Barbour County index., 1909-10-27

vention, perseveres in attempting to
see the officials, he is looked upon as
the man with "a glitter in his eye.' and
the blue-coated officials with police au-
thority are given warning that he is
not to be admitted to the presence Of
official greatness.
Occasionally influence, which the
real inventor hates to bring to bear. en-
ables him to get an audience with the
highest official in the department. He |
has reached the criminal stage by this |
time. for he has taken to the chief that
which courtesy and custom require
should have been taken to the under I
ling.
"The three stages of suspicion are
gone through again by the persistent
inventor-imbecile. lunatic and crimi-
nal-and occasionally his persistence
wins out, for in passing through the
degrees he may happen to hit upon
some official, also regarded as lunatic
by his colleagues. who takes An that
which other lunatics produce.
"Such was my case, and won out.
The officials to-day who treated me
with something worse than scorn are
taking credit to themselves for discov-
ering the merit in that which I had to
offer.
Different in Europe.
"On the continent of Europe things
are different. There the inventor 10
not treated as if he were fresh from an
asylum for the feeble-minded, but II
turned over at once to the official
whose duty it is to examine such
things as he has to offer, and the exam.
ination proceeds forthwith. The CONT
mental governments take interest in ev.
erything that is new, especially II 1t
pertains to warfare. and the inventor 10
treated like what he is in most cases
a gentleman. The United States gov
ernment when it gets thing gets 1t
by accident after having exhausted ev-
cry means likely to discourage man
whose brain has produced that which
finally is found worthy by those who
had met it at the outset with sneer."
It may be after all that truth is
stranger than fiction, though people are
given to a doubt of the old saying.
After hearing Of what this inventor had
said. a character in one of Charles
Dickens novels came to mind and
looked him up to refresh the memory.
The American said that the continental
European governments were interested
in all the schemes of inventors. He
said nothing about Great Britain. 1t
may be that Edwards government has
reformed, but in Little Dorrit," az
q NAV find who chooses to look, Daniel
MIR. Meagle's friend. had an experience
,ficialdom much like that or the yankee.
wee Mr.. Meagle said:
his Doyce Is smith and engineer. :.
en- years ago he perfected an invention
wing a very curious secret process) OF
Importance to his country and his fellow
res. I won't say how much it cost him.
W many years of his life he had been
It. but he brought it to perfection
years ago.
Becomes Cuiprit.
e addresses himself to the government
moment he addresses himself to the gov
mt. he becomes public offender! !.
eases to be an innocent citizen and be-
culprit He is treated from that
It as a man who has done some Internal
/. He is a man to be shirked, put on.
beaten. sneered at, handed over by this
= CONNECTED young or old gentleman to
highly connected young or old gentleman.
lodged back again; he is man with no
in his own time, or his own property;
re outlaw, whom it is justifiable to get
anyhow; man to be worn out by any
,le means"
e inventor who had some things to say
the manner in which he was treated by
American department officials when he
them humbly to look at his invention
also that once upon time he had an
ntment with cabinet officer and that
aited beyond the time set for two hours
; he had his interview. which lasted less
one minute.
must be borne in mind that this was
years ago and no present cabinet oficial
plieated.
might also be borne In mind by present
is that at least six governments Of the
are each spending millions Of dollars
lily in adding to their store Of weapons
tense and defense the invention which
nan had perfected years before he could
ie ofiicials Of the government Of his own
ry to look upon 1t with anything that
smacked OF interest.