Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1900-05-12

Ancient tradition which, unfortunate
ly, we have no means of verifying
ranks woman prominently as an invent
or. and the Chinese still continue To yor-
ship Slling-Chi, the goddess of silkwormS.
IN commemoratiOn of the discovery of
silk by one Of their Empresses 1000 years
before the Christian era. In India there
Is IA temple. known as the Light of the
World, dedicated to Nourmahal. the gift
ed princess who first gave to the world
cashmere shaws and the perfume altar
IF roses. II is also alleged that gauze
was first invented by Pamphli. a woman
OF Cos. III the time Of the Roman en-
pre-. and that tof more recent date) Ma
dame Bessani, working woman of II
aiy received patent for the first Nene-
tian point lace. The Peruvians also
maintain that the mother of Incas dis
covered cotton and taught them how Ia
manufacture it. The first English woni-
ans invention on record is patent No.
81, granted to Sarah Jerom in 1855 for
IAN engine 10 cut timber into thin pieces
for making band boxes" and many years
elapsed before another patent was grant
el to female applicant, viz, No. 1872,
ISSUED to Rebocca Croxtun in 1873 for
weaving point lace.
When ex-senator J. j. Ingalls, visited
the Worlds fair he expressed himself as
very much surprised and disappointed
that the building devoted to woman's cX-
hlbit had So little 10 show for her hoaSted
achievements. W oman's progress is the
theme of the hour: much is claimed by
her in every department of hfr. aud an
endless controversy seems 10 have been
aroused to meet those claims: but a visit
to the United States patent office will
give definite and incontroyertihle infor-
nation concerning the advance made in
industrial arts by female inventors. for
ever since this great institution had n
history Il faithful record has heen kept
of all manner of CONTINGENCIES to ease la
Dor or add to the comfort aud c0nven-
fence Of humanity that have been diScov-
cred both in this country and abruad.
From this authentic record it appears
that the first invention ever made by a
woman in the United States was a meth
od of weaving silk with straw devised
by Mary kics in 1909. and that six years
had passed before second Mary tbear-
iug the surname Brush produced "A cor
set. in 1918. Four years later Sophia
Usher claimed the honor of making n
new carhonated liquid cream of tartar,
and, after another auatcrnion interval,
Julia Phantom broke the silence hy as
sorting her invention Of foot for n
stove. These We're the pioneers among
feminine claimants in the realm of inycn-
ton, Following them through the first
three decades which exhibit their new
talent, woman produced twelve other
more or less useful novelties. viz: 4
method Of weaving grass for hats. n
method of accelerating >pinnmg-whccl
heads, Il mode Of manufacturing mecca
sins. Il Sheetiton shovel method of
whitening lcghorn straw globe for
teaching geography, cook stove. a bel,
lows. 4 halsam lavender, calaSh balloon
Tor ladies, II method OF cutting straw and
fodder, and Il mode of manufacturing OK
tcrnal iihers of ;Sclcpias Syriaeca
These first intimationS of inventive grn.
iuS are prophetic OF her future career
under its guidance. The earliest Amer.
can patent taken out 10y Il woman was
one for shedding "a way of dividing the
warp threads in a loom to allow the pa<,
sage of the Shuttlcl. by Eliza Il. .ludkinS
/ in 1884, and was numbered tOTa, the Of
, ii e having reached that figure in its regis
/ ter of patents granted To men Eve was
late in plucking fruit from this tree of
/ knowledge, Adam was more than a
/ thousand points ahead Of her in the are.
ma of competition. many of the patent,
being for those marvelS OF ingenuity be
fore which the world bows in homage. -
Joanna L. Nichols Kyle in Frank Les
( lies Popular Monthly.