The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-08-18
THE INVENTOR OF MATCHES.
The Remarkable Career of Sir Isaac Hold
Ell, Whose Yearly Income Was 81 ,0Oo,-
600.
(From the Philadelphia Evening Tele.
graph

g. graph
Sir Tsaao Holden, who died on Friday,
at the time of his retirement from politi-
cal life two years ago was the Oldest and
probably the richest member of the House
of Commons, and he was certainly one of
the most remarkable men in the United
Kingdom. He was born at Paisley in
Scotland, in 1907. His origin was very
humble, his father being a working
miner, too poor to keep him at school.
So he was put to work to earn his own
living at the early age of 10, when he was
made an apprentice to shawl weaver.
But removal from school only stimulated
his ardor for knowledge, and he managed
to attend evening classes when working
as an operative in cotton mill some
fourteen hours day. His studies enabled
him to accept position as q teacher, and
it was while serving in that capacity that
he bestowed upon the world great bene
fit, which was, however, slight benefit to
him. This was the invention of the
lucifer match, which he came upon unex-
peotedly while making some chemical ex-
periments for the instruction of his
pupils. Other Nen took up the discovery
and he made nothing out Of it.
In time he gave up the ferrule and be-
came q bookkeeper with Yorkshire man
ufacturing firm. This was the turning
point of his life, for, while working at his
ledgers and journals, his mind went back
to his shawl-wearing apprenticeship, and
B he became interested in the manufacture
of wooden cloth, and sought to construct
machine for carding the wool. For
years he studied the problem, making
many apparently fruitless experiments.
All his savings from his salary were given
to the enterprise. The friends to whom
he confided his scheme locked with little
favor upon it. But his perseverance and
genius finally triumphed, and he com
pleted and perfected q carding machine
which has revolutionized the wool indus
try of the world. Happily, he secured
letters patent upon the invention, and
as a result handsome profits soon came to
him. He established mills in Yorkshire,
literally creating large centres of industry.
He also built several mills in France. For
many years his income from them was
enormous, averaging probably 81 200, 600
year. His French mills were founded in
partnership with Mr.. S. C. Lister, the
fam GUS "silk king" of Bradford, and
were situated at St! Denis, Rheims, and
Croix. He dissolved the partnership
with Mr.. Lister; in 1858, afterit had
lasted nearly eighteen years, and then the
present firm of Isaac Holden & Son was
formed.
Mr.. Holden entered political life in
1856, when he was elected for Knares.
borough, which he represented until 1865
In that year. and again in 1872 and 1874,
he was defeated. He reentered Parlia-
ment in 1882, when he was returned at a
l,ya alortior an tho NortharT, division of
the West Riding of Yorkshire, after the
assassination of Lord Frederick Caven-
dish, who had held the seat. On the re-
distribution of seats he became the mem
Der for the Keighley Division Of the West
Riding, and held that seat until the gen.
from public life. He was always a
devoted Liberal in politics, being de-
scribed as "a monomaniacal Glad
stonian." He was an advanced reformer,
especially upon land questions. He
advocated the breaking down of all
barriers, both of taxation and inter-com-
munication, between nations, and was
chimerical scheme for constructing a
tunnel under the Straits of Dover. On
the Queens birthday in 1898 he was
created a baronet.
Sir Isaac was an ardent Methodist.
He became local preacher among the
NOoiOy aA5, DuU, WdS
never popular, being strong, Puritanic,
often bitter, and always stern" Like
many millionaires, his habits were as
simple as those of the poorest paid clerk
in his employ. Throughout his whole
life he had never missed days exercise,
unless, indeed, he was confined to bed.
Eight miles day was his "constitu-
tional'' walk, rain or shine, hot or cold
No matter how busy he may have been,
or how many hours he had to work, he
always took time for such walk, and
continued to do so even after he had
reached the age of eighty-five. To this
habit and his abstemiousness at table he
attributed the excellent and vigorous
health he enjoyed as an octogenarian.
Never could he be tempted to eat meat
oftener than once a day-at lunch.
Breakfast and dinner were made of fruit
and some light farinaceous food. The
House of Commons hours have greatly
improved in recent days, but in the worst
of times they had no terrors for Mr.. Hol-
den. Often he was to be seen between
one and two o'clock in the morning as
fresh, as gay, and as ready for converse
ton as II 1t were twelve O'Clock in the
day. Indeed, he never showed fatigue
and never complained of work or worry,
remaining as buoyant and energetic in
the eighties as man OF thirty-flve.