The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1881-07-20

citation of stupendous facts SO start
ling III their character, so wonderful
ID their meaning, as to quite bewilder
the imagination and to lead to the
just inquiry, "Where will these things
1 end? >
we turn with patriotic pride to
our public improvements. and es.
peclaily to our railroads, which in
less than fifty years have been built
TO every considerable town, village
and city, and into almost every agri>
cultural settlement in the nation
producing a network OF roads over
The whole land, their value beino
estimated only by the billion and their
length reaching to nearly if not quite
hundred thousand miles; running
with lightning speed overihills and
Vaies' praries and rugged glens,
crossing the highest mountain
range and the widest river with one
excepuon) in the world We become
national IN our pride which stlmu
lates orr patriotism and love Of
country as we think of the length
ana magnitude OF the Union, North.
ern Southern and Central Pacific
Railroads. aud the late CONTEMPLATED
road from New York to Mexico and
gazing out into the future follow if
on to Patagonia, ana wonder when
the next one will be built. We find
an answer III our spiritual vision by
following Jay Gould and General
Orant II constructing one 10 the
moon thing scarcely worthy to
challenge american power ana ;,..
I genuity. We follow Professor
Morse through his long, long series
OF disappointed hopes and almost
ma idened frenzy at the slow and
ardy pace OF legislation in his favor
to forward the motions of his tele-
graph, and as we follow him in his
marches and counter marches
throughout the halls and up and
down the corridors Of the capitol, in
the almost defeated task OF securing
legislation in his favor, and watch
hIm as he initiates the WORKING of
the machinery OF telegraphy upon
the knobs OF the doors Of the capitol.
and wonder if the day is ever to
dawn upon him and his dreams of
success,-when we are startled with
the announcement that an appropria.
tion has been made. Congress en-
courages him, and immediately the
experiment is a success, and the ma.
tion is shocked at the announcement
that communication has crossed
the wires, miles in length, in less
than minute. Who then thought
OF the wonderful developments yet
to be made in that great discovery?
Who then thought of Cyrus Field
digging under the Atlantic Ocean
and laying his wires under its briny
surface by which to communicate
with the inhabitants of the old world
in less time than it used to take
Morse TO make one Of those dreary
journeys around the capitol? Did
any one, even years after that event,
contemplate a continuation of that
across The Eastern Hemisphere, and
under the Pacific Ocean 90 San
francisco? - a thing which now
seems probable. We pause here, un,
able to tathom the magnitude of this
wonderful American invention, to
take with us its twin sister, the tele.
phone, and our Imagination of the fu.
ture enquiries what Will there next be
to challenge the inventive genius and
power of the American people? and
taking view along the line Of the
future behold the descendants OK
these great inventors consLru3.i., ~
telegraphic ana telep homie cummuns
cations with the inha bitants OF Mare
Jupiter and Venus.