The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-08-06
The Next Century.

1t IL nm interesting subject OF thought,
what the social and material condition OF
The world will be when the second Centen-
nial is celebrated. What are the oppor-
iunities and means Of progress during the
next hundred yearsf
We fancy that the people who look for
great advances IN the application Of sci
snce 10 the wants OF man Will, in many
respects, be disappointed by the events of
The future. The last undred years have
been a sort OF Elizabethan era of practical
accomplishment in applied science. The
use OF steam as motor 10 the great
mechanical event OF the century. II has
had more to do with the progress of
society than any other material force.
The locomotive, I IL steamship, the power
press aud the power loom have revo-
lutionized human activity. The ques-
ton now Is, how far the present means
Of utilizing steam are susceptible of i'm
provencut. The steam engine has prac-
ideally reached IS highest development.
It il like poetry an the drama in the age
Of EIlzApETn. Take the locomotive. for
Instance. 1t has been brought up to about
u perfect "a standard as il probably will
ever reach. II is one of the most magnifl-
cont manifestations Of the capacity OF
human skill VIII ch the history OF the world
furnishes. An en- nous power is got out
Of Il relatively small machine, and II serves
Is purpose exactly and successfully. II
possible that in the progress Of q
century there may be notifications In
Produced In the locomotive, but they will
be slight and not affect its main construc-
hon There II, in fact, very little TO i'm
prove in the locomotive. So, too as
means of transportation, the railroad Is
practically fnality. A hundred years
ago cities could not be built except on the
iea coast or on the shores OF navigable
rivers. The ra lroad makes possible er eat
metropolis in the midst Of prairie. Dur
ing the next century the power OF the
railroad will probably be further devel-
oped, bat the thing lie likely TO be left SUBJ
yantially unchanged.
Az to the steam engine generally, how
ever applied, whether 10 ships or to looms,
there is not much left to conquer In
that direction. Since the time Of WATT,
near hundred years ago, Its i'm
proyement has been merely in the me-
chanical details Of better workmanship.
No new principle has been applied
10 It. II we ask what Is the difference be-
tween the steam engine OF the time of
WATT and that Of to-day, we are answered
that now we use higher pressure-, aud. in
some cases, employ the expansive prin-
ciple TO a greater extent.
Next to the application Of the steam
engine 10 navigation, the great achieve
ment in that lue has been the SCREW pro-
pelcr. That, also has probably reached
Its highest practical DEVELOPMENT. The
people OF the twentieth century, If they
continue 10 use steam rs q motor, may
ave few hours III crossing the Atlantic;
but they will be only hours, and they will
have to go across in the way we do now. In
steam propellers. The notion that bal.
looms or some other fantastic means OF
conveyance will succeed the steamer ha,
nothing on which to base itself Tho
lr"Hhi" about the balloon is, that man
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