WOMEN AS INVENTORS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 646, 25 October 1909, Page 4

WOMEN AS INVENTORS.

.F.T.he "Ladiesi Home Journal" discusses tho. "questiott''bf want of inventiveness.. ";\Vhy- is!it»"-psks-;a-,,corrcspond«nt, "that the' latest two, housekeeping devices, tho vacuum■cleanef;arid the-fireless cooker, so" essentially,' ■ . have .been invented:by. men?"'' And they answer' that sho might also 'have'-.cited'/:the'-: sewing'machine, tho-. baby--carriage ;the / 'rptary'..egg/beater tho ic'eVcrea'ni •freezer;'the foods' for infants—all invented by .lien:./. It' is ; ,a. queer?fact, for these things belong essentially : to tho province of women. .But it .is not .because "women' are more stupid than : nien./a goodly/-part ofi it-.is in a :certain lack of;. seriousness / among 'women as .to the pos-•sibilities'-of-'.,, their ; place »in/life.. .And then ;thp journal/gives a little" homily: on the sn-' f iprema' importance;of liom'e.life. and the necessity,, for, women; to devote thoir best thought ; fb' : perfecirng- ; thVcomfoft of; thb home; ,:/;But.,quite. a different, story-is told by. an- - English writer, 'describing ■.'■ a ,'visit/: to the -Women,V:bf-.-AllvjNations.- Exhibition,' held in London./. Among the exhibits of labour-saving ' appliances,' sho' says.;;there, are: several iwhich nrs,.not;/pnly;;for.women,/ but ( ,invented by 'w6meri.'^| i s' , '''-: : -':V.'-'•■-'.-'i v.. 1 --'.':''■': '-'■-'.'.'■''- ' ■.'■.'■'•'•'■■ ■ i;',A difficulty./which.arpso when the Compensa-. tion -Act'oamb/'into'force, was scarcely noticed ■publicly, /bul-ievery' employer, of. servants found it out very soon. .This was the grtat diffionlty of I keeping': servants'/but- -of ■■danger.'-'v; ,-They .rather-; seemed to,,think the coinpengatibnm«re than-'' ; worth''the accident..:: Housemaids' did Rtep-dances on.-.th*.:tops.of steps, .or. hung oh by. .their.'finger-nails to cornices which, they • had ,;n©rer.--dreamed ':of .cleaning- before; ;th« : handy man-played:Blondin tricks outjid* stairwhilo- his'-,distracted .employer- ' hovered. / fascinated, on;. the ;• stairs, watching his:boot-waving in' strange.postures, and won-;.dering'-how;'many, ehildren ne;had. to bo' slip-, ported, while ha ...was 'being mended. '-.'. It/is only!natural'that a orop of inventions shonld.-followj on ;theso unwonted flights, :and at Olympiti a woman shows her own inventions .for cleaning:- windows, and walls without any balancing 'or hangihg-o'n: feats.-