BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1902-09-13
SArIJUAN, SEPTEMBER -
Modern Means
Of Locornotion.

Scott begins the Heart of Midlo-
THAN with some comments put into
the mouths of two travellers on the dan
gers attending loconotion by the stage
coach of that time. The frequent ac-
cidents, the reckless speed and the dis
comforts of the newly introduced stage
coach are complained of; and invidious
comparisons a,e made with the old
fashioned method by horseback. Prob
ably with modern Improvements in the
means Of transit there are greater
number of accidents because there are
more people who travel 1t is very
doubtful if the proportional number Of
accidents is greater. Improvements
have gone on at SO rapid rate that ii
is impossible for any but an expert tc
keep up with them.
What is meant by calling this age a
commercial age is only that different
nations have easier intercourse than
ever before That easy means Of
transit makes great nations possible be
cause the people Eecome more alike
and have interests that are more nearly
indentical, is obvious enough. So when
great financial interests spread to many
nations, war becomes less and less pos.
sible. The moneyed men of the world
are greater security to its peace than
all the armies and navies and this
would be found to be verified if the in
side political history of modern times
could be read. If the Improvements go
on in the same rapid rate in the future
the hope of universal language will
become more and more secure, Phil
ologists will find little to do with the
changes in the language of the future
for the patois and dialect will be less
probable.
In another way society has become
affected and to considerable degree
revolutionized by its applications of
science. The old ideas Ct Liberal edit
cation" and professional career have
been distinctly modified. The medic
val notion of the trinity Of the law,
ministry and medicine as the only pro-
fessions has received a death blow.
Technical sciences have been elevated
to the dignity Of professions because of
their value to mankind and the in
creased requirements to their profcien
cy. The social consequences of the re
cent rise to-proninencs of the science
Of engineering in its many branches
are incalculable. Social standards have
had to be renodelled. The educational
systems throughout the entire civilized
world have had to be 50 adjusted to
the new condition of things that COM
plete revolution has taken place il edu-
cational methods and ideals. To-day
no college is complete without its engi-
neering department. and the mass of
students have turned from mere in.
trospection to an objective study of ma
ture.
When one looks backs upon the times
of the great Napoleon, those times
seem very primitive. His ott-quoted
words expressed the opinion of his
epoch that while German philosophy
possesses the air the French owned the
land and the English the sea 1t has
been traditional belief that the only
method of transit possible was upon
the surface of the earth Yet the con.
gestion of people in cities and the in
tervening of waterways like the Hudson
River and Of mountains like the Alps
have compelled men to go belov the
surface of the earth for safety and
Tapidity of transit Although it is
more than a hundred years since tie
first " Montgolfer made its initial as
cent, and although the problem Of ma
vlgating the air is still 1lnsolvel, the re-
cent experiments with dirigib1e balloons
by NJ. Santos Durnont and others show
that the methods of travel have. still a.
great future of exploitation Lord .Kel-
vim has recently expressed the opinion
that all this experimentation with diri-
g1ble balloons will lead 10 nothing. Yet
the recent successes in navigating the
the air have swept away the old sfradi
tion that the airWay is impossible and
they have given the public confidence
N the ultimate triumph Of aerial navi-
cation
The attempts to make transit in the
air, below the earth ind under the sea
successful have been due II he main
to the wonderful improvements in the
methods Of locomoiion upon the surface:
The development of small light motors
otiler than stean-motoss has been a /
matter Of interested observation. Mr..
Fl II. SuPlee in an important treatise
on tie sabject says that this reduction
of weight in niotors is the real causg
Tor the renewed attention to the diripiblel
balloon. The Introduction Of ccsficityl
instead OF in steaial, he improvements
n the machinery for stsa51, The <leVe.
loPlnent Of the ocean steamship have