WOMEN AS INVENTORS 



337 



on account of his passionate love for her, called "The 

 Light of the World." 1 



And what shall we say of those exquisite creations of 

 woman's brain and hand needle-point and pillow lace? 

 These two inventions, like the manufacture of silk, have 

 given employment to tens of thousands of women through- 

 out the world ; and, in such countries as Italy, Belgium and 

 France, where lace-making has received special attention, 

 they have for centuries been most prolific sources of reve- 

 nue. Silk fabrics in ancient Rome were worth their weight 

 in gold. The finest specimens of point lace are, even to- 

 day, as highly prized as precious stones, and, like the great 

 masterpieces of plastic art, are handed down as heirlooms 

 from generation to generation. In no other instance, ex- 

 cept possibly in the hairspring of a watch, is there such an 

 extraordinary difference in value between the raw material 

 and the finished product as there is in the case of the finest 

 thread lace. 



A great sensation was caused in Italy a few decades ago 

 when a humble workwoman, Signora Bassani, succeeded in 

 rediscovering the peculiar stitch of the celebrated Venetian 

 point, which had been lost for centuries. She was at once 

 granted a patent for her invention, which was by her 

 countrymen regarded as an event of national importance. 



After painting and sculpture, probably no art has con- 

 tributed more to the development of the esthetic sense 



i That marvelous structure known as the Taj Mahal India 'a 

 noblest tribute to the grace and goodness of Indian womanhood 

 is sometimes said to be a monument to the memory of Nur MahaL 

 This is not the case. This matchless gem of architecture 

 " . . . The proud passion of an emperor's love 

 Wrought into living stone, which gleams and soars 

 With body of beauty shrining soul and thought. " 



is a monument to Nur Mahal's niece and successor as empress, Mum- 

 taz-Mahal The Crown of the Palace who, like her aunt, was a 

 woman of rare beauty and talent and endeared herself to her people 

 by her splendid qualities of mind and heart. 



