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本文是一篇介绍美国早期发明创造热的文章。

Acute foreign observers related American adaptiveness and inventiveness to this educational advantage. As a member of a British commission visiting here in 1853 reported, 'With a mind prepared by thorough school discipline, the American boy develops rapidly into the skilled workman.' A further stimulus to invention came from the 'premium' system, which preceded our patent system and for years ran parallel with it. This approach, originated abroad, offered inventors medals, cash prizes and other incentives. In the United States, multitudes of premiums for new devices were awarded at country fairs and at the industrial fairs in major cities. Americans flocked to these fairs to admire the new machines and thus to renew their faith in the beneficence of technological advance.
目光敏锐的外国观察家把美国人的适应能力和创新能力与这种教育优势联系起来。正如1853年访美的一个英国访问团成员所报道的那样，“由于有了学校彻底训练过的头脑，美国小伙子迅速地成为技术熟练的工人。” 推动发明的另一刺激因素来自“奖赏”制度，它产生于我们的专利制度之前，且多年来与后者一同实施。这种做法起源于国外，做法是为发明者颁发奖章、奖金和其他奖励。 在美国，大量奖励新发明的奖品在乡村集市和大城市的工业博览会上颁发。美国人纷纷涌向这些集市和博览会去欣赏新机器，因而更加坚信技术进步会造福人类。