In the realm of material goods, it is a sewing machine. Our friend Sissy Willis, of the wonderful and visually beautiful Sisu blog, reminds us of the important Spirit of America fundraising drive to support Iraqi bloggers, a worthy cause itself. One of the sub—projects is  raising money to provide sewing machines for Iraq women. I urge you to take a look at both pages, as you ponder your year end charitable giving.

Affluent Americans often do not appreciate the importance of sewing machines to poorer countries, and to our own ancestors in America. A sewing machine noticeably improves the life of an entire family, enabling them to own multiple outfits of clothing, or move from rags to decent clothing for the first time. Talented women also can generate cash income by tailoring clothign for others.

Historically, the sewing machine was the first product to ever be sold on a time payment plan, basically a consumer loan secured by the product itself. Families in the United States usually lacked the funds to produce a complicated machine manufactured in a far—off location and transported to them by rail and horse drawn conveyance. The Singer Sewing Machine company became the first multinational manufacturing company by virtue of its perfection of the installment plan for ordinary consumers. Singer quickly rose to dominate the American domestic market because of its marketing innovations, not its manufacturing superiority. Then it moved overseas aggressively. For decades, its Glasgow works were the largest manufacturing establishment in the UNited Kingdom.

A sewing machines are a part of the process by which families accumulate wealth, and by which industrialism and mass consumption of complicated manufactured goods became possible for ordinary people. Sissy's campiagn is seeking to help incorporate Iraqi society into the modern age, on more levels than one.

Thomas Lifson  11 23 04