﻿564 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  192 
  9 
  

  

  in 
  the 
  invention 
  and 
  in 
  1853 
  built 
  a 
  third 
  machine 
  after 
  his 
  original 
  

   plans, 
  for 
  the 
  demonstration 
  of 
  his 
  principles 
  of 
  sewing 
  in 
  a 
  famous 
  

   suit 
  for 
  infringement 
  of 
  patent 
  rights. 
  It 
  was 
  characteristic 
  of 
  him 
  

   that 
  he 
  was 
  all 
  the 
  time 
  too 
  much 
  occupied 
  with 
  turning 
  out 
  new 
  

   inventions 
  to 
  pay 
  any 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  old, 
  or 
  to 
  

   make 
  the 
  necessary 
  efforts 
  toward 
  securing 
  for 
  himself 
  a 
  fair 
  share 
  of 
  

   the 
  profits 
  derived 
  from 
  them. 
  It 
  was 
  his 
  misfortune 
  that 
  although 
  

   he 
  was 
  a 
  great 
  inventor 
  who 
  could 
  conceive 
  ideas 
  and 
  mold 
  them 
  

   into 
  practical 
  shape, 
  he 
  was 
  otherwise 
  as 
  simple 
  as 
  a 
  child 
  and 
  lacked 
  

   sufficient 
  business 
  sense 
  to 
  lead 
  to 
  success. 
  He 
  usually 
  made 
  his 
  

   contracts 
  in 
  a 
  loose 
  and 
  careless 
  manner, 
  was 
  recldess 
  and 
  extrava- 
  

   gant 
  in 
  spending 
  and 
  always 
  in 
  want 
  of 
  money, 
  so 
  that 
  his 
  inventions 
  

   were 
  usually 
  sold 
  before 
  they 
  were 
  patented. 
  Hunt's 
  machine 
  was 
  

   undoubtedly 
  the 
  pioneer 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  sewing 
  machine. 
  It 
  was 
  his 
  

   misfortune 
  that 
  his 
  brain 
  was 
  too 
  full 
  of 
  other 
  and 
  later 
  inventions 
  

   to 
  admit 
  of 
  his 
  pursuing 
  this 
  one 
  to 
  a 
  successful 
  development 
  and 
  

   that 
  he 
  did 
  not 
  reap 
  his 
  share 
  of 
  the 
  splendid 
  rewards 
  which 
  were 
  

   showered 
  so 
  lavishly 
  upon 
  others. 
  Let 
  us 
  not 
  for 
  that 
  reason 
  deprive 
  

   him 
  of 
  what 
  he 
  is 
  justly 
  entitled 
  to 
  claim, 
  the 
  credit 
  of 
  having 
  been 
  

   the 
  inventor 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  sewing 
  machine 
  which 
  contained 
  all 
  the 
  ele- 
  

   ments 
  of 
  practical 
  and 
  commercial 
  success. 
  

  

  ELIAS 
  HOWE, 
  JR. 
  

  

  How 
  often 
  it 
  is 
  that 
  a 
  chance 
  remark 
  falls 
  upon 
  receptive 
  ears 
  other 
  

   than 
  those 
  to 
  which 
  the 
  remark 
  was 
  addressed, 
  and 
  brings 
  forth 
  

   astonishing 
  results. 
  In 
  Boston, 
  in 
  1839, 
  an 
  undersized, 
  curly-headed 
  

   youth 
  of 
  20, 
  gravely 
  listening 
  to 
  an 
  argument 
  over 
  the 
  operation 
  of 
  a 
  

   knitting 
  machine 
  between 
  two 
  men 
  and 
  his 
  employer 
  in 
  a 
  machine 
  

   shop, 
  heard 
  the 
  latter 
  say: 
  "What 
  are 
  you 
  bothering 
  with 
  a 
  knitting 
  

   machine 
  for? 
  Why 
  don't 
  you 
  make 
  a 
  sewing 
  machine"? 
  "It 
  can't 
  

   be 
  done," 
  said 
  one. 
  "Oh, 
  yes 
  it 
  can," 
  said 
  the 
  owner 
  of 
  the 
  shop; 
  "I 
  

   can 
  make 
  a 
  sewing 
  machine 
  myself." 
  "Well, 
  you 
  do 
  it, 
  Davis," 
  said 
  

   the 
  other, 
  "and 
  I'll 
  insure 
  you 
  an 
  independent 
  fortune." 
  The 
  

   emphatic 
  assurance 
  of 
  the 
  well-dressed, 
  prosperous-looking 
  speaker 
  

   that 
  a 
  fortune 
  was 
  in 
  store 
  for 
  the 
  man 
  who 
  should 
  invent 
  a 
  sewing 
  

   machine 
  greatly 
  impressed 
  the 
  shy 
  farm 
  boy 
  unused 
  to 
  city 
  ways, 
  who 
  

   had 
  already 
  amused 
  himself 
  with 
  inventing 
  some 
  slight 
  improvements 
  

   of 
  appliances 
  in 
  the 
  machine 
  shop 
  where 
  he 
  worked 
  as 
  an 
  apprentice. 
  

   There 
  were 
  other 
  reasons, 
  too, 
  why 
  such 
  a 
  trifling 
  conversation 
  should 
  

   remain 
  in 
  his 
  mind, 
  for 
  steady 
  labor 
  was 
  not 
  to 
  his 
  liking, 
  and 
  a 
  kind 
  of 
  

   lameness 
  which 
  he 
  had 
  had 
  since 
  his 
  birth 
  frequently 
  made 
  his 
  tasks 
  

   painful. 
  

  

  He 
  was 
  not 
  very 
  proficient 
  in 
  his 
  trade 
  of 
  machinist 
  and 
  not 
  inclined 
  

   to 
  put 
  forth 
  much 
  exertion. 
  He 
  was, 
  however, 
  of 
  a 
  thoughtful 
  turn 
  

   of 
  mind 
  and 
  the 
  conversation 
  he 
  had 
  heard 
  over 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  a 
  sewing 
  

  

  