Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1896-03-13
WOMEN AS INVENTORS
THEY ARE TAKING A FRONT RANK
IN THIS FIELD.

THEY ARE TAKING A FRONT RAM
IN THIS FIELD.
What They Have Done and Wha
They May Accomplish - Thei
Ideas Follow Closely i'm the Lin
OF Timely Utilitarian Devices.
In the field of invention, we hav
men who are not geniuses, but simpl.
talented, ingenius, and well-traine,
Interpreters OF human needs, wilt
make good incomes by patenting ar
ticles for common use. So many hun
dreds, and even thousands, are draw
ing big royalties in this way that in
vention may be said to be profitabl,
occupation for limited number O
men and women. In order to succeed
however, in the field of invention, one
must have certain inventive gifts, 8
clear mind, broad knowledge OF the
needs OF humanity, and good, sound
common-sense judgment.
For many years the field of inven
ton was decided over entirely to men
and woman inventor was an un.
heard-of species of the human family
In those early days OF our national
life, the opinion was generally accept.
ed that woman had an inferior order
of mind, and that she had no invent.
i've gifts. Accepting this as literally
true, it may be supposed that many a
bright woman KEEP. her ideas OF some
labor-saving invention to herself,
fearful lest its PRONUNCIATION should
bring ridicule upon her. Or possibly
she handed the idea over complete, or
in part, to her husband, brother or
father, who took the credit of the
whole invention when it finally proved
q great success.
Recently great interest has been
shown in the first report by the Patent
Office OF the inventions of woman, and
also In the exhibition of the most sue
cessful ones at the Atlanta exhibition.
The first encroschment upon this
field by woman was made in 1909, 19
years after the Patent Office was first
established, by one Mary Kies, who in.
vented a machine for weaving srtaw
with silk or thread. The patent
granted to her was successful in many
ways, and her method of weaving
straw goods was followed for a consid.
cradle time afterward by the leading
manufacturers. Her royalties must
have amounted to many thousands OF
dollars, although on this point the
Patent Office is silent. The second
patent was issued to a woman in 1915.
This was for new style of corset, and
like her solitary predecessor in the
new field. Mary Brush, the owner of
the new patent, obtained q fair in
come for several years on the sales OF
the corsets which embodied her inven-
ton. These two singnlarly successful
patents gave a slight impetus to the
movement, and, thereafter, about one
patent year WAS issued to women ap.
plicants. From 1928 the proportion
of women inventors increased rapidly,
until 1862, when the records show
that as many as IA patents were
granted in that year.
The breaking out OF the civil war in.
terrupted women inventors in their
work at fret, but they soon recovered
from the sudden change of affairs, and,
instead OF blasting their inventive ge-
MUS, it seemed to develop it. Most OF
the men were called to 60 to the war
and the inventive genius of the males
declined during this dark period ol
our national life while that OF the wo.
men sprung into full-fledged existence
for the first time. Compelled to stay
at home and listen to the tales and
horrible echoes of the scenes OF car.
mage the women OF the land sought
every possible means to alleviate the
sufferings OF their brothers, fathers
and husbands, or to bring the war to a
close. 1t is only natural that they be-
gan to make inventions for war pur.
poses. Nearly all Of the applications
made at this time were either for
fighting purposes, or for hospital and
field service to alleviate the sufferings
Of the soldiers. It is amusing 10 look
over the patents granted during this
period, and 10 the unsuccessful app.i-
cstions made. Some of the machines
for destruction described would put an
end to any war in short time if they
had proved practical, but many oi
them were too crude to be worth
much. The inventions for nursing
and hospital work were numerous and
beneficial. Several OF these inventions
are in use to-day in city hospitals,
while others would be brought to light
again in the event OF another war.
The demand for war and hospital
devices having declined, the women
inventors turned their attention 10
producing articles for peace and com.
merce. In 1870 the number oi
patents issued to women numbered
GO, and in each decade the increase
was rapid. In 1880 the number was
90; in 1890 over 200, and in 1893 over
300, making it fair to assume that al
the close of the present decade the
number will be we'll over 500, if not
actually 1000.
n