The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1914-11-05
FIELD OF INVENTION
OFFERS POSSIBILITIES
Stories Of Men Who Have
Made Fortunes
In This Era Of Lightning-Iike Mechanical
and Industrial Development Nothing
is Considered Useful Un-
less Il Economises.
ChautduQta Paper BY f. NJ. s.

we are living In the most roman
tic age the world has ever seen.
Men dream of building a fairyland
in which engines dispense the power
Of million giants. Men are the
proprietors Of a magic realm in
which loveliness and utility are
twin princes; more royal and more
commanding than ever were the
sovereigns of any land or any time.
i Men create this magic because to-.
day invention is the mother of all
power, all wealth, and all beauty.
| Ideas, new ideas, are the Titans
WHO thunder with irresistible hands
upon the worlds treasured vaults.
This is the age when a man who can
invent something useful to his fell
low man is rewarded with crown.
| Now is the time when the invention
of anything that will beau,ify or i'm
prove the world is hailed as gorge
Gus victory, and invariably the re-
ward is position and wealth.
| Among the thousand of records
can be found chapters of romance
Of men who have risen from obscur-
ity to fame in the flash of au eye;
of inventors endowed with the pow.
er Of wizards and gods; of genuises
whose transition from poverty to
wealth and worldly honor has been
effected as if by magic. And the
dizziest. most dazzling, of these
chapters, often center about the man
who devises some simple thing. 1t
may not be more than the crinkle in
a woman's hair-pin, or the hump
which fasteps the hook more secure
ly to the eye. Or perhaps some
self-evident aud commonplace fact
that lighted candle placed between
some sort of a reflector and a mag
nifying glass would multiply it's
penetrating power hundred-fold.
In supplying little needs of every
day life. men have amassed almost
increditable fortunes.
| All the world Is looking for a
new idea. This is not an exaggera-
ton; it is a statement of simple
truth. If man has a new idea he
| is the sole proprietor of what the
world wants; and being the sole
proprietor, he is sought after by the
world; but his new idea must be a
useful one. 1t must improve, OF
amuse; or comfort women and men.
Unless it does a5 least one of these
things it cannot be called a new
idea. 1t is rather a dream, wild
vision. An idea. in order to be real.
must be the mother of usefulness.
| Every industry, every business,
every amusement, is in need of new
ideas. Every activity of man is a
field blooming with possibilities of
be:terment; for there is nothing on
earth so good as cannot be improv-
ed; and nature holds within her
bosom innumerable secrets to aid
the inventor, inviting man to search,
assuring success if he only uses a
little wisdom or to use the express
sion of the old story, Aladdins
lamp" This faithful and obliging
old lamp is not lost TO the ear,h
with the age of fable. 1t was found
one day by mere youth in the
most unlikely spot on the American
Continent; and where, do you ask?
On Broadway.
In those days, young man, hard
ly more than a boy, had come to
New York on an errand. In his
pocket he carried a small appliance
relating to telegraphy. On cold
winters day he walked the streets
until near the close of day, many
times wishing himself back home.
He finally entered telegraph Office
on Broadway. After stating his
business it was arranged that he
should call the following day. Be-
ing ushered into the presidents
Office he demonstrated his invention.
The august person sized him up and
said in grug voice, Young man,
I'll give you $500 for this thing
and not a cent more" The boy
thought he did not hear him Alright.
It is no wonder that he thought his
ears were decelving him? Thus did
this boy dispose of this small instru-
ment an stock ticker" and warm
his frost bitten fingers before the