Show t q e iii r t us Wr ti nia y Y I fel y i f. f t N l ka t. t s' s rP AJ S t C j ys l r J vt I fillet li v tW fi j r. r ft 1 M I I y r jt r i i a n ti l i ff l 2 1 rr r t. t r q Ii I i s ir 19 P 1 rr r il i i ts nit Fyn Drawing by Ray Walters ww- ww n 4 j T 1 By Dy ELMO SCOTT WATSON UK 1111 other day dust un al Illinois woman was grunted granted a n T I patent by the United States State patent office for tor fora forn torI n a secret envelope I 1 I. e. e one which cannot be steamed open Its contents con on I tents read and be sealed BellIed without detection of the fact that It has hus been with Immediately Immediately Immedi there were col col- columns emus of nei newspaper publicity about the woman Inventor as though woman In that role Is unique To To the average person she Is Is perhaps perhaps per per- haps for tor we I commonly think of tho the Inventive e genius of woman In terms of the stock toile joke jo e about her ber ability to todo todo toi i do un an Innumerable number of things with a u hairpin when necessity demands deI demands de de- I mands It As a u matter mutter of fact om en en Inventors are becoming more numerous numerous nu nu- I every year us ns the records of I tho the United States patent indent office will show The women's bureau of the United States Department of Labor recently made mude an aim analysis of of those records to determine womans woman's part IIII inthis In III Inthis I this age of Inv Invention and amid revealed what will be un an astonishing fact filet to many persons persons that that at least government gov I patents a u year lire are are now mow grunted ranted to women Inventors and aud that more patents were grunted to them In a u recent tt year ten n period than were Issued during the tho whole century endIng end end- Ing lag In IS 1893 1595 Although the number of patents taken out by men Is some sOllie 70 times as many as liS the number taken out bythe bytho by bythe the tho other sex the percentage Increase for tor women from decade to 10 decade has exceeded that of time the men by hy as much muchas as ISOO per Ir cent lii lu sumo some years eurs Another Another An An- other striking fact tart Is that war seems seem to be te a II strong incentive to woman producing new things thIns Before the Civil II war about half halt u u a dozen patents u year lIr were wert grunted granted to women Dur Dur- lug hug the war and und In Iii the years that foi lowed the time number of to io patents women wom wom- women en Increased steadily st rising rl at lit times timeR to more than thun annually The fhe do- do cede cade of 1807 1857 to 1507 saw un an Increase of IT per cent In the time number cumber of ur- ur titles tides patented by women as us compared com compared pared to no per vent lent Increase for tor the themen themen men mell In III the same sume period Although It la is yet too ton early to predict predict pre pre- dict diet what effect In this regard the time World war will have It Is la true that the tho number r of patents taken out b by women from 1013 1919 to lOl wan Willi Ul J percent per percent cent Usher than from 1012 to 1918 JUIS I Even ell at nt that the time World pro war period pe rind was one of great activity for w women Inventors In for In 11 that time thus more amore than U patents were granted to Woumen women In ten tell selected years from 1905 to 1021 1921 a number which far fur exceeds exceeds ex ex- ex eed the total number grunted them during the span of 10 years year elir a which end ended d In 10 A As might be expected the time majority of women's Inventions ure are those which have to do with their household duties dutil But tut they are fur from being limited to that and they cover a u wide range of activity In 50 60 O Industries coal laining min lain ing through agricultural machinery hospital equipment manufacturing equipment chemicals artificial fuels tuel wood turning even to submarine explosives explosives ex ex- ex plosives I Before you OU exclaim over that last however consider a list of Inventions Inventions' by women which proves that the tho mothers of men men who are proy proverbially pro pro- opposed to the war which robs them of their husbands and sons are still doing their part to perpetuate perpetu perpetu- ate utI Its horrors This list Includes au au- pistols bomb launching apparatus atus- atus u It gun un an incendiary ball railway torpedoes sights for guns submarine mines und and a top lop for pow pov der cans Woman the citizen Is responsible for Inventions In of voting booths votIng vot vot- ing lug machines und and a pocket ballot Woman the scientist has hns given us new dyes dell and new dye de ba bases es chemical chemi cuI cal treatment of oil oils oll for tor commercial purposes artificial fuels gas apparatus atus air compressors hoisting apparatus utu atus reversible re turbines varl vurl steam and street railway ranging from road bed and rails through rolling roilIng stock equipment to signals und and block systems Some Settle of the time re reasons lson given by the women for fur th Ir their Inventions are among the most Interesting facts connected with their work A large lurge number of these reasons of ot course come under the tho pros head of necessity the Uin mother of Invention One de tor this son reason turned Its itu benefits bene belle I Otis fits In u a direction curiously different from the original Intention A woman golf teacher who hud had been much III annoyed nn- nn noyed by the perverse habit of ot golf gulf bulls of or becoming lodged III ha Inaccessible sible sibie places place or dropping Into streams invented un min adjustable table rake to recover recover er the Iho errant balls bulls The Tho wider use uso- of ot tho the ruke rake was soon noon apparent and gardeners now have hao a golf teach leach teacher leacher er to thank for making wakIng their work lighter A Texas Tens woman who took out a u put pat a. en lIt emit t for an Improvement on un 11 II cultivator tor tol tongue witch which lightened the burIn bur bur- dm In tit the mi sald that tint hav Ing Jug been raised c on 11 H I farm harm amid seeing fi that I here hc Willi needed Improvement 1 on fill cultivator tongues I made up my guy ruled mInd to Improve upon the tho style old style ones A Minnesota woman Invented I a n portable smoke house because u 11 ushe as she he explained It As u a wife Ife my ray duty was to cure meats 1 for tor sum sum- summer summer mer use and und smoked meat is III isery ery tery much favored In my family I t tried to smoke Brooke mine amine without expense utter after I had Ind completed this device de I 1 used It successfully for two years before before before be be- fore I 1 obtained u patent upon It it It Is In lightening her home bome duties dutle that the American housewife hInds finds her best reason for turning to Invention haven haven- tion In this realm her new devices Include alarms for tor cooking utensils juice extractors kettle protectors protector sieve cleaning devices wattle waffle iron irons ash asb cans laundry equipment broom rucks stovepipe cleaners napkin b holders bed III bed airing rIng devices high highchairs highchairs chairs bathroom fixtures on nn automatic automatic auto auto- matic rocking chair fan tan awnings awning clothes containers and ant traps Domestic Domestic Do Do- medic result In Invention us as wittiest witness s the tho case of the woman who Invented a 11 pie-pan pie cover because of or the time overflowing of Juicy pies the time best beat of the pie Is wasted leaving the poorest part In the tile crust And these are only a few tew of ot the many new devices tor for which the world can un thank the women None NOlie of them themis Is U revolutionary ro perhaps but for tor those whom they benefit by making life lito easier easler that Is Immaterial What if If f so tio fur mere re man has lias been responsible responsible sible for nil all of the most Important inventions Including those such as all tho time typewriter and the sewing machine machine ma ma- chine which have h meant so touch much to women lO 1 Incidentally It might La Ld added that Kilns Elias Howe's Howes Invention In of I the he sewing machine was not I r with unanimous unanimous- enthusiasm by th tin this women of ur the time line Wan Willi It Inconsistency which prompted some of ot them theta to opposition when the first firt sewing machines came lime upon the market market mar mar- ket kt because they would take away the livelihood lI of ot the poor sewing women wom worn en cn This Increase In womans woman's Inventive In ln- activity as us shown by the records records records rec rec- of the time patent may muy he be Indi indi- Indicative cativo of the tho Increasing Importance of women In la every phase of ot life lite and we wo may lOllY yet fet see seu some new device of ut r wo wide wide und and ull lime conceived ed In lo a womans woman's mInd molded by Ly u hand |