New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-05-11
LOOKING FORW.1RD.

Moro than thirty years ago John Bonner OF
this city. financial writer for The Herald
and a contributor 10 the various publications.
of Mc,sr,. Harper & Brothers printed an Illus
tratcd article in " Ilarpcfs Magazine for jan
uary. 1856. entitled January Isl. A.D.'
1000" I, was conceived in tho lghtcS' vein
of humor and satire, but it proved to be IN
many respects prophetic. In 1888, when Bon
nor wrote Wall Street speculation had not
run wild. yet he described as OF common occur
renee in AID. 5000 the wildcat "k.hnI
schemes Of recent illustration. lie described
the newspaper Of AID. 5000 rs continuous
not merely daily publication, being printed
ly telegraph on "a band OF paper revolving
necessarily around "A number of rollers "A not
much distorted or exaggerated VISION I'M
dreamed Of when Bonner wrote, OF the Hold
and Stock Telegraph now in universal use.
This imaginary newspaper was " illustrated
hy telegraph" Within the last four or live
wears there was on exhibition here 4 telegraph
instrument which Transmitted handwriting and
drawing, in fac-simile and il was anticipated
that it would come largely into use for private
or secret correspondence, because operators
could be dispensed with and the gcnulncncS,
Of the message would be guaranteed by the
signature. OF course. no such use Of the telc-
graph. or even the existence Of the Gold and
Stock Telegraph instrument was dreamed OF
when Bonner wrote. lie even suggested in
this article the great extension OF the telegraph
which has so quickly followed his prophecy
He imagined a scene III which jealous lover
"bv adjusting an car-tubc' to telegraph wire
in his apartment overheard his rival wooing
his sweetheart two miles away. The telephone
has not quite reached this stage Of impcricctlOn
and cxaggcraton The mutitudnouS uses of
the telegraph developed during the generation
since this suggestive brochure was published
are familiar 10 most readers. some years ago
Thomas A. Edison sold to tho Western Union
Telegraph Company the patent Tor his duplex
machine by which messages could be slmulta-
ncously sent in opposite directions on single
wire. Il had hardly been put in operation
when he sold 10 the same company quadru-
plcx transmitting machine, by which the SER
vice of a single wire was again doubled and
recently invitations were sent To few persons
IA examine machine by which messages I'M
limited in number could be transmitted in
opposjte directions over the same wire at the
same time
The possibe application Of electricity, I'M
dreamed Of when the facetiouS prophet wrote
in {" IIarpers Magazine" tc household uses in a
thousand wears or has been more than
realized in a single generation. "TheSe wires
and springs are the best domestic servants pos
sibIe.n he wrote, after describing meal cooked
by wires cheated electrically Of coursc) and
served on a table by electrical appliances. No
-. .I.,,. r t,.
ton of electricity transmitted by wires to the
| lighting or heating Of houses, or the scores of
| other domestic to which lightning has
since been subjected. In Bonner's day the
| average speed of railway trains was not more
! than twenty-five miles an hour. Now it is
about forty miles and the practicaIility of
| safely running sixty and even seventy miles
| An hour has been demonstrated. At the aver
arc increase attained the imagined rate Of
500 miles an hour in AID. 5000 could be cx-
ccoded. I'm the thirticth century the railroads
| had so encountered the surface Of the earth
| that no room was left for agriculture" So in
| IMAGINATION, Bonner put all means Of trans
portation underground or in the air The
seemingly absurd prophecy is realized within
his generation He imagined for AID 5000
schools of physical culture in which the parts
| az the bodies of human beings necessary to their
particular avocations were developed at the
sacrifice of other parts Thus the predestined
blacksmith was made all arms the diva all
mouth; the danseuse all legs and the major
domo all arms. Well, we already have all
sorts of schools for physical culture where sue
cess is not always attained without some sacri-
| fee. In his most grotesque humor the imag-
NATIVE philosopher had the artist illustrate
this part OF his satire by showing him chaps iug