Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1882-06-14
What Invention Nav Do.

The possibilities of science when applied
TO industrial arts are sovcry great that care
iul people hesitate TO state their views for
fear of exciting ridiculc. So, in articles
which have recently been published in Lon
don as well rs in New York, humorous
turn has been given to some fthc possible
results Of inventions in these days.
Were an Englishman of the time of Eliza
beth to have been told that water would be
supplied to every house by means of pipes.
that combustible gas would be distributed
IN 4 similar manner from a central reservoir.
that messages would be sent across conti-
nents and under oceans in Il few minutes. he
! would have set down his informant as Il lu-
matte. or. n best the very wildcst Of dream
crs, The man of to-day would he quite us
incrcdulous if told What inventions and ap-
pllcatlons OF science may do for the people
of 1882.
L.. One writcrventurcs TO predict that in the
twentieth century electricity will accom-
plSh marvelS which now seem too absurd TO
seriously set forth. Chops and steaks will
be cooked by electric. sparks SO us to make
the Frcnchman S Cotclriic Il id minNtr Il real
Hy. The fruits of the earth will be multi
piod cnormouslyby the use of electric light
behind colorcd glass. Fruits and vcgcta-
bles will be grown all the year round. win
ter and summer, day and night, so that the
field that now produces Il hundred bushels of
any product will yield ten thousand. We
now cook our food. but take our air and wal
ter raw, ,Ind through these two elements
come all the disorders and contagious which
afllict humanity.
III the future water will he distilled and
prepared Tor human use and thereby nIl,i
fled from all germs Of disease. while air will
not be brcathcd hy human beings until il
has been cleared Of all noXiOlIs qualities
after which it will be admitted to the glass
covered streets and dwellings in which the
man of the future will live. Houses and
places of business will be situated in inn
mensc incloscd cdiliccs. the air of which will
not only be rendered wholesome, but de-
lighttul TO the sense of smell Srumer-and
winter, so far us extreme cold or extreme
heat is concerned, will he abolished, as the
temperature can be controlled by artificial
means. and all parts of the globe will become
equally inhahitable Day will have no at
fractions over night for the artificial lights
will be more than any which the great
llmnary tof day can given.Ils. Then, of
course, the air will be navigated which will
help to change the appearance of the sur
face of the earth, for the great cities Will
then he Situated on hcalthtul hiltops, in
stead of 'on the insalubrious plains below.
with the great motors shortly to be dis
covered, huge mountain trains which OBJ
struct mans progress in any direction, can
be lcveled while the ice picks around the
two poles can be liquiIicd and made nay-
gable. +,
AL this seems wild enough, but no doubt
very great changes will l-occur. If food can
be produced by improved methods, with less
cost, the problem of poverty is solved. If
machinery continues to replace. handwork.
the hours of labor must Ht Shortened and its
value increased; but to accomplish this, Il
social revolution will be, needed by which
labor-saving machines will he Worked for
the benefit of the laborer, and not in eompc-
tition with him.-IhT Hour.