The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-07-02 00:00:00

HALF-A-CENTURY'S SCIENCE AND
INVENTION.

Looking back upon the progress of science and in-
vention during the past 50 years, and remembering
that we are still in the rush and swirl of the un-
slackening stream, and that every accession of power
must inevitably be followed by a further acceleration
of speed, the mind fairly reels and staggers. Of one
science—or, more correctly, of one branch of science,
for it has been marvellously characteristic of the
general tendency of discovery to show that all the
so-called sciences are but so many developments of
our all-pervading growth—one branch of science we
have all of us seen absolutely created. When Queen
Victoria came to the throne there was no science of
geology in any fair sense of the word. A vast accu-
mulation of isolated facts and acute observations there
was, no doubt, and theories had been elaborated to
account for a good many of the facts. But the
"science " was mere empiricisms, and all the
hypotheses of 50 years ago have been totally swept
away by the sublime conceptions of the geologist of
the present day, who sees in the gradual shrink-
ing of the earth a key to all the riddles of the
rocks. Not only so, but he looks out into space and
he sees precisely the same process of shrinking aad
compacting going on in the nebulous matter of firma-
ment. He sees there the beginning of the grand evo-
lution of which the present state of our earth is but a
passing phase. Geology has thus not only been
created on a scientific basis, but it has been linked
inseparably with astronomy, while it has also mar-
vellously fallen into line with the evolution of the
biologist. Ever-widening boundaries, ever-growing
harmonies have been profoundly characteristic of the
science of the last 30 years, look out upon it in what-
ever direction we may. Biology has been advanced
from "natural history " to one of the sublimest de-
partments of human thought; and Chemistry has
taken the sun and stars into its domain, and can analyse
their constituents with the utmost confidence, while
together with the science of the .4,-%tician it to lending
facilities to the Astronomer which it could not have
entered the mind of man so much as to coaceive of
50 years ago.
_ _

Among -what must perhaps be spoken of as the
minor triumphs of recent science, it has, since Qaeen
Victoria mounted the throne, entirely created photo-
graphy, and a whole world of beauty and interest has
thus been called up as with the wand of a magician.
Among its mightier feats it has placed in the bands
of the engineer the hydraulic press, which as a mere
tool has attracted comparatively little attention, but
which alone has rendered practicable many of the
most tremendous undertakings of recent years?
Without his dydraulic "squeezer," with its force of
of 700 tons of dead weight, our recently gazetted
peer Sir William Armstrong never could have made
his big guns; and armour-plated vessels have become
practicable only because this young giant sprang into
existence just when he was wanted. The niest
ordinary manifestation of this force now-a-days was
wholly undreamed of 50 years ago. The screw-
propeller is another of those comparatively trifling
inventions which so often exert an influence
in a thousand ways, and the first vessel with
this mode of propulsion, the Archimedes, appeared
cn the Thames 49 years ago. Of the development of
railways and steamboats generally, perhaps enough
has been said of lateyears. But, however much we
may say about it, the mind can with difficulty realise
the fact that the whole vast network of British rail-
ways, with all the invention and organisation, they
have called forth, has practically been evolved during
her Majest)'s reign. The electric telegraph, again,
will be just 50 years old in England on the 25th
July, so this is the Jubilee year of telegraphs. It
is just 50 years ago since Cooke and Wheatstone
made their first ex periments on the North-Western
Railway, and we have it on the authority of the
Postmaster-General that the week before last consi-
derably over six millions of telegrams were sent in this
country. Only 40 years ago the first commercial un-
dertaking for the transmission of telegrams was set
on foot—well within the memory of men now in
their prime. Tinder some circumstances a telegram
of 20 words cost at that time 12s. 6d. to send.
A message from London to Manchester cost
over sd. a word, and one to Glasgow cost
about eightpence-halfpenny a word. The average
cost of a whole message now is eightpence. It was
only in 1851 that the first submarine cable was laid
from Dover to Calais; now there are some 113,000
miles of submarine cables throbbing with the interests
of all the nations of the earth. Not for 40 years after
her Majesty ascended the throne was anything prac-
tical shown in the way of the transmission of the
sounds of the living voice by electricity. Now, al-
though we lag a good deal behind other nations in
this matter, we have at least 100,000 telephones in
familiar use, and telephonic communication no longer
is regarded as a matter for even a momentary feeling
of wonder. Electric lightning is said to be held in a
leash by nothing but over-stringent legislation, and
electric railways are fast establishing themselves on
commercial bases. None of the possibilities of these
things had so much as dawned on the horizon when
the Queen first went in State to Westminster, and
these things are but types of moral and social changes
that have been rushing on the same impetuous course
towards a goal which no man can even dimly discern

So your husband was a great lover of music, said
the minister to the Scotch widow to whom he was
administering consolation.—He was that, pair man,
was the tearful reply; he wad gae ten mile to hear a
bagpipe.
A SENTIMENTAL young lady having asked a gen-:
tleman why he didn't secure some fond one's com-
pany across the ocean of life, replied that he would
do so were he certain that said ocean wculd be
pacific.
A CRIMINAL judge was about to pronounce sentenc3
of punishment upon an Irishman for the perpetration
of a theit.—And is it upon the oaths of thim two wit-
nesses your honour's going to condim me? asked Pat.
—Certainly, said the judge; their testimony was
ample to convince the jury of your guilt.—Oh, mur-
ther ! he exclaimed, to condim me on the oaths o'
two spalpeens who swear they saw me take the goods,
when I kin bring forth a hundred who'll swear they
didn't seems do it.

_
A FRIEND was dining with Dickens and Forster
once, and after dinner acceded to a request of the
novelist, who became, as was not unusual with him,
very restless, to stroll out and see a little life. Dickens
took his companions into all sorts of strange places
and queer haunts peopled by the originals of those
many quaint minor characters* who appear as
" supers ' in his works. Every one seemed to recog-
nise in Dickens a kindred soul, and was ready to
"pass the time of day" or exchange some cha-
racteristic remark with him. The repetition of these
calls had a naturally t4.livening effect on the callers.
Finally it became time to go home. Before doing so,
however, Dickens suggested oysters and stout. The
suggestion wan cordially received, and the trio
adjourned to an oyster shop. Dickens paid for his
dissipation with a sovereign, but took up, instead of
the change, a pat of fresh butter, and slipped it quite
contentedly into his trousers pocket. Not until they
were seated in the drawing-room with the ladies did
the dark grey line running down one leg of his light
continuations like a regimental stripe betray the
secret deposit. The yielding butter had melted at
the touch of one of tbq warmest and most generous
of men.