look
for their reward under the provisions
Of the patent law. The inventor is tha
greatest benefactor of the human race.
and especially that part of it that ts
INDECENT; he is the real friend OF the
poor man. and indeed, almost his only
friend.
II is when we compare the condition
Of the poor today with that OF the
previous ages that we see how much
the inventor has done for humanity.
To know how hard life must have been
before the advent Of machinery. we
li'y city to H. gliie a mily set
down on a small island and called ul,-
IN lo provide all their food and cloth
ing without the aid Of mods
crn mechanical appliances to
thrash winnow and grind to raise
cattle, kill and dress them; to shear.
card spin and weave their wool to
make and mend their clothes; to pro-
vide soap, candles, tools, cutlery, earth-
enware, paper. pencils, nails. medIcInesb
leather boots. ropes and the thousand
and one things that are needed in a
home. Evidently 1t could not be dones
even IL labor were continued from
dawn to eve, and then extended far
into the night And this under tho
favorable conditions Of a yeoman's
| family without rent TO pay. How
much worse must It have been under
the exactions Of feudal landlord,
Two-thirds of what we considered nec-
esaaries must have been omitted from
the list of that day and to sore toll
must have been added scanty fare AMI
insufficient clothing During the ternt
Of his patent the member, or bis ass
signee. may make money out Of II, bud
when II expires 1t practically becomes
gift to the masses The producing
power Of the world has been increased
manifold. without any corresponding
increase In the consuming power OF thu
upper classes. The wealthy do not eat
more bread and meat today than they
did years ago. Yet the output OF thosd
commodities has been vastly augmen-
ted and they are consumed in larga
quantities by section Of the popula-
tlon which once seldom got flesh foods
and often went short OF bread. And
20 OF nearly every other industry; this
working classes take the bulk Of what
is produced. for the very good reasou
that they are able. by the aid Of ma~
chinery, to turn out several times al
much work In a day as could their fore-
fathers. AZ the same time that their
production has increased. their actual
labor has diminished man with a
heavy job IN foot lathe not only
worked slowly. but painfully. whem
the long day was done every faculty.
was exhausted and he tramped homd
to rest, expanded both in body ana
mind. Now he looks on while the lathd
does the work His hours. too. ara
shorter than they were. while the ap-
probation Of gold which has ial<enl
place has enormously Increased hia
wages BY augmenting their pufchas-
ing power