The daily chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Ind. Ter. [Okla.]) 1898-1902, 1899-04-26
CAIAClYSMAL INVENTIONS.
fneir Effect Is Always Slowly Felt and
Distributed.

| S"'NG INNEN lOlNS.
Aneir Enect Is Always Slowly Felt and
Distributed.
The most cataclysmal of all inven-
tlons' that Of gunpowder-which,
py the way, was probably invented
TWICE, for Greek fire must have been
the same thing used with an i'm
perfect knowledge of its propelling
power, and the one which most af-
iected the organization of society
by destroying the value of armor
and equalizing the power of men
OF different sizes-took a gener.
alton to spread abroad, and when it
did spread hardly affected the rela-
tive strength of the nations. If
such an invention were discovered
now, the papers would ring with
prophecies, probably of German
OF British conquest of the world,
which would not happen a bit the
faster for all the "appreciations.
Printing was grand discovery,
and, though it did not help the Chi
nese much, did help Europeans a
great deal, but it did not help them
suddenly, and for the immense ma
]ority of mankind it might just as
well never have occurred. Steam
is grand discovery, but it has not
upset the world, it has been utilized
only by degrees, and, like printing,
the mass of mankind knows very lit
tie about it, one-third of the hu-
man race, indeed, denouncing it still
as something which "haazes and
maazes the blessed fealds. I"
The discovery of the way to har-
ness lightning, which excites the
imagination even of poets, is one of
the greatest man has made, but il
has upset nothing except newspaper
arrangements, and beyond enabling
nations to talk together as individ.
uals do it has produced no conse.
quences. 1t is, we suppose, possible
that somebody may discover way
OF destroying fleet from balloon,
and thus deprive the richest nation
of its maritime advantages, but a
mode of counteracting that discov-
cry would probably be found at the
same time, and the balance of mari
time power would remain unchang-
ed. There never can be an elixir of
life because all men are sentenced
to capital punishment, but a prepa-
ration which would destroy or neu-
tralize all hostile bacteria, germs,
spores, or whatever they call the
injurious atoms, is, at all events,
conceivable, but it would be years
before it greatly influenced the per-
manent health even of races bright
enough to believe in the physicians
opinions Remember the savage
opposition to vaccination in the
teeth of evidence really as strong as
that which demonstrates any arith-
metical proposition.
From all that what deductioni
Simply this, that the readiness to
take alarm, which is one handspring
of modern credulity, is not justified
either by, experience or theory and
that men should receive all an
nouncements of cataclysmal discov-
cry or invention with willingness
to inquire and a quiet conviction
that if false they do not matter and
If true they will affect things very
slowly and will develop counter
vailing and restraining. influences.
According to science, meteorite big
enough to shatter the world might
strike il and bring even labor trou-
bles or the German emperor's ex-
to an end, but the uni
verse is governed by powers before
which even scienceis very ignorant,
and, judging from all experience,
the meteorite will either be shatter-
cd in time or just miss us in its
course through space. - London
Spectator.