The New York herald., 1876-09-25

in war but even if it had never been util-
lied in any other way its invention would
have marked an epoch in human affairs.
The invention of gunpowder rendered 1t
certain. that barbarism could never again
triumph over and blot out civilization. 1t
requires an amount of mechanical skill to
which barbarous nations never attain to
manufacture the cannon and small arms
which make gunpowder efficient. The i'm
provements which are constantly making in
armes de precision, improvements which
render modern warfare at once so destructive
and 80 expensive, put it out of the power OF
any but civilized and wealthy nations to
prosecute great wars with success, and rem
der it impossible for any barbarous people
to submerge civilization as the inundation
of Goths and Vandals did that of Rome. 1t
was a long time after the invention of gun
powder before it was utilized for the arts Of
peace.
But gunpowder and its kindred explosives
have become no less renowned for what they
accomplish in peace than for their uses in
war. The Mount Cents tunnel. the Hoo
sac tunnel and various other enterprises
for boring through the solid bases of noun
tains and opening easy paths for inter-
course and commerce, demonstrate that
the giant explosives put into our
hands by chemistry have other and nobler
uses than the wholesale destruction of hu-
man life in war. The blasting Of rocks at
the bottom of harbors and channels to give
easier and safer passage to ships is Of the
same nature as the blasting of routes for
railways through the rocky foundation of
mountains, the common purpose Of both
being to facilitate commerce. If there should
ever be ship canal across the isthmus,
opening an easy highway between the At
lantic and Pacific oceans, that great work
will be accomplished only by a vast use of
explosives. Their growing employment in
peace tends to abridge their use in war, for
commerce creates international interests
which cannot be sundered without great loss
on both sides and which array powerful pri-
vate interests, which governments cannot
disregard, on the side Of peace. Gun
powder and its more giant progeny
are, therefore, in fair way to be-
come as powerful agents OF peace as
they have heretofore been Of destruction.
In becoming the handmaids of commerce
they are binding nations together by ties Of
mutual interest which governments will hes
itate to break. The first powerful explosive
was named gunpowder, as If it were mere
agent Of destruction to be used in guns; but
the more recent inventions in the same line
are dedicated to the arts Of peace, and will
do their main work in tunnelling mountains,
clearing harbors and channels and breaking
through the barriers which separate neigh
boring oceans The greatest task which
awaits their performance is the blasting of n
channel across the Isthmus Of Darien, under
the protection and guarantee of the great
commercial nations. Humanity will hail
every step of the progress by which these
mighty agents are turned from the uses of
war to those of commerce and peace.
American Skill and English Alarm.
We do not wonder that the exhibition of
American manufactures in Philadelphia
has startled number of intelligent Eng
lishmen, who are now writing to the London
Times praising the skill and taste of Ameri-
can workmen and warning their own coun-
trymen that we are at last rivals to be feared.
We happen to know that these English are
not alone in their surprise. German, Bel
astonished at the extent, variety and excel
lence of our manufactured products. In
fact, it would not be too much to say that
we have given surprise to intelligent mer-
chants and manufacturers from oil parts of
the world.
Nor is this amazing. 1t is fact that our
manufacturers produce, in general, better
qualities Of goods than those Of Europe
they turn out, as a rule, more faithful, more
durable, better and more honest goods. The
wooden nutmeg and pine ham business has
been transferred across the Atlantic to a
great extent, and the Americans have in Tho
last dozen or fifteen years gained reputa-
ton for honest products which would be
invaluable to us if it were only little more
extended-if we had any foreign trade
whenever we do trade, abroad.
That the extent and variety of our manu-
factures should be surprise to foreigners
who visit the Exhibition shows how near
extinction our foreign trade is If we had
a commerce worthy of the name it would
not need an exhibition to make foreigners
aware of our good work They would have
felt our competition they would have
known to their cost long ago that we are
skilful manufacturers. Tho fact is that by
unwise laws we have isolated ourselves
almost as though we had been Chinese or
Japanese. That we excel in many, and even
in most, branches Of manufacture has done
us so far little or no good, because we can
not sell our surplus products abroad We