Evening Star Newspaper, January 11, 1931, Page 110

.HE Praraon PPl I RULED EGYPT FOR 90 YEARS (2566 —2476,B.C.), THE LONGEST REIGN N HISTORY NUARY, THE FIRST MONTH OF THE YEAR., WAS NAMED FOR JANUS THE ROMAN GO OF BEGINNINGS. JANUS WAS ALWAYS EPRESENTED AS HAVING TWO FACES, ONE LOONKING BACK UPONTHE PAST, THE OTHER FORWARD AT THE FUTURE . HIGH LIGHTS OF HISTORY The Story of the Sewing Machine The Early Career of Elias Howe By J. CARROLL MANSFIELD ELIAS HOWE ,THE INVENTOR OF THE SEWING MACHINE,WAS BORN (1819) AND RAISED ON A LITTLE FARM NEAR WORCESTER,MASSACHUSETTS. ELIAS WAS UNDER-SIZED AND LAME AND TOO DELICATE FOR THE NHEAVY WORK OF THE FARM. WHEN ELIAS WAS IN HIS EARLY ‘'TEENS HE LEFT THE FARM AND WENT TO LOWELL WHERE HE FOUND EMPLOY- MENT WITH A COMPANY THAT MANU- FACTURED SPINNING MACHINES. —° MOST PEOPLE STILL WORE "HOMEMADE CLOTHES . EVERY GARMENT HAD TO BE SEWED 8y HAND>, STITCH BY STITCH, sLow, TEDIOUS WORK TH AT KEPT THE WOMEN oF THE HoOUSEHOLD BLSY DAY AND BERET. e e O S “THEN CAME THE INVENTION oF THE SEWING MACHINE, REVOLUTIONIZING THE ART OF SEWING AND SAVING THE TIME AND LABOR OF WOMEN HoWEVER , THE BOYS CHIEF INTEREST LAY, NOT IN FARMING, BUT IN MA- CHINERY. ENDOWED WITH A KEEN, INVENTIVE MIND, HE DELIGHTED TO TINKER WITH ANY MECHANICAL ONE DAY WHILE WORKING IN THE SHOP HOWE OVERHEARD HIS EMPLOYER SAY TO A CUSTOMER WHO WAS TRYING TO INVENT A KNITTING MACHINE,— . HOWES HEALTH HAD NEVER IMPROVED:. HE WAS STILL FRAIL AND SICKLY. HE WAS ALWAYS EXHAUSTED AFTER HIS DAYS WORK AND ON REACHING HOME WOULD DROP UPON A COUCH AND REMAIN THERE THE REST OF THE EVENING. “ INVENT A MACHINE i THAT SEWS AND YOU'LL | MAKE A FORTUNE. % ELIAS NEVER FORGOT THAT CHANCE REMARK . YEARS PASSED ANDTHE LAME BOY GREW TO MANHOOD> . THEN HE GOT MARRIED. SOME YEARS LATER WE FIND HIM WORKING AS A MECHANIC IN A FACTORY AT CAMBRIDGE . A PERIOD OF BUSINESS DEPRESSION CLOSED THE FACTORY, AND ELIAS HAD TO SEEK A NEW JOB. HE FOUND> ONE WITH A CLOCKMAKER, — ° (Copyright, 1930, by J. Carroll Mansfield) —LY'NG ON HIS COUCH THROUGH THE LONG EVENINGS HOWE- WATCHED HIS WIRE AS SHE SEWED HOUR AFTER HOUR.HE LONGED TO LIGHTEN HER LABOR. ONE NIGHT RECALLING WHAT THE CLOCKMAKER HAD SAID YEARS BEFORE HE RESOLVED TO INVENT A MACHINE THAT wWouLD SEW. THEN HE DISCARDED THE HAND-MOTION IDEA AND DEVOTED HIS EFFORTS To INVENTING A NEEDLE THAT WOULD FORM THE THREAD INTO A LOOP UNDER THE CLOTH. ONE NIGHT HE FOUND THAT A NEEDLE WITH THE EYE NEAR THE POINT WOULD MAKE THE RIGHT STITCH, THIS WAS THE FIRST STEP ON THE ROAD To SUCCESS. 70 8E CONTINUED . The Howes TERRIBLY POOR . MRs. HeTo HOWE'S WORK WAS NEVER DONE . SHE TOOKR IN SEWINGTO ADD A FEW DOLLARS TO HER HUSBAND'S MEAGER EARNINGS. AFTER HERTHREE SMALL CHILDREN HAD BEEN PUT TO BED SHE SEWED FAR INTO THE NIGHT. WITH HER HELP BEGAN MAKING EX- PERIMENTS.FOR A YEAR HE TRIED IN VAIN TO CREATE A MECHANICAL DEVICE TRAT WoulLp IMITATE THE MOTIONS OF THE HANDS IN SEWING. —1,‘8