The Washington herald., 1914-11-09
HISTORY BUILDERS.
How a Universal Need Inspires
Invention.
written EIpre.iy for ne Hsrahl
uy DR.. 4. I. EDWARDS,

Il have long been convinced that when
the need is generally and widely felt
for something that will take the place
OF methods which have been adopted in
industry for centuries then. sooner or
later, mems intelIects will be able to
provide exactly what is needed
This remark was made to me by Henry
Robinson Towne. who is identified with
one Of the largest Of American indus
tries and whose name Is known the world
over as that OF a man who is one of the
chief Industrial and commercial forces
Of the United States.
Mr. Towne, in civil war days and
while still a young man within year
OF his majority. was occupied with gov
ernment work which the affairs Of the
gunboat Massachusetts, entailed- He was
especially identified with the important
work of directing the engines in the once
famous monitor Monadnock and Aga
menticus. Later. he became Identified
with the great industry with which his
name has for so many years been asso-
ciated.
"A good many years ago." said Mr..
Towne, at the time when the sewing
machine was beginning to be recognized
as one Of the most important contribu-
tions Of invention to American industry,
1 spent q day or two with my friend. Ma
thaniel Wheeler. who was identified for
many years with one of the largest es-
Adjustments in the world for the manu-
facture Of sewing machines.
''Mr. Wheeler took me through his
plant, and 1 saw various models Of sew
ing machines in operation and was great
ly impressed by all that I saw. After
my visit was ended. I fell into q line
Of thought from which came my FIRST
comprehension of the fact that whenever
there Is developed q universal need there
also In due time comes demonstra-
tion Of the fact that some one has found
out how to meet that need.
For example. reflected that for
ages back as far as history has made
any record there was no other way Of
sewing than by needle and thread. Even
the savages had their primitive needles
and manufactured their thread from the
fiber Of tree bark or from wood.
About the middle of the last century
there was a recognition Of the fact that
primitive or even more modern needle
and thimble were not sufficient to meet
the demands OF modern life. Soon after
that need was felt. Howe came forward
with his first model OF the sewing ma
chine. and within a few years the sew
ing machine, with various improvements
made by one or another inventor, had
been adopted into universal use.
Well. I went on with my cOntempla-
tion, asking myself whether there was
any other method which had been in
use for centuries that could be supplant-
ed by more convenient instrumentalitles
adapted to our new civilization. Sudden
ly II occurred to me that this was the
case with writing. For ages either the
stylus or the quill pen or. later. the steel
Nlaw Aa1 heAW "A inst ant a
which writing was done. But the need
had arisen for q more rapid, convenient
method that would be in sympathy with
demands OF our modern civilization. So
I said to myself, 81 am sure that some
one and perhaps. at the same time diff
ferent persons, are feeling this impulse
and are attempting to construct an ap-
paratus which will supplant, In great
measure the century-old method Of writ
ing. It even occurred to me that the ap-
paratus must necessarily have as Its
fundamental idea a sort Of circular or
semi-circular method OF reaching the pa
per by means Of hammers containing
types which concentrated upon the sheet.
The idea was vague. I was OF course
occupied with my own business and only
INDUCED In the fancy because I had
been led to this line Of thought by my
experience in witnessing the manufac-
ture OF sewing machines.
'Afterward Il appeared that there were
at that very time several men. among
them Sholes, OF Milwaukee. who were oc-
cupied with this problem. Within few
years they had given the world the mod
ern typewriter which has wonderfully
assisted in the development Of the worlds
progress in recent years"
tCopsright, isl4. by =. J. Edwards. An rights ~
servedl
Tomorrow DR.. Edwards will tell How
the Gold Mines OF Bolivia Were Redls-
eovarad