, 1881-09-11
THE TELEGRAPH, THE RAILWAY, AND
HUMANITY

1Ae lcNSlilpn, ult runway, anu the Stca1n-
ship make all men kin. There Is t;miuc In
Ireland. \ cablegram "details its horrors
| the wires Of continent repeat the story
] the hearts Of 4 whole people are touched
! wltlla common impulse OF generosity; trains
| OF cars laden with tile rich gifts of charity
speed to the ocean, and soon the waves are
parted by steamship bearing relief. Dis
t;lnce is almost annihilated by the modern
improvements in communication and trans
portation.
\ mother on the Pacific Coast. in the wilds
Of Arizona, is informed by cable that her
daughter lies dangerously i'll Of fever i'll
Rome. She trayerses 4 continent. crosses
the ocean, ferries the British Channel, hur-
rics across Europe, energies from Il railway
coach in the Eternal City, and stands at the
bedside Ut her suffering c!lild--from the ex-
trelne West, from Il country infested with
savages, to the city Of the C,esnrs, OF EoMu-
lus and Remus, of CAliGula and Nern, to the
city whose foundation antcdates Til. Chris
tian era GO years. and I'LL in seventeen DAYS!
Is war III progress? The telegraph
stretches its wires nlong the track of the
marching hosts, and when battle is Joined,
III the intervals Of the rattle of musket ~ ;l1ld
the roar OF cannon, the ''cliek, click :" Of tho
electric instrument is heard, and details of
the awful contest fly east, west, 1,orth. and
south, 10 the Httermost parts Of thu earth.
il Il great crime coElnlittetlo Does the
criminal travel away from the ss.ene If hi,
wlckedncss by rail ut forty, fifty. or sixty
miles III llour' y message spet.ds oyer tho
wire like Il flash Of light, five hundred or i
thousand miles, leaving the Pudding train
tar behind; and at the door O.. the railway
coach stai.tls ali officer Of The law ready to
seize AMI haildcuf the flying Criminal,
If there is rejoicing in amy mart of the civil
ized world all mankind }2artal,es OF it: on
Tuck's sirtlc the wave Of Inerriu,t.ut circun,-
navigatcs the earth. Ii there is gloom and
grief, tile heavy news spre ads, and all people
share and make the sorro.H lighter by maxim.
it Il common sorrow. Is there scarcity in
this quarter? There Is abundance in TINT !
quarter, and between the two IN Iron track
spans the distance, and stcam-tlriyen trains !
quickly rccstablisl J,ne disturbed equilibrium.
The telegraph rcN,orts tho pulse-beat and
temperature OF Il Il mankind and the railway
caualizes tile crtulatlon.
1lts YEARS a5c. the suiferings Of the fire. t
>''lli4c'i pe"P'e " Michigan would lave teen |
Known oh'y 10 themselves and their imme- t
ola1e neisilnoiS For .luys and weeks. The I
Of only; Il narrow circle would
nave oceh eAtciaoetf. to them, for only a mar
10" e'ese co'llo i';e't. been coslsZant Of their
misfortune. oht5 small and inadequate
hc:snre"t re'lel ""t' ID have come to their
assistance and rescue laecnusc of fta fim3tpd |
,o"er VI LIE hl'hieaia''e neishborllood to re-
'e'e lro''l So src''t CT .tastrophe. The raw
|Ees OF lhe hfe would have been supple
nehtc'I ny l1e i'offols IF starvation. Dut, |
'1il1e l1e '''11les "cfe sllil raging, while the
eao S'll' lily u'ourie''' I'LL g telegraph drew
ivitl pictures Of the awfr,I scenn of dp,t,, |
nd desoIation and tl,slle: thcn haf,ro tho
yes Of all the worltl-piecs -rs of nltrf,-,,nrk-
ess III ll''s'' distracted men,