New-York tribune., 1901-01-06
MORE THAN ANY OTHER AGENCY IT EMPHASIZES THE CON
TRAST BETWEEN PAST AND PRESENT
By PROFESSOR JOHN TROWBRTDGE & D.
pioation Of Science to Useful Arfs Hnrnrd rnfrersit

strongly EiDpndSiZSU Dg eitcGrlclty than
,v any other agency in civilization. The visitor
- Mount Vernon is whirled from Washington TO
80 residence OF Americas greatest hero i'm a.
oI,ev car; and as the grounds, pervaded with
,boughts of a notable presence. are approached
a reflects how great the astonishment of
he Father os His Country would be if ne
,rs see this marvellous method of convey
,s In his time, also, al night there was
- indication on the distant horizon of the
a.. named for him. Now there is radi-
-. 5ue 70 the multitude Of electric lights;
- when the visitor returns from Mount
--o-,cn 10 the national capital he walks the
..-eats in p food of light. and remembers that
,-- FIRST President went TO evening parties pre-
.oaaa nv a servant bearing a lantern.
The contrast between that time and the pres
-. g brought into still stronger relief when we
.t,,h Of the transmission OF intelligence by
a,sc4ricity Washington had been buried two
.-sets before the news of his death reached
,uoe.on In 1928 IL took the country month TO
.s,artain whether Andrew Jackson had been
s,ac+sa President Of the United States: while in
1ooo the newsboys We're running about on the
,,g,t Of Election Day with extras announcing
- sasea+ OF Bryan and the reelection of Presi-
dent Mckinley.
IT'S PROGRESS ONLY BEGUN.
Go remarkable are the changes which have
,ss, wrought by electricity during the last one
t,,nsrad veals that if Washington were TO re-
,ss,r Boston or New-York he might imagine
,so+ he had alighted upon a strange planet on
bic, the life bore only a faint resemblance 10
.,.. with which he was familiar. Electricity
.rulv emphasizes strongly the past and the
--ssant. and so strongly that are led to be-
i,s1a that il will DO this still more during the
next hundred years.
when we strive TO picture TO ourselves the
voIa that electricity will play in the future we
sraw our conclusions from the marvellous ad-
vsnees during the century just closed. Our
rtv's streets our hotels, our halls. ana daily
increasing number Of private dwellings are
rgbted by electricity. We conclude that the
tsctric light will be the light OF the future. and
ve confidently look forward to more efficient
ens eheaper method of converting electricity
into lieht and heat.
The methods Of transportation in our cities
snd towns have been revolutionized by the in
PRODUCTION OF the trolley, and the horse car OF
twenty years ago provokes a smile when we oc-
cssionally see it serving as night lunch stand.
The wires which carry electricity through the
streets OF city remind one Of the arteries OF
the human body; and we have still another
analogy in the central power house. which is a.
heart for the electrical system. The supply Of
light and power from central station IS a great
manifestation OF the revolutionizing effect Of
eloctricity; but It is transcribed in importance
by the transmission Of intelligence over wires,
which has changed the commercial relations OF
nations.
TROLLEY CARS IN CHINA
In view OF this extraordinary development in
less than one hundred years, the question arises:
What VIII be the probable direction Of the ad
vances in the present century? We can look for
ward with certainty 20 a remarkable extension
OF the uses of electricity a source OF power.
There VIII undoubtedly be network OF trolley
roads over the entire continent, and future gen.
erations viii see Cinnamon riding 20 and fro in
the Celestial Empire them. 1t does not seem
probable that electricity will supersede steam
On long lines Of railway, but it seems highly
probable that the steam roads will obtain con-
trol Of the trolley roads wherever they will
serve as feeders.
In this way we can foresee that there win be
a great extension Of methods OF transportation
both OF people and OF goods: for why should
not the electric roads DO express business in
connection with the steam roads? This expan-
sion Of electrical methods of transportation
must work great changes in our habits OF life.
Il promises TO relieve the congestion IN our
cities and TO make the smoke problem more and
more pressing until that time when we shall be
compelled TO use water power instead OF coal
for our source Of electricity.
With this future development OF electrical
power there will arise great electrical manu-
factories TO supply the necessary electrical ma
chinery, and this business must fall into the
hands of one or two great companies-I will not
cali them trusts-which, by cheapening the cost
of production, by refinernents in machinery.
can supply the needs Of the electrical engineer.
coAlPLEXITY OF APPLIANCES GROWS.
One can see even now that such a consolida-
ZION is progressing, for the number and COM
Ilsxity Of appliances needed in systems Of cleo
trical lighting in electrical railways, and i'm the
applications of this force to the transmission Of
power ia general, are very great, and the parts
are interchangeable 10 such a degree that the
buyer only be satisfied by a great firm
which controls the business and can produce
apparatus IN the most efficient manner with the
aid OF the newest machinery. Thus the posi-
oities Of the rapid extension OF electrical power
lie in the hands OF great combinations of cap
ltal
Before the late Presidential election small
cealer in electrical supplies told me that he
should vote for Bryan. for the trusts had stolen
MS trade. knew well why he could not keep
ms customers, for j was one, and could only OBJ
tam what I needed OF the best and most eco
homical patterns from the great companies. His
View Of the situation and his remedy were alike
pitiful.
This consolidation in the manufacture Of elec-
trlcal machinery will enable capital to be en-
pioyed on a great scale for the solution OF prob
lefns connected with the extension OF the uses
ol electricity. Where the small dealer or the
college professor can spend few hundred doll
lars for the investigation Of some practical
problem the great companies can spend thou
sands. This large use OF capital is destined TO
perfect,Du u me