Elementary Schools in Early America
早期美国教育
What propelled the great outbreak of major inventions in early America—breakthroughs such as the fridge, the telegraph, the steamboat or the weaving machine?
是什么推动了美国早期重要发明的涌现——诸如冰箱、电报，蒸汽船和织布机这样的突破?
Speaking of their shaping factors, I take pride in believing that those inventions are mainly ascribed to three premises: excellent elementary schools in this country; a native labor force that welcomes the new technology; the tentative system of giving premiums to inventors.
在诸多形成因素中，我自豪地认为这主要归因于：美国优秀的小学；当地接受新技术并愿意尝试新技术的劳动大军；对发明者进行奖励的尝试性制度。
Why mention the elementary schools? The reason is that, thanks to these schools, our early mechanics got the chance to receive basic education and be good at arithmetic and some knowledge of geometry and equation.
为什么要提到小学呢？因为全靠这些学校，我们早期的机械工人才能读会写，并精通算术以及一些几何学和方程式的知识。
It's a coincidence that a diplomat (ambassador) of Commonwealth also believes that this educational advantage is profitable to American inventiveness.
一名英联邦的外交官(大使)也有一致的观点，认为美国人的创造性得益于这种教育的优势。

A further stimulus to invention came from the "premium" system, which preceded the patent system and for years ran parallel with it. This assistant system, originated abroad, conferred medals and sufficient subsidy and other incentives on the inventors.
对发明的进一步激励来自于“奖励”制度，这种制度在专利制度之前产生，并与其共存了数年。这种起源于国外的制度，通过向发明者授予奖章、足够的补助金和其他奖励，对激励发明起着辅助作用。
In the United States, multitudes of premiums for new devices were awarded at country expositions in major cities. Given this incentive scheme, American workers took readily to that special kind of nonverbal thinking necessitated in mechanical technology. This nonverbal thinking is a visual process which transcends verbal descriptions and thus cannot be generalized by unambiguous verbal descriptions.
对发明的进一步激励来自于“奖励”制度，这种制度在专利制度之前产生，并与其共存了数年。这种起源于国外的制度，通过向发明者授予奖章、足够的补助金和其他奖励，对激励发明起着辅助作用。
This special thinking can be just as creative as painting and writing, which of the essence for the designer and the inventor. With this thinking, the designer and the inventor are able to contrive (formulate) a locomotive accessory or analyze the configuration of an apparatus in their minds.
对发明的进一步激励来自于“奖励”制度，这种制度在专利制度之前产生，并与其共存了数年。这种起源于国外的制度，通过向发明者授予奖章、足够的补助金和其他奖励，对激励发明起着辅助作用。
They should sit down in the midst of levers, wedges, hinges, gears, etc. with clamping fixture, wrench gauge and other tools, like a poet immersed in the letters of the alphabet, considering a gracious verse.
他们应该在杠杆，楔子，铰链、齿轮等之间坐下，使用夹县，扳手，量规等工具，像一个诗人沉浸在字母表的字母中一样，构思着优美的诗篇。