The Red Cloud chief., 1881-06-16
0lD.TlME

Our u iolk>, or. more strictly
speaking. our little folks. open their
eyes with wonder ~ we tell them ,lo-
ries ot the oldou time, when there were
no railroads. no telegraph wires. no
steamboats,; and when messages were
carried bv men on horseback or slower
stase-coaches. and when people trav-
cled along lcisurely. never imagining
! that they would ever be- whir.ci
through the country by sieam-c or
exchange the canal packet for the
palatial and swiftly gong steamers.
TO those of Us who for many wears
have enjoyed the benefits of alt these
modern improvements IL is difficult To
realize the Incredibly If the masses ot
the people about them whcn they nrst
appeared. Yet il i IL that ~ recent
" as lsI7, Fernando Wood. who had
served his country long and well. and
had been in Congress for many years,
was considered fanatical and v sionary
because he had faith in Prof. Morse
and his invention. Fernando Wood
was a member Of the Congress which
appropriated thirty thousand dollars To
Prof. Morse for his experimental telc-
graph line between Washington and
Bait more. and on account of IL was
defeated after his mex nomination 10
Congress. The people wished tn pun
ism the man who hal 81 mi>rcprcscuted
them ~ To vote for So visionary a
project as transmitting intelligence
through the air upon wires strung
upon poles. Prof. Morse waited wear
after year for Congress 10 pass the bill
appropriaiing the amoun Tor building
the first line. and the last night Of the
session he went 10 his rooms discour-
aged, being told that il was scarcely
possible that il would pass. But. Ia his
great delight, n young lady brought
him the good news. 4 few hours after
wards. that just before the nj iournmcnt
the bill passed with the Presidents
signature. The professor was over
joyed. and said Ia the young lady who
had brought him the word: You shall
send the urSt message over the wircs.'
and she photographed from Baltimore TO
Washington.
What hath God WroUQhtr
a short time after this. when a politi-
cal convention was in session in Balti-
more, the announcement of the nomi-
7 4 VI u 'tii'AiNstNt "' y u
to Washington. but 81 reluctant were
the people tn believe in this new invcn-
ton that they regarded the message rs
a pure fabrication. and would not pub
iish il in the Washington paper until 4
courier arrived from Baltimore confirm
ing it. And we wonder how that the
people were so slow To believe in these
great invent ons.
In the Memorials Of a Quiet Life"
by Augustus Hare. the incident is re-
lated that in 1929 u company Of noted
people were invited To Liverpool To see
the first locomotive and train of ears.
and to ride in them. One who was
there writes:
"To ~ who have no turn for these
things, and therefore cannot or do not
realize any description. the seeing them
comes with such novelty and force. and
brings such n train of new thoughts;
this thing. which is To convey carriages,
| people. goods. everything. from Liver
| pool To Manchester, thirty miles IN dn
h0ur. running half the warehouses at
Liverpool, by making Manchester into
Il Sep10ri town. the goods landed at the
docks at Liverpool being henceforth
transported at once into the warehouses
at Manchester in as short n time n they
now take i'm being carried from the low
| er to the upper part of the town. The
effect of the velocity is that when you
| stand on the railroad. and watch the
machine coming, il seems not 10 d9-
pr0dch, but tn expand into size and dis
tinctness like the image in q phantas-
! magoria. We were soon seat
ed in one of the carriages. and started
off ut the rate Of thirty miles an hour;
| our speed increased "a We went on. per-
ceptiblc only from the strong current OF
air. and our passing objects 50 rapidly.
I never felt so strange. so much in n
state OF magic. of enchantmcnt. as IL
surrounded by new powers and capa-
bilities. | tell YOU all this. yet You will
hardly believe. as did not, what is do
ing till | had seen it
The majority OF the people in Europe
| and America were incredulOus o all
| these inventions until they had seen
| them, and some would scarcely believe
their W eyes.
| well remember our frs, sight Of and
experience with n sewiDg-machine. My
father, who. although a college profess
sor of one Of the dead languages, had a
good knowledge of mechanics. nearly
thirty years ago examined with delight
and entire satisfaction the first sewing
machine brought to the city in which
we lived. After testing the new inyen-
ton thoroughly, he caTne home on. day
stating To nv mother that he had seen
the machine stitch n shirt front and
cuffs in five minutes, and that we could
hardly estimate the yaluc OF n IN n
large family. / remember our aston
ishment ut the statement, and our moth
er's words
..WelI. John. / can hardly believe that
until I see ii with nv own eyes"
Afew days after the machine was
purchased. and its coming proved n
red-lettcr day in the history of our fam
ily. How we all stood about watching
the wonderful needle with its eve near
the point instead of at the head. ~ II
| few up AMI down while our father
showed us the beautiful stitch il made.
and we reioiced at the thought tina, the
sewing would be accomplished as ii by
magic. With beaming joy he showed
Us the perfection Of the machinery. the
gauge by which we could shorten and
! Iengthen the stitch. the screw by which
we could tighten OF loosen the thread
the presser-foot which held the work
firmly in place. the shuttle which car
red the lower thread and helped form
the lock-stiicb. AMI the treadle which
set the mach ne ia motion and BY
! which we could regulate its speed We
were enchanted with H. Our mother
sat down to try il. bat such q complies
ton of machinery. 50 many things 10
look after al once were dis;racting.
and 10 her impractieable. Then orr
f,ther guided the work while mother
tried TO give regular strokes 70 the
treadle, but alter five or ten minutes
trial. mother said:
1T Is too complicated. we can never
use il. / feel as II l were rushing along
on \ railruad train. and we should have
8 collision in . moment or 90 TO de-
struction in some way and so saying
she rose from her seat. and, with q
solemn look on her face, said:
I'VE have been rash in this purchase.
and have made great mistake"