The Washington times., 1913-11-02
THE WASHINGTON TIMES, SUNDAY NOVEMBER . 1918

papers all to herself. And Ii is al
about sewing machines. Attachments
| of various sorts, devices that are ar
integral part of the machine so thai
! attachments are unnecessary, constitute
her Inventions
Elizabeth w. Smith, of Atlanta, Ga
! probably got tired OF rocking the
baby's cradle by hand, despite the fiat
tering tradition attached to that time
honored occupation.
So she invented sort of motor at.
tachment which operates with the foot
vented a contriyance which is a COM
bination chair and cradle, both of which
rock at the same time.
Bed appliances offer another field OF
invention in which women. presumably
trained nurses. have contributed ma
terially TO the comfort of many in
valids
Wearing Apparel Favorite Field.
Invalid chairs. pillow supports. and
trays are also credited to women in
ventors.
More patents are granted to women
in the division' of wearing apparel per-
haps than any other, according to DR..
J. ]. Darby, one of the veteran exami-
ners In the Patent Office.
of course styles change" he says,
"and that renders some of the numerous
dress aids useless. But many of them
are really clever contriances, and of
much value, / suspect, to- women.
I'VE seldom see the inventors them
selves here. They are represented by
their attorneys in most cases. No models
are. submitted to US. We examine the
applications, which contain drawings
and descriptions"
Probably the Oldest woman inventor
known to the Patent Office Is Mrs
Leona ]. Critcher, of Chicago, who has
taken out several patents on undergar-
ments.
A New England woman. Jean Apple
ton, has made a fortune out of a rub
found to aid materially in the reduction |
" flesh.
Even IL the men have claimed all the
INVENTIVE honors, even in .woman's own
iomafn, here is one woman who returns
he compliment The perversity of man.
xind's collar buttons to say nothing of Il
'efractory buttonholes, probably ap-
'ealed to her sense of humon At any /
ate. Mrs. Sarah Rosentoven of New /
FORK has invented linen collar but
onhole which one can find in the dark
The square paper bag, probably the |
vas invented in 1871 by an English
woman. Miss Margaret Knight, who is
low in her seventieth year, and is still
'usy with her devices.
For the bag invention she was given
decoration by Queen Victoria. She Is
low at work on her eighty-niifth inven-
ion. Her first achievement was COW
red shuttle, now in universal use in
otton mills. She accomplished this at
he age of twelve.
Two Women Patent Examiners.
OF the forty-three employees in the ex-
mining divisions Of the Patent Office,
mo ~ tho oSeistapfs arc wOmen Miss
Marie X. Saunders and Miss Alice NJ.
ourinton, both of whom are experts in
heir branch of the Government service. II
Miss, Purinton, who is a recent ap-
,ointee, outdistanced a large class of
nen applicants in the rigid examination
which employees in this department must
II
I'VE have been accustomed so long to !,
he idea that women can do only the n
hings which are set before them that
I has come to be accepted as a fact
hat they can do nothing which re-
Iuires original thought" said Miss
saunders. II
"One often hears the charge that
women cannot improve upon the tools
he uses most each day; that some man
las to do her thinking for her, and
how her how to save her own labor.
But believe that that idea is chang
ng. along with lot of other old-fash-
oned notions that belong to the past"
At the moment she was examining the
nerits and demerits of a range boiler
SOT invented by a woman. 1t looked
cry complicated ...--. II
1--WE have $50 different divisions here.
almost everything in the
eavens above. the earth beneath, and
he waters under the earth. And you'll
nd a goodly proportion of women's
~ EDITH LoBERT.