Nebraska advertiser., 1881-02-10
Scientific Invention and Human Pro.
OrpSS

Montreal Star.
There is question which comes home
to us more and more as we read of the
various ingenious devices upon which
men of science are spending unceasing
effort; and that is: What relation have
these things to human progress in a
broad senseP To illustrate the point
very briefly, there are in every large
city hundreds, if not thousands, of men,
women and children who find it hard to
get bread enough to eat and clothing
enough to keep them warm. Now sup
pose we 90 to some family in destitute,
or all but destitute, circumstances, to
some seamstress working the eyes out
of her head to procure the most meagre
subsistence, or to any one else hard
pressed by toll and misery, and explain
to them all about Mr.. Edison's discov-
cries and plans, or about the new pho
tophOne which is going to render light
vocal, or even about the telephone
which so few persons as yet understand;
what answer would you get? The
answer would come in the form of a
question! What good are these things
going to do to usP Are they going to
tighten our toll, to give us steadier and
more human employment, to sweeten
existence for us a little, and give US
some sense of partnership in all the
good the world containsp To such a
question what answer could we give?
Has the telephone, for example, in any
way alleviated theeondition of the poorp
Will the photOphone do it? Will the
electric light do it? These things are
all very well for the favored classes of
society; for they think at once, in con-
nection with them, of added elegancies
and cOnveniences in their already fortu-
nate surroundings, to say nothing of the
qualification of curiosity, which their
leisure enables them to indulge. Each
new invention is toy, if fnothing better;
and toys are welcome in regions where
the great question is how to procure a
new amusement. But what, we must
press the question, are these things do
ing, or going to do for the classes in
society whose circumstances really re-
quire amelioration. The answer, we
fear, is-nothing. Yet we call all this
progress. As long as the march of in
vention is rapid, and the classes who
already are in possession of all the good
things of life get more and more, we
complacently assume that civilization is
advancing in the most satisfactory
manner
Now we venture to express the opin-
ion that it is time to change our point
of view little, and call nothing a ben
eficial discovery that does not promise
to benefit society at large. The world
could get on famously if there was not
another scientific discovery for ten years
to come. We travel fast enough, we
communicate fast enough, we manufac-
ture fast enough, for all practical pur-
poses. What we want now is the ap-
plication of philosophy to osocial life. Let
our inventors task their brains for the
improvementsof! society, and above all
for the elevation of those classes that
most need elevation; and let us chiefly
honor, not the man who can bring US
the last news from the most distant
nebula, but the man who can speak
word that will help the establishment of
social justice on this earth, and bring
cheer and comfort to the weak and dis
tressed here and now.