1871.] Thoughts Suggested by Patent Rights. 509 



in time. Yet these men who are studying politics see only 

 the narrowest application of the principle. The age is 

 famous for an immense number of very long, narrow views, 

 and individuals imagine their own to be wide because of 

 this. The age may be, but all views from one point only 

 are narrow ; a man may even study astronomy all his life, 

 and be as narrow-minded as he who studies only the making 

 of telescope-tubes. 



We have tried very hard to understand why a man who 

 cultivates mechanics for years, and learns how to apply its 

 powers in a new way, should not have the value of his 

 labours preserved from robbery as well as he who has culti- 

 vated an acre of ground in an old-fashioned and imperfect 

 way and sown it with potatoes. But one of the great argu- 

 ments used by the opponents of patents is still more won- 

 derful. It is believed that the course of science and 

 discovery is so straight that we have only to move on and 

 we shall come to everything. If one man does not gain the 

 new idea another will. If this is true of anything it is true 

 of land. Somebody was sure to find out the unknown acre 

 soon, and now we reward him by the firmest of all posses- 

 sions. Now we are sure of the acre being discovered, but 

 not sure of the mechanical invention. The number of actual 

 inventions is small. We have seen for a life-time the dis- 

 comfort of men at coach-offices and railway-stations who 

 are obliged to use many small tickets, and to tear them from 

 a printed sheet containing large numbers; they generally 

 took an opportunity at a moment of leisure to cut a dozen 

 or two nearly off, leaving only a corner attached. It was 

 long before the idea of having them nearly cut by puncturing 

 came into any one's mind. And yet the opportunity was 

 before the eyes of millions of nineteenth century men. 

 Some other man than the actual patentee would have found 

 it unquestionably, we believe, but it stood undiscovered for 

 many periods of fourteen years. Is it a great reward to give 

 one the benefit of it to himself for one such period ? The 

 case is quite obvious, and we might rather say why should 

 it be given for one such period only. We may ask in con- 

 nection with it, for how long shall a man be allowed to 

 cultivate his field? For how long shall a landlord refuse to 

 improve his land, diminishing the food of the country ? 

 We should allow him to continue till public opinion acts 

 on him or his successors, but we should do it consistently, 

 and not as the opponents of patents. 



It has been said that if a literary man gives an idea in an 

 essay or a poem every one may use it, and the patent right 



