naturally and perforce must lead, he should be discreet, and not go so far ahead that he cannot get the people to follow. Some matters must be approached gradually.

The little ball fastening so common on our money purses is a gem. It would be rare indeed to provide any other device to take its place, it is so convenient, simple and practical. A fastener, to be a success, must make a noise in closing; it becomes the signal to the mind that the work is properly done.

The hook and eye "see that hump" was simple enough, but I fancy it required a splendid campaign of advertising and business push to get it to the front and make it pay.

Many inventions are virtually lost because they are not properly pushed. My advice is, if you have an invention and are not situated properly to push it, sell it. Experience leads me to observe that we constantly change our views or see things differently. Some things look good to-day and later we do not think well of them, and vice versa, other things improve and grow in our estimation. When an idea of a device occurs, study it; think how it can best be made; make a drawing of it; take up every detail and material best suited. Try to get it in the most simple form. When, after careful consideration, you feel that you have perfected it in your mind, have a model made and see that it meets every requirement. If you do not sell the invention you can contract the manufacturing and go into the business of selling, or you can put it out on a royalty basis.

All inventors use certain mechanical principles. The same principle is often found in many different inventions; hence, it is well to study these principles, as the knowledge of them will help you to perfect and bring forth your invention. In this connection I would advise that you possess all the little novelties you can; study them; examine them closely and ask yourself why did he this and that. Take up each one and try to get a clear understanding of it; practice explaining it to others and impress the points on your mind; they may be of great service to you some day. Many times a good idea is poorly carried out, the mechanical arrangements are not well adapted either for performing the work or to effect lowest cost in construction. These defects give rise to improvements. It certainly would be a provoking experience to obtain a grand idea and get it up in a defective mechanical way and have someone make a simple improvement and reap the reward. If I could control the matter I would change the patent laws in this respect. I would foster improvement, but I would not allow the original inventor to be robbed of his just reward. I would not permit him to become arrogant and dictate impossible terms, but I would see to it that he at least got a part of his dues. If he came forward with an original invention he would get a patent; if another man made an improvement on his method I would give him a patent, subject to a small royalty to the original inventor, and to continue until the original patent expired. The matter could be judged just as well as law cases are judged. You must duly consider the subjects you attempt. Don't bother with perpetual motion; it would only be a toy at best. I have no faith in a non-refillable bottle: in all probability it would fill if it were submerged, and particularly if a hole were drilled in it. An idea in this line is to have a nickel or a dime blowed in the glass of the bottle; the goods would be sold for the amount more, and the buyer would break the bottle to get his money back. The idea seems practical, at least so far as the fact that the broken bottle would be a true non-refillable one. Ordinarily I do not interest in those inventions that require to be demonstrated, as they are too expensive to introduce. The people are generally skeptical, and they have been so for ages. The poets of the early centuries voiced public doubt in verse, referring to a gun, gotten up and promoted by a stock company, thus:

Financial advices are all good before ten and after three. As a rule, don't buy stocks that are glaringly advertised; they are working hard to sell. Don't go in by the front door: stocks of such companies can generally be bought on the outside for less than the advertised price and are most always too high at that. Many, indeed, would be high at the price in counterfeit money. Vast sums and much time have been lost on various patents connected with railroads, etc. Once in a great while one may succeed.

You should have a book and record your ideas as they occur; write out enough about them to make the whole thought on the subject clear, and preserve it for future reference. It would be a splendid idea to write out descriptions of any little novelty you see. State all the particulars; make your notes so that you will clearly understand every detail at any time you refer to them: get all the patent papers of small or simple novelties, etc., that you can and read carefully what they say about the construction; note what the inventor claims. I would recommend the Patent Office Gazette. This, I am sure, will prove the most valuable exercise you can take. They will prove practical lessons of worth and you will gain many helpful ideas. I recently met a gentleman from the South, who had taken out a patent on a hoe that was used extensively in the cotton fields. The blade was extra large and the handle was secured to the middle or central portion in a way that when the edge of the blade in use became worn and battered it could be turned and virtually form a new hoe.

In the early days of the linotype or printing machines there were several machines being made and developed. One of the parties took out a patent on what they called an adjuster. It was simply a wedge, which was operated to spread the type and space the words; and though a very simple matter, it became a most important feature and compelled the other companies to pay a royalty for its use.

I think it will be found a very valuable point to carefully consider the subject before you rush into developing an invention. Many things can be done, viewed as a mere mechanical possibility, but circumstances may preclude their use. A party labored on the idea of a device to perforate postage stamps in the operation of canceling them. The thought finally occurred to him to use sand in the mucilage, so that when the stamp was struck in the usual canceling operation the sand would cut through it. I am informed that he wrote to the Postoffice Department at Washington. In their reply they stated that the sand would also cut the envelope. If I desired to work on that idea I would first aim to print the stamps with a color that would turn after it was canceled in the usual way, using, perhaps, some acid in the canceling ink, or I would work on the lines of a cancel to tear an embossed stamp, but I don't think the subject worth while. I prefer articles that sell to the many. "Little and often fills the purse."

All inventions originate in thought, which is often due to casual observance. We see a man stoop on the street, pick up a straw or splint and run it in the pipe stem. We begin to think. His pipe became clogged; it did not draw freely; he was lucky to find the straw; he might not always find one so readily. It is an idea to provide for such emergency so that he will not have to depend on the chance straw—something convenient; let me see—suppose we take a fine wire, double and twist it, leaving a small ring at one end. He could put it in the pipe-stem and leave it there; it would not be large enough to close the draft. If the stem became stopped he could pull the