St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-03-20
WHATIS VISIONARY?


from the United States to Europe. For his
pains he is denounced as visionary, indeed,
the most visionary of the Missionaries. Per-
haps he is. But what is it to be visionary?
Look over the developments of the last half
century, and answer. How has the world
been revolutionized, in that space Of time,
in modes of business, trade, commerce,
travel warfare, water navigation, living,
manufactures, machinery, social life, indeed
in all things pertaining to the worlds affairs
and activities?
Was not Fulton shallow visionary, when
he proposed to navigate the Hudson river by
steam? How many wise old codger of that
day wagged his incredulous head, and de-
nounced Fulton as visionary fool!
Morse. wasian irreversible visionary shall
low-pate when he proposed the electric tele-
graph, and had to wage hard, long and
persistent warfare to induce congress to
grant him an appropriation to establish an
experimental line between Baltimore and
Washington.
And still later, Observation-Disclosures was
denounced as the widest scheme of vision
airy empires. To go further back: the con-
struction of the Erie canal was hooted at as
wild scheme of gigantic impossibilities, and
"Clinton's big ditch" was mercilessly ridi-
culed.
Again, the project of locomotive travel by
railroad cars was received with incredulous
contempt.
Again, the invention of the telephone was
exhibited in public halls, and was looked upon
as a curious, but inutile toy, designed to
amuse for the hour an indoor audience
But now the pretty toy is traversing realms
and doing its wonderful work.
Again, the discovery and refining of kero-
sene oil and the manufacture of gas have
revolutionized the lighting of houses and cit
les, giving the whole a new lease of life, and
caused whole ships to rot at their docks
Again, the electrical light, still in its infancy,
is dazzling the vision of an almost bewil-
dered world.
Machinists and machinery have revolu-
tionized the modes and styles of all kinds
of manufactured products and have fully in
v;ded the agricultural field, and are adding
marvellous facility for cultivating and har-
vesting the products Of the earth
The young denizen of fifty years ago can
hardly realize that the world he then lived
in, is the world that now surrounds him with
all its changed modes of life, and business
activity.
In view of what has been accomplished,
hills leveled, mountains tuneled, and the
Al ia
tiles, it is hardly safe to antagonist any sug-
gestion, however wild and yisionaryit may
appear.
The Suez canal was one of the wonders
of the day. The conversin of the Desert of
Sahara into an inland sea may yet be an ac-
complished fact, and the Panama canal may
stretch its finished work form sea to sea.
Should a bold engineer come forward and
propose to bridge the Atlantic, it would be
hardly safe to confront him and denounce
him as visionary schemer. But an engineer
has come forward, and porposed an all rail
route from continent to continent in spite
of the Atlantic ocean. Is it quite safe in
any project, however gigantic is incapable
OF accomplishments
The Union Pacific railroad has opened up
an empire in one direction, the Northern
Pacific railroad has opened up an empire in
another direction, and who now will be so
boldly incredulous as to say that the CONT
nents cannot be SPAWNED by railroad line
of communication?
Gen. George, P. Ihrie, is now in Washing
ton, trying to get up company for con-
Meeting the Northern Pacific railroad with
Alaska, and is mercilessly ridiculed as a
visionary of the Missionaries. His scheme
may be impractieable. So were thought to
be the Clinton canal scheme, Fulton IS
steamboat scheme, Morse's telegraph scheme,
and others, but they have turned out to be
otherwise, and SO may Gen. George P. Ihrie's.
But who IS Gen. Ihrie, and what does he
propose. He is now mining engineer in