New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1866-07-20
NE SOUTHERN STATES AND RECONSTRUCTION
IN. B." AND THE DEATH PENALTY
,,w Of prosrs., nnd ,he steam Engine.


wh. INV Of Progress md the Steam Engine.
q. t.e Editor q tn, " j. Tribune
SIR Knowledge increasing; but nowhere has society
advanced 70 the recognition of progress as primary pr'
style OF natural law Ofthis people Of old knew noAhs
And hence their Aspirations never above the current
condition Of things. 1t is much the same still MonacAS
ptye TO reconcile thor subjects TO efce systems OF gov
rpment Adherence TO old formulas is the law ana ODE
ience 70 il is held forth virtue OF the industna ats
Mere are none from which inquiry into old processes mas not
Been held back by absence Of ambition 10 excel ana 'he
spothegm Of the supine, Let well alone That which
people are satisfied WITH they in DO haste to abandon
know not what else to ascrbe the persistent ignoring
ky engineers Of the significant theoems IN the econ
sny of steam referred to in TIE TRIBUNE Of the sth ,
shat It's virtue motive agent ia undminshed intact TO
Ae mo1nen, of guefaoton, and that powe may DO
bad from its collapse into water than fom its swelling
snergy as al elastic Gud. An invention that is, and
psonises through the future be, Of the GROWING
sories Of the arts should, far from exhibiting serious
lmpeIfettons, command in every feature as whole the
highest praise of genius Not another can be named so
sed to advancing civilization 10 agriculture, manufdc
lures mining and commerce; not one with greater claims
on the attention Of the most gifted Of mechamclas Not
thst efforts improve the steam engine have been lack
Ing far from it. for has undergone numberess forms
aud notifications Like fashions in dress aud dygoods
almost every has brought out fresh ones. But ON
whole thew been rather supernclh IMAM
external than internal More thought has been gwen 10
fhe skeetOntO FORMS arrangements, and movements OF
She lmbsthan 10 On economical and perfect alpneduoh
Of the animating bud. IL all 1t has been laYlshy eA
pended and wasted most 10 an extent SURPRISING mat
e any staple material Of manufacture waste that would
bankrupt every factory in existence Were It not near
than enough, 10 awaken inquiry even IN the apa-
sheto But there are those who think the popular motor
psano be much further improves; that there little or
DO room for improvement. just so people thought OF
machines obsolete; and quite as natural is II for
chose as ignorant Of natures series of ascending lessons
"a children of subjects 10 which the alphabet and spelling
book are Introductory 10 think now As respects few
modern mechanisms, the opinion may be true; but only
Tor the being: for there is no reason 70 nie that ar
t6eia devices VIII cease 10 be superseded or IN
proved Strange this may sound 30 far from beng IT.
Rational out OF rule, II Is III accord with the economy oil
creation and our own organization. There Is something
AZ Us that awakened for progress and cannot
be satisfied without IT, However far we may 90, how
ever great achievements, this urges US onward 10
greater Things that appeared miracles IN former times
Eaye become everv.day facts and We are filing up
list Hitherto the world Of intellect has been in great
measure torpid Our times are but the beginning OF men
tsl activity We live too near the infant period OF our
species 70 have other than mere gmengs OF what the
arts are TO grow up TO- enough, however 10 eohV1s US
that IL not for the progressive principle our destiny
could be little different rom ihat o. the prutes we
must either advance or Teograde TIL the higher faculties
sink into the lowest
suppose few persons are Of the generts fact
thai power may be got from steam escaping from en-
zines than il gives out within them and fewer still who
believe It. The ncredulous say the fact II be one,
could not have escaped the notice Of early engineers and
their and able successors. Suppose 1t did not
shey evidently did not tum II to account Others remark
shat would be strange If this wonder-Worng nsu-
nent which has given Unprecedented stimulus 10 the
arts multiplied and choapened their products, and vastly
improved every species Of producing neehanis has not
Itself kept pace with them. Not at all No human device
ts can be- born perfect Like natural Organisms,
must grows and the more important and conphcsteo
may think, long as half its power is unpTooucFe,N
ear be but half developed Its defects accounted for
BY its comparative recent origin and us great ana noVe
character as generator and tfansmtter Of foTee-as
mover and even maker Of machines. IL was out Of the
category OF all previous inventions 1t took the world the
greater part century 20 appreciate IT, Requiring more
fbsn common minds develop the knowledge of its pn
eples and construction has been confined 70 limited
little Of it but the times changing all this In COM
mon with other things, il VIII become to- end 10
benefited by, Investigation ana cIluetn. a neehAivai
source Of al power and hence so long as knowedge IN
ereases among men" TO Smlthsons iormula IT'S
futs must increase both in quantity and quality. and
xhey do. We not satisfied with devices cnrreHt my
pears They could not meet our present wants and
Iust feel toward the condition Of things then our
Successors fifty years hence, will probably feel toward our
times and To all the machinery OF To-Day they Ger
tsinly win be reconced But some viii ask, How can
mechanism be continually rendered more eicent and It's
applications extended Without dwelling on minor points,
forms and motions even principles OF monon, let
be remenb ered that elements and materials Of the
arts are being constantly brought light aBdamoDg them
ssetcIs possessing higher qualities than any familiar to u.s.
and provided IN equal abundance That non, n,et pre-
psfpe ne for their Introduction and managemenl IL oeS-
Ep 10 be superseded great extent by then can no
Songer be doubted Take now coming into use alu
TfyaNng il in enaey and other properties little II at ALL
subject oxidation BY atmospheric exposure and conse-
sueptly vastly more enduring Imagine the change In the
entire circle of the when II and the kindred ones are
IN e. much demand for general machinery engineering
purposes and hardware as iron is now. AS for steam
bower has opened the world an era OF progress, and
Ldestined 70 continue leading CHARACTERISTIC OF 1t.
Marx the difference between past times and the present.
between and leading nations Of old The arts Of lnds
and Of East generally what they were thousands OF
years ago sndan inevitable consequence is the social
and political status of the people. With them, machines
once established altered; With u.s. to make
them better work and Of IT, or TO replace them
with Others is becoming the rulea national habit (See
recent PatenOfhce Repors To some minds, there may
be nothing In this 70 excite special attentions yet, IN
reality II is Of equal significance and import TO the future
any Of the great onward movements OF the day. IL IS
the very pth ard Of progress in the arts and
progress in them progress all other matters On this
planet is the nobles work of God and the evolution
Of power is by far the noblest work Of man. In its
present and prospective effects the physical Intellectual
and mors advancement Of species there is nothing
that it. OF all things its expenditure should
sccord with the highest working standard.
TBos EwBAyK.
Se~ yorA July 49, 1906 'r'~7s~--. p