Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-12-15
THE TWENTIETH CENTURY.
q "A Contract With q Forecast.
Lcopyright, 1901, by c. L. Kilmer.l

to be applied to old methods. Man has
his work well under way. The ma
chine is pushed 10 it's limit by steam
or electricity. and the problem is to
cheaper motor power. Sometimes
electricity is comparatively cheap and
sometimes merely more convenient.
The telegraph works all right with
wires. but wires are an expense and
a nuisance. Electric light is marvel,
but, with it's lamps and wires and all
that, n source of danger and a blessing
which costs dear. Coal and electricity
are great heat producers. and the world
could not get on without them. But
If light, power and heat from the sun
may be gathered and stored for the use
Of man, the natural currents OF cleo
tricity in earth and water brought I'M
der control, why, even the plain farmer
out in the center of the prairies may
have for his aid and comfort every
thing found in the city factory or pal
ace.
The solar engine. wireless telegraphy
and natural oscillation of electric light.
which are among the possibilities of
the new century. will make cheap and
universal agencies of comfort which
now are restricted in range simply by
reason of their cost. When these agen-
cies did not exist, people got along
somehow without them, but now that
their benefits are known the resources
of the universe will be tapped until ev-
cryDOdy has share in them. Tesla,
one of the boldest and at the same time
one of the most practical Of scientific
thinkers, declares that the solar en-
CINE, Harvesting the power of the sun
for mans everyday uses: biography
by natural currents. without wires
and electric light without the renewal
of lamps or filaments are among the
possible achievements of the twentieth
century. In that case all men will then
be doing what the fortunate few are
now doing and in pretty much the
same way.
The Problem of Population.
What the term ali men" means as
applied to the Inhabitants of the Unit
I'd States Of the future suggests some
of the stupendous problems of the next
century. II the population grows as it
has done the past % years. the coun-
try will contain in the year 1000 about
400, OOO, 900 souls. At present one-fourth
600 and upward. and doubtless another
fourth OF the whole live i'll touch with
the material comforts of our time, but
as the population grows in density
there will be more people within 4 Civ
en- area to share the expense of i'm
DrOvements. At present it is only in
the cities that people enjoy the privi- |
lcges of fine hotels. of running water, |
OF public lighting, of theaters, libra |
ries, lyceums and the best facilities for |
education and worship. And there are
hut 100 cities in the land having as
many as $1,000 inhabitants. Some cit |
les of less number Of inhabitants and |
even some progressive towns may have |
at command the best things of life. |
But in the future there will be circuits |
of large towns in close communication
with one another, and ut some central |
point may be located everything that |
man can sigh for in the way of mate |
rial and social comforts.
Chicago and Philadelphia, with their |
q. OOOOOO to 100000 of people. AMI |
New York. with its 1O.OOO.OOU to 20
100000 will only accommodate a linn |
tied number in any auditorium and |
Each ward Will be n city |
in its facilities for comfort and enjoy
ment, but every inland city of few |
hundred thousand inhabitants - and |
these will exist by scores and hundreds |
will support all the privileges and re- |
fnemcnts of the metropolitan centers. |
In the same way the town will ap- |
proach the city and the village or cir |
cult of villages the town in the ability |
10 distribute the good things of life |
among the masses.
Great Centers" Must Disappear.
For another thing the manners and |
tastes OF the cities will become fixed |
in the interior without waiting to be |
cultivated there. The movement of |
population will be back to the land |
from the city as well as from the
LAID TO the city. The horror urban
people now have of the isolation and |
of the country will be re-
moved when travel is at the rate of GO
miles an hour universally and all the
of city home may be had in
a country town. with the added bless
ings OF abundant room and pure air.
Man lives as be must and not as he
would. Given a chance. he will not