The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1895-10-10
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INVENTIONS OF THE 10Th CENTURY.
[By Member of Glass ID, |

We are too busy nowadays to stop and COM
pare the ways of living in the year 1900 with the
present time. When we do. we can hardly
believe that there could have been such great
changes in a hundred years. The common wage
Garner of today lives better and enjoys more
luxuries than did the man who was considered
wealthy the beginning of this century. This
welcome state of affairs was brought about by
the many useful inventions and improvements
which have been put into successful operation
all over our land. Capitalists have awaited
themselves of this opportunity to amass great
fortunes, and the labOring man has lesSened his
labors. The busy hum of machinery is now
performing the toilsome labor of human hands.
This makes life easier and better for all con-
cerned. At the beginning of this century not
mile of railroad or telegraph office was in
existence today they branch out to all quarters
of the globe. These have been the most i'm
portant factors in the speedy progress and
development of the world. Without them the
union of our states would have been impossible.
History tells us of great nations which have
risen and fallen because the people were not in
touch with each other. Travelling, those days,
was too arduous and expensive to be under
taken, except in very pressing and absolutely
necessary eases. Letters were written but once
or twice a year, hence it must lot be wondered
at that people knew but little of what trans
pired outside of their own locality. Necessity
| is the mother of invention" The discovery and
application of steam as a motive power, created
demand for other Improvements, and these in
turn were an incentive for still greater in
venrions. Such a simple thing as the lucifer
match was unknown until about the year 1910.
The telephone, electric light, and trolley car,
| have all come into use during our time. Look
| ing backward" is no more visionary than a book
which might have been written in 1877 about
the wonders of the nineteenth century. The
ARABIAN Nights" are becoming tame. Greater
wonders than the magic of Alladin's lamp are
being performed every day. We must not
think that science has about revealed all the
wonders of nature This cannot be so. 1t will
take as long and be as difficult as to catch all
the fish in the ocean One of EdisOn's latest
achievements is a camera for taking pictures of
objects in motion, which is wonderful i'm
provement in the art of photography. When
Fulton invented the steamboat and gave notice
to the public that it was going to make its
maiden run from New York to Albany, thOus-
ands of people gathered on the river banks to
hiss and jeer at its failure. What must have been
the surprise of those skeprics when the little
boat steamed steadily onward until it turned the
bend and the last exhaust of the putting engine
was lost from view in the distance? This spirit
of narrow mindedness has passed away. Today
new inventions and improvements on the old
are welcomed by the masses. Inventions have
made this world what we find it today We
may safely predict that the future shall see &
greater number more wonderful than we now
have, all tending to make life easier anC
peasanter for the inhabitants of the earth.