Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-17

person got his patent it was prima facia
evidence that the invention had been de-
scribed correctly.
The secretaries of State and War and
the Attorney General were constituted the
first patent commission. They waited
three months before the first applicant
for patent appeared. Samuel Hopkins
had Invented new method of making pot
and pearl ashes. That patent was issued
July 81. 1870. the first of nearly a million
which have followed In its train Three
years later another act was passed, and
the Secretary of State alone became the
final authority as to whether a patent
should be issued. Foreigners were denied
the privileges and advantages OF the pat
ent system, but this was partially restored
in 1890 In 1919 Congress conferred upon
the circuit courts the right to protect the
holder of a patent from infringements.
x ::
The germ Of invention became very ac-
tive in the American mind in the thirties.
The railroad train
Germ of Invention and the telegraph
p A.: instrument be-
and everywhere inventors began to be-
stir themselves. This led to the enact
ment of new law in 1886, a law which
has been pronounced the most important
event in American history from the adop-
ton of the Constitution to the opening of
the civil war. Before that time 10000
patents were issued. Since then nearly a
million have been granted. Under the act
of 1896 the patent office was established.
the office of commissioner of patents was
created and the big DOric-columned build
ing that has served as the temple of in
vention ever since was authorized.
Since that day the American inventor
has led the world. He is bringing out
new ideas at the rate of more than 10000
year. Last year there were $4,000 pat
ents granted out Of $4,000 applications
filed. These patents covered the entire
range Of human ingenuity. Each decade
brings some epoch-making invention,
which in turn brings in its train thou-
sands of others. When the automobile
first was invented and patented there had
attachments and improvements that have
since been invented and patented. No
such thing as an anti-joy riding device
was dreamed of until the automobile
came into popular use. When electricity
first was applied in the field OF transport
tation not one patent among the thou
sands that now blaze the path Of cleo
trical progress was thought or. And now
comes the flying machine. AS soon as it
becomes commercially practicable the
patent Office will do a land Office business |
in patents on appurtenances for the i'm |
provement Of aerial navigation.
great celebration was held in the city |
of Washington in 1891 in honor of the |
first centennial of American patent his |
tory. There were 10000 patents then in
the files of the patent Office. Statesmen, |
inventors, publicists all went into pro- |
found flights of spoken and written elo-
quence over the achievements of that |
century. They wondered and marveled |
at the tremendous progress Of invention |
during the hundred years they were view |
ing in retrospect. Since then less than |
nineteen years have passed, yet in those |
nineteen years more patents have been |
applied for and more have been issued /
than in all the hundred years that went
before.