Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1874-07-09
The Possibilities of Future Dis
COVery.

A striking illustration of the popu-
lar lack of scientific reasoning is to
be found in an editorial which recent
ly appeared in the New York Herald
as follows:
The widest Imagination is unable to
predict the discoveries of the future
For all we know, families in the next
century may pump fuel from the river
and illuminate their houses with ice and
electricity, Iron vessels, properly
magnetized, may sail through the air
like balloons, and trip to the Rocky
Mountains may be made in an hour
Perhaps within fifty years American
grain will be shot into Liverpool and
Calcutta through iron pipes laid un-
der the sea. By means of condensed
air and cold vapor engenes, excursion
parties may travel along the floor of
the ocean, sailing past ancient wrecks
and mountains of coral. On land the
intelligent farmer may turn the soil of
thousand acres in day, while his
son cuts wood with platinum wire
and shells corn by electricity. The
matter now contained in New York
daily may be produced ten thousand
times a minute, on little scraps of
pasteboard, by improved photography,
and boys may sell the news of the
world printed on visiting cards, which
their customers will read through ar
tificial eyes. Five hundred years
hence musician may play a piano in
New York connected with instruments
in San Francisco, Chicago, Cincinnati,
New Orleans and other cities, which
will be listened to by half million of
people. A speech delivered in New
York will be heard instantly in the
halls of those cities; and when fash
ionable audiences in San Francisco go
to hear some renowned singer, she
will be performing in New York OF
Philadelphia.
In the year 1900 a man may put on
his inflated overcoat, with a pair ot
light steering wings fastened to his
arms, and go to Newark and back in
an hour. All the great battles will be
fought in the air. Patent thunderboltl
will be used instead of cannon. A
boy in Hoboken will go to Canada in
the family air-carriage to see his
| 0e4AA iAO HGAG A%J AA0 4AAl4
er will chasten him with a magnetic
rebuker because he did not return be
fore midnight. The time is coming
when the Herald will send a reporter
to see a man reduce one of the Rocky
Mountains to powder in half day
Skillful miners will extract gold from
quartz as easily as cider is squeezed
from apples. A compound telescope
will be invented on en- :irely new prin
ciples, SO that one may see the plan
nets as distinctly as we now see Slater
Island. Microscopes will be made sc
powerful that particle of dust on 1
gnat's back will appear larger thar
Pixies Peak. And marvellous progres!
will he made in psychological anC
mental sciences. Two men will set il
baths filled with chemical liquids. On,
of them may be in Denver and tn
other in Montreal. A pipe filed Will
the same liquid will connect the tw,
vessels, and the fluid will be SO sensi
: tive that each may know the other
1 thoughts. In these coming days, Ou
4 present mode of telegraphing will b
classed with the wooden ploughs G
9 Egypt, and people will look back t.
j steamships and locomotives as we loo
J., back to sailboats and stage coaches.