be made until Uncle Sam sent us his cheap, strong,
serviceable, and sensible "Mineral Knob."

The English maker says: "But look at the many devices which we have
invented for door furniture." Granted, and some of them very good, but
none of them so good as this--for the money. Plenty of them well
adapted for extraordinary use, but none of them cheap enough and
strong enough to be placed in competition with this in fitting up the
dwelling of the ordinary Englishman. The spindle and furniture of a
lock is the portion which is liable to and receives the most rough
usage.

I have here an ordinary cheap set of china furniture of English make,
which I dare not drop lest I should break it, but as you see, I dare
throw its Yankee competitor the whole length of this room. The retail
price of this English set is ninepence--the price of the American is
less than sixpence. The English spindle is fitted with the usual
little screw, the knob is loose, the roses are china, and liable to
break with the least strain or blow. The American set, as you see, has
a long shank; the form of the knob is a very oblate spheroid, giving a
good grip and free play for the fingers between the knob and the door.
The rose is japanned iron, and has small studs or teeth projecting on
its inner side effectually preventing it from turning round with the
spindle; the screw is strong, and is tapped through the spindle
itself, insuring both security and perfect steadiness. Several small
washers are supplied with each spindle, enabling the slack to be taken
up perfectly, and at the same time preventing the spindle from
sticking with any ordinary amount of friction.

I will now show you a cheap American rim lock. First, you will notice
that both sides are alike. Next, that by pulling the latch forward it
can be turned half round, and is thereby converted from a right hand
to a left hand, or _vice versa_, in an instant. This is an important
point to a builder, but our lockmakers do not seem to know it. Several
attempts have been made to introduce locks of this kind, but the fancy
prices put upon every article which departs, in ever so slight a
measure, from the antediluvian patterns mostly used, practically
prohibits their adoption. The carcass of the lock is of cast iron; the
casting, like all the small American castings, is simply perfect;
bosses are cast round the follower and keyholes; the box staple is one
piece of metal, neat and strong.

But there is