Evening star., 1936-11-21
UNIQUE DINNER TO BE EATEN
Patented Food and Beverage Articles to Give Originality Cee
braion-American System Responsible for Great
Industrial Development

and even this original crystal ball will
be replaced in 1886 by its synthetic
counterpart.
During the period of the centennial
the Smithsonian Institution and other
museums will show original models OF
early inventions, comparing them with
inventions OF today. In cities all over
the country patent associations will
celebrate with dinners, at which they
will receive. by means of national
radio hook-up the entertainment and
speeches from the parent dinner in
Washington. The Patent Once Will
hold open house" all day.
The American patent system, in
whose honor this birthday party is
being held, Is certainly worthy of COM
memoration, for under that system
inventive genius was freed as truly as
Nation had been freed previously
by the Declaration Of Independence.
Stimulated by the protection and en-
couragement afforded by that system.
industry in this country went ahead
by leaps and bounds at the spur OF
patented inventions.
THE centennial being celebrated to-
morrow was. as a matter OF fact.
really born on July instead of No
vember %, for it was on that day, in
1885. that President Andrew jackson
affixed his signature to the act Gre
ating new system for granting
patents. To that system is attributed
the astonishing industrial progress
made in the United States in the last
100 years. and this country's outstand-
ing position among nations in in
dustry.
The Inauguration of the new system
opened up a field for the exercise of
inventive Imagination to an extraordi-
nary extent and has been responsible
for material progress such as was not
heretofore dreamed OF.
The enactment of prior act in the
United States-known as the act OF
l790-was the first legal recognition
given property privilege in an inven-
ton, in all history, although in an
cient days there had been granted
special privileges to any introducing
new industries or conducting adven-
lures attended by physical danger or
commercial risk. The special fran
chises granted by England in the
fourteenth century, to encourage for
eign manufacturers in the art OF
weaving, are an example, and in 1894
a patent was granted Galileo-the
first in point of time of the great mod
ern scientists-by the Doge of Venice
for his invention of hydraulic ma
chine. In 1923 the famous statue OF
monopolies in England differentiated
patent grants due to invention from
those based on other considerations
But this was merely . grant Of grace
THE American act Of 1870 was the
first legal recognition of the In
ventor's rights. President George
Washington was one of the first II
have recommended legislation of thii
character. Under the act. a boart
consisting Of the Secretary of State
the Secretary of War and the Attor.
ney General was empowered to gram
the patent "if they shall deem the
invention or discovery sufficiently
useful or important"
Prior to. this Federal act, patents
had been granted in America, the frs
such being that given Samuel Winslov
by the General Court of Massachu'
setts in l641 for novel method o.
making salt"
After the Revolutionary War, pat
ents were granted by the individua
States, Pennsylvania leading in the &C
tivity, and the most prominent In
ventor of this period was Oliver Evans
q pioneer in flour-making machiner,
and belt and bucket conveyors. as vel
as o noted independent inventor u
steam engines
At this particular period Of OH
history the steamboat was receiving
the general attention of inventors
Rumsey secured q patent for 1t In Vir
ginia in 1884 and in Pennsylvania tn
next year. Pennsylvania also grante'
q patent to Fitch in 1857, and Nev
| York followed.
THE administration Of the paten
system Ia the United States wa
! conducted ~ part Of the general cler