The Progress., 1893-06-24
THE MAGIC PENCIL.

tionS in the household field. 1t lights and
heats the house, cooks the meals, carries
messages from one part of the premises to
another, runs the sewing machine and the
clothes wringer In about year more
they will have appliances by which it may
be used for rocking the baby to sleep, cur.
rying and brushing horses, sweeping
floors, hceing in the garden and washing
carriages.
Already my lady may curl her bangs
with electrical tongs. For n couple of dol
lars she may buy a little nicllle-plated
stand about three by four inches, two
inches high, trimmed with silk cord and
furnished with two sizes of curling irons,
large and small. The heat of the tongs is
under perfect control of the user and the
whole apparatus may be easily carried in
one compartment of small travelling
satchel. What boon this should be
the woman who worries herself sic.
while travelling because her bangs are
becoming unfrizzled and strengthening
out in long, awkward shreds. At any
time she pleases she may turn on the cur
rent in the little electric heater, warm up
her small-sized tongs and give tho recall
citrant bangs a twist or two right before
the ey,s of the passengers, and probably
not one of them would know what she was
doing.
There are many other novel uses of elec
tricity. Suppose gentleman Is very par
ticular about his silk hat. He insists that
it must always shine with that glossy lus-
tire which can only be given it by the heat
of the hatter's polishing iron. 1t is i'm
possible to go to halter every hour OF
two, particularly while travelling. In lieu
I.s, MI znl
with little electric hat polisher. He can
carry it in his overcoat pocket If he likes
and take it out at every street corner and
give the nape of his silk hat lew de1t,
smoothing &ouches.
Heavier irons of the same style are made
for use in hat stores and, in laundr;es for
polishing shirt fronts. All kinds of press.
ing irons are in the market. Tailors'
goose irons weigh from twelve to twenty
five pounds, and will heat ready for use in
about two minutes. Sad-irons for laundry
and domestic use are offered in three or
four sizes. No longer need the housewife
build a roaring fire in the kitchen store Oh
a hot summer day merely for the sake OF
heating her sad-irons. All she has to do
in this day and generation is to take her
sad-iron down from the shelf ano press 0
button. In two minutes it is hot enough
for business. Moreover, it will remain at
uniform temperature. running back
and forth to the hot stove, changing irons
burning ones fingers, making the face REQ
and losing the temper. With electrical
sad-irons ironing will become delight
and even the eldest daughter may be in
duced to take some interest in the house
hold laundry operations.
The chief difficulty about all these de
vices for cooking by electricity and the ap
plications of the subtle fluid to household
and light manufacturing purposes is The
/ cost. 1t is rather expensive luxury. Fol
/ those who can afford it electrical cooking
and electrical curling irons, glue pots
sealing wax heaters and all that sort o.
thing are neat and elegant. Nor should
any one say that because just now the!
are rather too expensive for the masses o.
: the people this is condition likely u
continue for some time. In the electrica
field progress travels by limited express
trains and within twelye-month Edisor
or some of the thousands of other students
of the magic current may find method o.
producing electricity at one-half or one
quarter its present cost. 1t looks as 4
electricity will not stop till it has pervadeo
all the arts and industries.
ROBERT GRAVES.