The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1886-03-20
A HUNDRED YEARS HENCE.
HUMAN PROGRESS IN "7HE AGE OF
.:. ENLlGHTENMeNT.p
Earth-The Worlds News at Sunrise
Signaling vonus-Dwellings-
Schools-vagabonda

shall take the liberty Of transporting
you 100 years into the future. 1t is 1886,
Jan. l. If you look back to 1886, you viii
be surprised at the rapidity of human prog
ress We call the present "The Age of En-
ightenment;" the preceding was sThe Age
of Civilization" We have now only to an
ticipate one more age that Of pure Reason,
which will also be the era Of unbroken
peace. The characteristic of the proceeding
age was steam as a motive power. Steam
we have quite outlived, as useful only for
those who do not care for speed and safety.
The characteristic Of cur age is electricity,
by which human life and the very face Of
nature have been revolutionized.
In 1882 congress Of balloonists was held,
the object being to discover some method Of
securely steering an air-ship.
Now, as you know, every one navigates
the air with ease, harnessed, us you may say,
he is able to rise easily, travel in any direc-
ton, over the forests and houses, carry
heavy weights, ami completely control his
motions all by electricity. In this way also
huge weights are lifted by convoy OF men
and deposited where desired These travel
in straight lines rather than by tortuous
country roads; roadways are largely given
over to cultivation; millions of miles of
fence are rendered unnecessary, and that
most terrible Of all horrors. drive in the
mud of an average country road is forever
thing Of the past.
Vast trains of immense conveys now move
in every direction through the air, to and
from the greater marts. These electric con.
voys are capable of self-illumination, and
are thus at night objects of great beauty,
moving with colored lights, while they
largely assist in Illuminating the earth be
low Postotfices are now, except for central
distribut on, dispensed with for post con-
VOWS, who drop the mail at each mans
door.
UNITED STATES OF TIE WORLD.
In 1850 we numbered ninety-four states,
spreading from the Isthnus nortnward to
Alaska and Newfoundland, counting the
West Indies as five states 1t was thought
best to reject the application of the Sand
wich islands and Others, as more properly
belonging to the Pacif league Of republics.
The League of Nations was formed later in
the century. It was the outgrowth OF re-
publicanism. Standing armies became an
uncomfortable burden. It was found that
sixty eight republican states could frater-
nize in government. Why, then, should
not the twelve republics that constituted
Europe; the forty-four in Asia; the seventy
nine In Africa, as well as those scattered in
tie Pacific, form an international union!
This was done as the United States Of the
World; and now peace is maintained as q
mutual interest, without standing armies.
An international conference is in con
seat 1si}h llid sdda
This is court without power to enact laws,
but is all arbiter between nations, and its
decisions are final Its members are eleetei!
for life. Its decisions are regulated by
"The Constitution of United Humanity, >
which is the common law Of the whole
world. Congress meets but once in ten
years, and no law is constitutional that can
not be repealed while you stand on one
foot. Other legislative bodies meet once in
five years, except supervisors, who are al
lowed five days each year. Congress and
the legislature are not permitted to remain
III session over one month
THE WORLDS NEWS AT SUNRISE.
In the progress Of events men considered
that to keep up with their age they must
have the news at least once week. Then
came the need of 6 daily paper. Then tie
system was perfected for placing bulletin
on every citizens counter, Or table, three
times day, and five times on Sunday.
pellse with the press. The Chief Editor OF
the United States sat in st. Louis, and di-
rected the messages, which simultaneously
flashed, once an hour, to every village in
the land. But even this system did not sat
isfy the requirements Of enlightenment
One hour to us was as long as six months
had been to the Puritans and Cavliers Of the
seventeenth century. News must be instan-
taneous Whatever occurred must be sent
by nerve thill through all the world.
And so it is that to-day all news is photo
graphed automatically from post to post
over the whole Union. All that a man has
to do is to look at the town signal station,
where he can, every ten minutes, hear from
the whole world
1t is thought that system is about co u
plete, whereby, by combination of photo
graph and photophone, the worlds news
will be announced in clear tones at sunris.
from every electric town station. People
will then simply be awakened by town
alarm-clock, will roll over in bed and hear
from Asia and Europe before dressing. But
most wonderful of all is the revelation of
the cosmoscope, whereby we are actually III
communication with Venus, Mars, and the
inhabitants of Juriter's moons. We are
rapidly perfecting system of common sig
mails. which will enable us to seq and hear
as regularly from other systems of worlds
as from other planets e.
HOMES FOR ALI.-EDUCATIoN UNIVERSAL.
Paper is used in building wherever tenn
porary use only is required Houses to
rent may be built of this material; but for
whatever purpose constructed, they must be
burned up at the ead Of three years; so that
no tenement house ever becomes foul nest.
No paper house can lie built over one story
in height. They are cheap, portable, warm,
water proof, and easily gotten rid OF. Not
only are our houses made of glass and alum
mum, but the furniture Also The .Lritt;a
glass of the civilized age is now only a Gu
mostly Our homes contain in their struct-
ure and furnishing almost nothing but glass
and aluminium Fo; tie past sixty years
not q d. ath has occurred from the ii,,r,.n,,