320 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[October, 
A STITCH IN TIME. — Engraved for the American AgricuUuriU. 
Stilc5ic.s ]^’eed.ed tto l»c 'E’alccn, 
Tills careful mother is teaching her little girl one of the 
most important lessons, and we give the pleasing picture 
that the many thousand young readers of the Agricultur¬ 
ist may have the benefit of the instruction. A stitch in 
time in the girl’s dress will save the great rent and the 
many stitches needed to mend it, which would surely fol¬ 
low a day’s play in the slightly tom garment. But that 
is not the most important stitch being taken : the child is 
learning the habit of carefulness. If permitted to go un¬ 
heeded, the habit of neglect would Increase day by day, 
not only about her clothing, but in other things, and a 
thriftless, untidy young woman would be the result; then 
it would take yeais of careful training to overcome the 
evil. There is many a smali defect in the habits of young 
peopie that may be easily mended now, which will in¬ 
crease to a great blemish, and perhaps finally ruin the 
whole char.icler if left unchecked. Those thoiiglitless, 
half profane words may grow into shocking oaths ; that 
love of felling large stories, tind small deceit in words 
and actions, may make the man a liar ; impatience, fret¬ 
fulness, and anger may increase to unbridled passion, 
revenge and murder. All great sins and wrongs grow 
from small beginnings, which may be set right almost ;is 
easily as a spark may bo extinguished, but like the spark, 
if left unnoticed, they .spread to great mischief with fear¬ 
ful speed. Let every girl take tlio stitch in time, in all 
her habits, and let the boys follow the good example. 
TIic Inventor of Sewiiij™’ IVlncliinctii. 
Elias llowc, Jr., was born in Spencer, M.ass., in 1820. 
He was the son of a miller and farmer, and worked with 
his father until sixteen years old, when ho found employ¬ 
ment at Lowell. Mass. In 1837, the financial crisis threw 
him out of employment there, and he engaged to work 
with a philosophical instrument maker in Itoston. While 
there, a knilthig machine was brought to the shop for re¬ 
pairs, and some one looking at it, casually remarked 
that whoever could invent a sewing machine, would be 
sure of a fortune. This remark took strong hold of Howe’s 
thoughts, and awakened his inventive genius to attempt 
the undertaking. For a long time he spent his leisure iii 
making stitches of various kinds and contriving what 
could be performed in this line 
by machinery. After many 
trials .and repeated discourage¬ 
ments, in 1846 he patented his 
invention, and his first ma¬ 
chine then made, the work of 
his own hands, may now be 
seen in his store window at 
No. 029 Broadway, in this city. 
It is certainly worthy to be 
purchased by the women of 
this country and sacredly kept 
in some public institution 
where future generations may 
be gratified in ins])ecting it. 
The sewing machine was now- 
finished, but Howe found his 
troubles only commenced. 
The tailors were greatly pre¬ 
judiced against it. fearing it 
would destroy their business. 
They threatened to mob an 
Irish tailor who had agreed to 
cut a suit of clothes for Mr. Howe, to be made up on the 
machine. But a Yankee was found with courage 
enough to undertake it, and Mr. Howe still has some of 
the garments then made on his machine. The invention 
met with so little favor at first, that Mr. Howe, who had 
sold his patent in England, for a small sum, w-ent to that 
country to superintend the construclion of machines ; 
but he met with such poor success that he was obliged 
to pawn his original model, and in 1S49, ho returned to 
.America, working his passage ns cook. Arriving at New- 
York he had not money enough to take him to his family. 
although he heard his wife was very ill, and he went to 
work as a journeyman mechanic to procure funds. Be¬ 
fore he could earn enough to return home, his wife died. 
Soon he found that unprincipled persons were infringing 
his patent, and to secure his rights he prevailed upon his 
father to raise money by mortgaging his small property. 
Then he sacrificed half his patent to a capitalist to raise 
more means, and long years and immense suras of 
money were spent in lawsuits, to defend his invention. 
However, the right at last prevailed, and in 1856, the full 
possession of his patent was secured. Peace and pros¬ 
perity now followed, but he considers even the large 
sums since l ealized a poor compensation for the terrible 
trials through which he was obliged to pass. The lesson 
of this tru^story is, that perseverance and eneigy are 
necessary to success, even in the most promising under¬ 
takings. It adds not a little to the luster of Mr. Howe’s 
character, that when the rebellion broke out, he raised a 
regiment to aid the government at his own expense, en¬ 
listed in the ranks as a privats, and did efficient service. 
A Miiacl Act ISewarded. 
A short lime since a one-armed soldier entered a 
crowded rail-road car in the city of Chicago. He looked 
very w'eary, but none moved to give him a seat, until a 
neatly dressed young woman observing his empty blue 
sleeve, arose, and asked him to take her place. At the 
sound of her voice he looked up, their eyes met, and im¬ 
mediately they were clasped in each others arms, and 
she was sobbing for joy on his shoulder. The young 
woman was the soldier’s wife, from whom he had been 
separated three long years. He had been wounded and 
taken prisoner, and his wife having lost all trace of him. 
had removed from their former residence to Chicago, so 
that when he w as released, his letters failed to reach her 
and he could hear nothing from her. He had gone to 
Chicago in search of her, and thus by this kind act of 
hers they were so happily restored to each other. 
I®ortrait of Claicf Jmslice] CI»ase. 
The Evening Post relates the following amusing in¬ 
cident: During the recent southern tour of Chief Justice 
Chase, formerly Secretary of the Treasury, w bile at Key 
West, he visited a somewhat noted negro. This man is 
said to be strongest person in all Florida, and he possesses 
strength of character as well as of body. He was former¬ 
ly a slave in Maryland, but by over-work purchased his 
freedom w hile yet young, removed to Key West, where 
he prospered, and is now the owner of a large plantation. 
He very politely conducted Mr. Chase over his grounds, 
pointed out the various fruit trees, etc., and was himself 
greatly pleased with his visitor. Finally, when they re¬ 
turned to the house and were seated on the verandah, the 
colored man said he w'ould like very much to have a 
portr.ait of his guest. Mr. Chase,,havlng no photograph, 
took from his pocket aone-dollar Greenback and handed 
to him. The negro looked first at the picture on the end, 
then at Mr. Chase, and at last in his surprise broke out 
“'Why you’s Old Greenbacks hisself, isn’t you?” Mr. 
Chase greatly enjoyed the incident, and the negro equal¬ 
ly so, for he added “ If I lives fifty years, I shall always 
remember sure, just how you and I was sitting together.” 
Siiig'iilai’ Features in a Hianrtseape. 
The girls and boys who know how to use their eye-s 
and to find out all that a picture contains, will be pleased 
to discover the curious features in this landscape. We 
do not know that any such formation of rocks and shrubs 
actually exists, though it is not impossible. It is not 
more w’onderful than the “ Old Man of the Mountain,” 
shown in our last number. Probably, however, our artist 
has drawn on his imagination for this scene, witli a view 
to exercise the perceptive or invesligating faculties of our 
young readers. Now see what you can find in the picture 
