"Precisely. And you recollect how long it took to discover those
enamels we are now using," answered Mr. Croyden. "It is a good problem
for some clever man, so bear it in mind. It is just such puzzles as
these that have raised up our inventors, and those who in one way or
another have perfected modern industry. Few who have contributed to
this cause stumbled upon their devices for the labor-saving or
convenience of mankind. Almost all such discoveries were called forth
by a great need, and were the result of hours and hours of patient
experiments in laboratories or workshops. Therefore when we pass
through a factory and see a process advancing easily from stage to
stage we should never forget those who toiled with brain and hand to
perfect each of its tiny details. Often some very insignificant but
vital part of a machine may represent the lifetime of an unknown
fellow-being who did his part in giving us a more perfect whole."
Theo glanced up quickly.
"I thought usually a machine was invented by one person," he said.
"Occasionally it is," admitted Mr. Croyden. "But more frequently our
modern machinery is a growth--the product of many minds.
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