Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-04-10
NOTHING NEW UNDER THE SUN.
They Knew it All Two Centuries Ago, am
Here's Proof of 1t.

A curious little book has just been
dug from the dust of two centuries and
has been partially republished by the
German newspapers for the purpose of
proving that there is nothing new I'M
der the sun. The little book is emit
tied Foolish Wisdom and Wise Fool
ishness," and was written by an old
fashioned German political economist
named Becher. At the time of it's
publication the book was regarded as
something of a Munchausen narrative
OF the authors travels through Europe.
During his wanderings Becher be-
came acquainted with most of the
learned men on the continent. and
learned vast deal concerning the
scientific work of his day. The first
genius he met was Franz Grundler, a
Nurnberg optician. He says of him:
''Grundler is most remarkable man.
He has an idea that he can cork up in
a bottle, by means of spiral, the or
binary spoken words of a mans voice,
carry them around with him thus for
an hour or more. and then open the
bottle and let them out. How far
Grundler has got with the execution of
his idea since l saw him, do not know.
The whole conception appears to be
quite impossible of execution and
silly"
After thus limiting that even in the
days of the thirty years war some men
had learned thing or two concerning
the principle of the monograph,
Becher has word to say of IAN in
strument by means of which persons
more than German mile apart could
talk with each other in a low tone of
voice" Becher calls the instrument
a stentrophonicon, and describes how
in using it he was obliged to press his
lips very close to the bell of curiously
shaped trumpet.
II have SEEM" he continues, zone of
these instruments at Grundler's in
Nurnberg, and talked with him through
it. Although we were good distance
apart at the time and talked very loud
ly, no one between US could hear a
word we said.''
During his tour of inquiry Becher
also discovered that in several regions
outside of Germany men had learned
''to write down what others said with
wonderful rapidity, by means of strange
characters" ''Englishmen have dis
covered kind of photography, he ex-
plains, 'or an art which enables them
to write as rapidly as the fastest speak
ers can talk. They have brought this
wonderful art to such degree of per-
lection that young persons often write
out full sermons without a mistake.
Orations in Parliament can be written
out by this means as rapidly as they
are delivered, which regard as very
useful invention.n So much for steno-
graphy two centuries ago.
To save himself the trouble of learn
ing various languages of the countries
through which he passed, Becher COM
piled universal language, not unlike
our Volapuk. This language, he says.
was derived directly from the nature
of things, slipped easily over the
tongue, and could be learned in four
weeks. 1t had but twelve letters, and
tive hundred words, was clear of de-
clinations and conjugations, and sub
ject to but six rules of syntax.
Among the many other wonderful
things which Becher saw on the Con-
tinent and wrote about in his little
book were an air gun (which shot lead
without powder or noise" another gun
(which delivered three balls in rapid
succession after one loading" ship in
which Cornelius Trebbel had ridden
under the water of the Thames, and
an air ship held high above the earth
by balls much lighter than the atmos-
Dhere''