oberts, a Manchester man, who in 1830
improved the self-acting mule and brought it to its present state
of practical working order. I take off my hat to him and to those
on whose ideas he built up this marvelous invention. The thing does
everything but talk, and maybe it's as well off without doing that.
Lots of folks would be.

(I must read Julie O'Dowd that; it will make her laugh. It sounds
so like your uncle you'd think him in the room this minute.)

It draws out the carded cotton, puts in the necessary twist, and
spins the thread, easy as rolling off a log, levers, wheels,
springs, and a friction clutch all doing their part. I couldn't
help thinking if each of us humans played his role as well, and did
the thing given him to do as faithfully, how much better a world we
should have. We don't begin to pull together for a result the way
those wheels and pulleys did. Instead, each of us goes his own way
never cooperating with his neighbor and in consequence we have a
helter-skelter universe. (How true that is!)

Nevertheless in spite of us--not because of us--the world advances.
I sometimes wonder how it does it. Crompton, for instance, would
scarcely have recognized his old mule that gave subsequent
inventors their inspiration. Nor would Arkwright know his water
frame could he see what has happened to it. (Mark you, Carl, how he
speaks of Arkwright. All that would slide off you hadn't you read
that book!)

Of course there is a lot of rivalry between English and American
spinning machinery and I found that some of the mills here have
both.

The reeling of the yarn after it is spun is done chiefly by women.
I do not mean they make it up into skeins by hand; they operate the
machinery that winds it; also that which makes it up into packages
for the market. This process is also interesting to see. Strings
are put in to separate the laps of the yarn; cardboards hold it in
place; it is pressed flat; the bundle is tied; and the paper
wrapper bearing the name of the manufacturer as well as any printed
advertising he wishes to circulate, is whisked about it.

I was a little surprised to find they made no spool cotton on any
of these machines. Up to date no machine has been invented that
will directly spin thread strong enough for sewing. All that has to
be a separate pro