Page:The Gillette Blade, 1918-02.pdf/4

4 father and brothers—as will be found in looking over the records of the Patent Office where there are a great many inventions to our credit.

In 1891 I took the position of traveling salesman for the Baltimore Seal Company, who were manufacturing a seal for stoppering bottles. It was a small rubber disc—with a metal loop by which it was extracted, which when compressed in a groove in the mouth of a bottle served as an effective closure for beers and carbonated beverages. Mr. William Painter was the inventor of this stopper and it was at his solicitation that I took my position with the Company. At that time they occupied a small factory on Monument Street, Baltimore, Md. Later Mr. Painter invented the present Crown Cork—the tin cap with the cork lining, now so extensively used. When the Crown was invented the corporate name of the Baltimore Company was changed to the Crown Cork & Seal Company. From the first I had a great liking and friendship for Mr. Painter as he apparently did for me, and when I would go to Baltimore, instead of putting up at a hotel Mr. Painter would invite me to his home either in the city or at Pikesville where he resided in the summer.

It was during one of my visits to his home that we drifted into one of our intimate talks on inventions—which always fascinated me, for Mr. Painter was a very interesting talker when interested in his subject and thoroughly conversant with all the details and possibilities of his own inventions, which though little in themselves seemed without boundary to their possibilities, when one realizes their unlimited fields of application. In the course of this particular conversation, he made these remarks to me which I have never forgotten, for after the evening was over and other days came they stuck to me like a burr. He said: "King, you are always thinking and inventing something, why don’t you try to think of something like the Crown Cork which, when once used, it is thrown away, and the customer keeps coming back for more—and with every additional customer you get, you are building a permanent foundation of profit." In answer I said: "It is easy to give that kind of advice, Mr. Painter, but how many things are there like corks, pins and needles." He said, "King, you don’t know; it is not probable that you ever will find anything that is like the Crown Cork, but it won’t do any harm to think about it." That was the sum and substance of what was said, and I don’t remember ever referring to the subject again to him until years after, when I showed him a model of the razor. At that time he was ill and losing his grip on things. He said at that time, "King, it looks like a real invention with great possibilities and I am sorry I cannot join you in its development, but my health will not permit it; but whatever you do, don’t let it get away from you."

After his memorable advice about my inventing something that would be used and thrown away, I became obsessed with the idea, to an extent that made me provoked at myself, for I applied the thought to nearly every material need; but nothing came of it