Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-06-08

ana sciences. as in politics and religion
men prefer to remain undisturbcd and
naturally resent any interference with
their settled beliefs and habits. They
look with suspicion on new suggestions
or IDEAS. and especially such as, in
.heir ignorance. they think will inter-
iere IN any manner with their present
interests; and hence the tendency to
continue in the old ruts. and violently
oppose improvements or changes, and
to denounce inventors as "cranks.''
History shows that the great i'm
proVements in the arts and sciences
nave had their development only since
Tree governments have been cstab-
ilshcd. and general education intro
duccd: and it is where these exist in
their greatest perfection that the
greatest advance has taken place.
In the United States. where there is
the greatest freedom in governmental
and religious matters, there has been
the greatest advance in inventions.
The growth ana development of our
manufacturing and agricultural inter
cstS. which is due to inventions fos-
tered by our patent system more than
TO any other cause. has been mar
vicious. and excitcs the astonishment of
The world. Under the benign influence
Of this system. in Il single century. we
have grown from q cluster of scattered
settlements, mostly along the Atlantic
scaboard. with population of less
than four millions, to Il compact and
powerful nation of nearly seventy
millions; have increased our nationa!
territory from 100000 to 3. 3l4, 30 suuar e
miles; have subducd the forests and
built up the whole country from ocean
to ocean; and have built more miles of
railroad. and established more post
offices than all other nations combined.
We have grown and prospered as no
other nation has. until today we do one
third of the worlds manufacturing.
onc-third Of its mining, one-Gfth of
its farming, and possess one fifth of it's
wealth.
With such an Illustration of the be NJ
fits of our patent system, one would
suppose that opposition to inventions
would long since have ceased: but I'M
fortunately, while it has greatly
diminished with the growth of intcil-
Scnce ard universal education it still
exists.
AS illustrative of this spirit of oppo-
sition. it may bc interesting to cite a
few instances.
When. in 1907, Papin of France. the
inventor of the digcster in universal
use for paper making and many other
purposes, and also of the lever safety
valve, made a small steamboat and ran
It down the river Fulda the ignorant
ooatmen. who. like some of the la Dor
ing men of the present day. thought it
would injurc their business. seized and
destroyed it.
So too, when Jonathan Hulls pa
tented his steamboat in England in
1886. he WAS laughed at and ridiculcd
in every conceivable way. One paper
published the following doggerel in
reference to him:
Jonathan fAulls.
With his patent skulls.
invented machine
To go against wind and stream.
But he, being an ass
Couldn't bring il Ia pass.
And SO was ashamed to be seen.
When jacquard invented his loom.
which was So wonderful that the great
Arnot. French minister of war. caused
him to be brought into his prcsance
ana said to him: Are you the man
who can do what the Almighty cannot
tie 4 knot in a stretched string"
there WIS the strongest opposition to
its introduction. eliminating in mob
nf the silk wcavcrs. who took il from
his house into the streets. broke it up,
and burned the fragments.
1t was the same with Hargraves in
England. when he invented his spin
ming jenny in 1863. He was perse-
cutcd by his fellow workmcn. who
seized his machine, broke it in pieces.
and drove him from his native town.
! That invention. with the improve
ments of Arkwright and Crompton.
ami the invention of the cotton gin by
Whitney. who was outraEcously de
fraudcd of his rights. have changed
the entire art of producing woven fab
rlcs. Indeed, so far as the cotton in
dustry Of the world is concerned. they
may be said to have created the indus
try, which today gives employment to
millions. and has SO immensely cheap
ened the product that it is used the
world over.
This opposition to and unbelicf in the
possibility OF the success OF Inventions
has not been confined to the ignorant
alone. but has been shared by many
educated and even great men. When 1t
was proposed to build railroad in
the United States. Chancellor Living
siCn, one of the greatest men in the
state of New York. published a letter
in which as he thought, he demon
strated the utter impossibility of the
proposed undertaking. His reasons
were. first. that it would require
massive substructurc of masonry the
whole length OF the road. and that
would he so expensive that it would
not pay: second, the momentum of
such a moving body as a train Of cars
would be so great that the train could
not he stopped until it got several
miles past the place: and. third. lio one
would want to risk his life flying
through the air at the rate of II or ID
miles an hour.
So, too. Daniel Webster expressed
grave doubts as to the possibility of
railroads saying. among other things,
that the frost on the rails would pre-
vent the train from moving. or from
h, ing stopped If it did move.
When the Baltimore and Ohio Kali
road was first opened from Baltimore
TO F.lIicott City. an excursion was
r,;,-c, n an invite company composed