The Kalida venture. [volume] (Kalida, Ohio) 1841-1865, 1851-05-16

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laid in durable cement, with smooth
and spacious surface. Besides this, there
we're other roads--ihe Salernian, Flamin-
jan, Osiian, and Friumphal, leading from
the capital--one Of which extentcd 1000
miles from Auiioch to Scotland, and a,
one place tunnellinga mountain Of rock
one mile and halt, at another, stretch.
ing over ravines and rivers by bridges
anil aqneducts, interrupted only by The
English channel and the Hellesponi.-
The Romans, too, made "good time'
considering that the Roman horse was
neither fire nor steam, for history records
that zone Cesarins went post toAu,ioch to
Gonslantlnople, 665 miles, in less Than
six DAYS" ~ ...1 lime - we a, =
But consider the old Saxons. Look
at the Feudal age, when each community
had lis Baron and Castle when the peo-
pie dwelt in walled cities when there
were no roads, no wheeled vehicles
when the mode Of travel was on foot or
horseback, through fields and s,ream and
forests. Then il was tha. the arts, cience
and religion we're at dead stand-then
here were no ducts for commerce-no
life, no motion. In a country where
there are no roads, all things are stag
nant-there is no. religion except a dead
formaliy, no learning except the scho-
astic and unprofiiable. A road is a sign
Of motion and progress sign the .peo-
le are living and not dead. Where
there Is intercourse, social OF commercial,
there is ac'ivily--new idea and hopes
advancement. All creative action whether
in government, industry, thought, ORE
.ligiCn, create roads and roads. create ac-
.tion, MR. 80
.' A person accustomed 10 trace effects
10 their causes, sees something besides
human agency at work in the wisdom,
regularity of general laws, which the
practical mechanic has learnt to accom-.
moda,e TO his own purposes. The ele.
menis of water crpower have been in eA-
istencs since the world was made, and
yet there was time when there was no
water whe ell applied TO a dashing current
10 propel machinery. Why did not the
human mind grasp at once the simple
law, and dispense with animal power TO
g grind meal for daily bread? The truth
is, there is providence in mechanical
inventions as in all the afflirs of men. 8
In past ages the mechanical power hes
done well enough--it has built cities and
pyramids, aqueducts and canals-ihe
water, wheel has moved The machinery
attached 10 it--the stage coach has trun.
died its passengers along, contented with
the slow pace, though not always com.
furtable-the merchant has cheerfuly
committed his goods to the sail boat be.
cause lie knew Of no more powerful agent
than the winds. But the human mind
has receiveda new impuse-it has filled
with the great idea ofprogress, and moth.
ing has contributed more to wake up the
mind than the invea.ion of the steam en-
gne. This event occurred so years ago,
and the name Of the inventor is immor-
tall 1t was no freak Of chance no ran
dom thought .unaided by Infinite lntelli-
gence. Bez1leel was raised up and filled
with wisdom ''to devise cunning work
to work in gold silver and brass' TO aid
Moses in building the tabernacle. h And
Hiram was endowed with great skill to
erect Solomou's Temple. So was Wat,
raised up, to invent the steam engine, TO
toll for man in a thousand forms of
drudgery-the earth with the steam en-
gine in it, aiding the industry and multi
plying the comforts, of mankind isa new
earih--far better for the universal preva.
lence acknowledge; Liberty, righteousness
and salvation. saes b 1amHa ghf
Twenty years ago; the frat successful
exp ,rimeni was made with the locom mo.
tive. Now we can hardly compute the
number of railways. 43 years ago the
Hudson River was first successfully navi.
gated by steam. In 1888 the Atlantic
ocean was first crossed by steamer--
now look at The progress. The steamer
plougbs our rivers, our lakes, our coasts,
and asserts It's supremacy from the Paci-
fic 10 thu Atlantic, and from the Atlantic
10 the Indian ocean. The hand Of The
Almighty is in all this. We're new
planet 10 startinto existence, it might as
we'll be attributed 10 a fortitious conglom
Grafton Of atoms, as to disconnect the
present revolutions, by steam, from the
wisdom and power, Of God. a3' ~
Tolook upon the railroad as simply
the auxiliary TO commerce great
mint for coinIug money--is 10 take a
contracted view oft; for it is in truth a
new and vast power, intended by ,Provi.
dence to act upon religion and education
upon The civilization and character Of
nations in all the complicated interests
iof their social organization. :.
| The invention and use OK steam -powe /
aside from its bearing on wealth, has two
aspects worthy of contemplation. One
is, a preventative ofwar. Il is bringing
the nations toge,her, and making ,hom
feel the sympathetic throbbinks Of one
lfamily heart---ofI one great brotherhood.