The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1912-11-29
SURPRISING INVENTIONS.

man could and would sew as much in
la given time as six men could, II
came very nearly being lost to the
world because it was claimed that II
manufactured and sold openly II
would throw so many men out of EN-.
ployment who were making their liv.
ing plying needles.
II it had not been for the pluck
and grit and tenacity Of Mrs. Howe,
he would have given it upand allow
ed the one machine he had perfected
to be destroyed as a protection to
workingmen. But she encouraged
him to stand by his work; she took
in washing to keep them from star
wing; she helped him fix up the gar
ret for workship, and in the long
hard struggle waiting for recognit-
ion and for popular prejudice to sub
side, she never would listen to any
talk of abandoning the invention.
Isaac D'Israeli in his history of the
development of printing, drops hint
as to why the Romans did not deve-
lop the art when they had the idea
He says they really possessed the art
but did not suffer it to be used ex-
cept for stamping pottery. An army
of scribes did their writing, and in
all that was written about art and
science and discoveries, not one
word can be found about the art of
printing, The Roman Senate had
power to suppress anything that
might not be for the public good, and
if they thought that printing would
disturb the conditions of the learned
working class known as scribes. they
might for that reason prescribe hat
no printing should be done. They
could at least control what the scri-
bes should write, and II printing
should be done and much indiscrim-
mate matter printed without the ord
mary limitations of human effort.
what harm might not be done to
their established order of things? If
these were their reasons for suppress
sing it, who can compute the loss to
the world, occasioned by their pru-
dence! And applying this same mea-
sure to the modern sewing machine,
who can compute the loss to human
fly If Elias Howe and his good wife
had given up and allowed his inven-
ton to disappear after it was COM
plete in 1916.
The same could be said of count
less other Inventions, but thanks to
the broad generosity Of the American
people, they bear in mind that it is
possible to benefit humanity in gen
eral by letting some class learn
new vocation. The seamster class
may get employment manufacturing
sewing machines or furnishing the
materials or selling the machines or
loading them into drays and box cars
for delivery or they may work at
some other vocation or they may die
the world moves on better with sew
ing machines than without, and the
individual must adapt himself to con-
ditions that make for the betterment
of conditions for the race.
On the whole, inventions may not
make the lot of the working man any
easier, but they enable him to fur
nish service to a greatly multiplied
number, and enable the masses both
rich and poor to have things in this
life that their ancestors could scarce
ly get to in the short span Of life, un-
less they had great wealth.
Invention was Risky Business
. Many inventors have been threat
ened with dire calamity, and Elias
Howe is not the only one who felt
the fury Of the mob at time when
he in his enthusiasm expected they
would applaud him.
It is recorded in the history of
France that one Fust, when he
learned something Of the art Of print
ing, set his energies to work to bring
about the printing Of copies of the
Bible. The work was being sold In
manuscript form in the market for
a price equal to $500 in our money,
and when he had printed many cop
les he offered them at $500 each.
They were more desirable than the
manuscript because they we're more
perfect, and it was the marvel of the
people that they were exactly alike.
The astonished populace quickly |
bought up his copies and with
unbelievable he produced |
more. CONSERVATION deva10ned - !