INGENUITY AND LUXURY 



he entered Yale College, and during his course of stud- 

 ies there frequently astonished his tutors by his in- 

 genuity in repairing the scientific apparatus used in the 

 laboratories, and in making various kinds of appara- 

 tuses of his own. Aside from this his college course 

 was much the same as that of other students of corre- 

 sponding age, although he became known as a vigorous 

 and tireless worker. 



His good fortune began with an acquaintance with 

 the family of Gen. Nathanael Greene, of Georgia. 

 Having been offered a tutorship in a Georgia family 

 in the neighborhood of the Greene plantation, Whitney 

 journeyed south to take the position, only to find upon 

 his arrival that the place had been filled. Under 

 these circumstances he was glad to accept the hospi- 

 tality of Mrs. Greene, taking up his residence for the 

 time being [at her home. Here he soon had an oppor- 

 tunity of exhibiting his ingenuity. His hostess com- 

 plaining one day that her tambour (a circular frame 

 on which embroidery is worked) was unsatisfactory, 

 and frequently tore her embroidery, Whitney offered 

 to make her another, and soon produced a tambour 

 far superior to any ever seen in the vicinity before. 

 This, and some other ingenious devices, soon gave the 

 young Yankee a reputation for ingenuity among the 

 planters, and as a cotton-gin was the most needed 

 implement in the region, he was urged by his hostess 

 and her friends to attempt the invention of such a 

 machine. 



At that time, Whitney had never seen a boll of cot- 

 ton, and knew nothing whatever of the process of gin- 



[10] 



