The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-08-07
JACQUARD WAS
 INVENTOR OF
 THE SILK LOOM
But France Failed to See Its Value Until Others
 Had

Joseph Marie Jacquard, who per fected the silk loom, died on Aug. ', 1884, at the age of S4. He was the son of Joseph Jacquard, of Lyons, France, a young loom owner who saw the poor weavers working from in the morning uptil 9 at night, in crowded rooms whole families often bending over a loom, their chests shrunken and their faces pallid from want of air and sunlight There were no holidays; there was no home life; little children grew pinched and old: and mothers went too early to their graves. If work stopped, they ate the bread of charity, and went to the alTnshouse.
 The manufacture of silk had be- come a most important industry. Seventeen hundred years before Christ the Chinese had discovered the making of silk from silk worms, and had cultivated mulberry trees. They forbade anybody to export the eggs or to disclose the process of making the fabric, under penalty of death. The Roman Emperor Justin ian determined to wrest this secret from China, and thus revive the re- sources of his empire. He sent two monks, who ostensibly preached Christianity, but in reality studied silk worms, and, secreting some eggs in two hollow reeds, returned to Jus tinian, and breaking these canes laid the eggs on the lap of the beautiful Empress Theodore. From this the art spread into Italy, and thence into France.
 The French Revolution burst upon Lyons in 1793. Lyons crime before such murderers Robespierre and eJ, of Louis XVI. Sixty thousand men were sent against her by the so-called Republicans, who were commanded to utterly destroy her. Six thousand persons were put to death, their houses burned, and 12,00o exiled, among them Joseph Marie Jacquard. When he was able to return to Lyons, he found his poor wife, in the outskirts of the city, living in hay loft, and earning the barest pittance by spreading out linen for the laun- dresses to dry. She divided her crusts with her husband, but soon. died, her last words to her husband being to develop his genius, and build some machine that would tighten the burdens of the poor workers over the looms.
 Jacquard labored at his loom by USiy' alu aC IlShl, Stuuled on nlS machine at silkweaving. Finally, after seven years, he produced a loom which would decrease the num- Der of workmen at each machine, by one person. The model was placed at the Paris Industrial Exposition in 1901; and the maker was awarded bronze medal. Jacquard succeed ed in making further Improvements, and the Emperor Napoleon sent for him. The Emperor gave Jacquard a pension of about $1.2o0 for his dis covery. Soon, however, the tide of praise turned Whole families found them selves forced into the street for lack of work, as the looms were doing what their hands had done. The authorities seemed unable to quell the storm of the rioters, and by their | order the new loom was broken into pieces on the public square. and Jac- uuard narrowly escaped death at the hands of the mob. Soon, however, Switzerland, Germany, Italy and | America were using the Jacquard looms, largely increasing the manu- facture and sale of silk. and there- fore the number of laborers. Too late the poor men realized that by breaking up the Jacquard machines they had put the work of silk weav- ing into other hands all over the world, and destroyed their own op- portunity, In his old age. Lyops realized the gratitude due her great inventorj a silver medal was award ed him, and then the nnble distinc- ton of the croD of the Legion of Honor.