The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-09-09
GIANT STRIDES MADE
BY WORLD s|NV[NTORs
Many Wonderful improvements
Of Today Fruit Of Last
Half Century.

Washington, Sept. s-Forty.ave years
marks, we may say, the man Of middle
age, yet the retrospect Of the last forty
five years will point to many Of the
most remarkable, and, as now con-
side!red, INDISPENSABLE, inventions and
middle-aged man, as boy, did not even
dream Of. Going back to the time when
the man, now As, was 5, we will find
that he and all the rest Of mankind
lived very satisfactorily without tele-
phones. Scarcely q house Of any con-
siderable size would now be deemed
habitable without one. When commune
cation with distant point was needed
requisition. If great haste Was not
requisite, letter suffced. "z@
The expedition with, which business
is now transacted was obviously i'm
possible without the telephone, altho
other inventions, then equally unknown,
contribute much to the hurry Of today.
The electric light, like most other cleo
trical inventions, was as distant as the
telephone; tho gas and oil, principally
the former, made what was. considered
satisfactory illumination. Great con
struction works could not, however,
be carried on by night with gas while
now, by arc light they may. In that
day the miner toiled underground by
the dim flickering illumination Of a
candle. At present, large mines are
strung with incandescent electric lights
and kept practically as light as the
surface establishments by night, 4.
Forty years ago speed Of thirty miles
by. rail was deemed wonderful, and
continuous trips of more than 200 miles
were rare. Changes Of cars were fire.
quent on long distance journeys, and as
the segments Of road we're in those days
1IoG hIyG
was much transferring Of passengers and
baggage, and buying of new tickets.
Dining cars were unknown, and wayside
lunch counters, with their familiar
gong!s and summary: :" All aboard, !"
termina tons to: unsatisfactory and alb
breviated repasts, were the rule.
The postage rate on domestic letters
was charged to Canada and Mexico:
while every negotiable document, deed,
check, bond or legal instrument, bore
an internal revenue stamp. Bankers,
brokers, stationers, druggists, and even
saloonkeepers kept a supply Of revenue
stamps on sale, and merchants had them
in sheets ready tofbe affixed to receipts
if even for the most triaing amounts.
Every bank and merchant, and prac-
tically every storekeeper then sub
scribed to some publication which gave
a weekly list of#neW counterfeit bank
notes; and these publications, owing
to the then imperfect methods of en-
craving and registration, were usually
many pages in extent.
Songs of the war, printed on single
sheets Of music, were strung along
park fences and sold at penny apiece,
the dealer being generally d wounded
soldier of the civil war, :incapacitated
for work. Small change was mostly Of
paper in denomi11ations of 8, 5, 10, IS
was circulated, but it was soon with.
drawn. Nickel Scent pieces, as sub
stitutes for silver 3-cent pieces, were
also in circulation, tho the silver 3-cent
piece, or "scally,'' was not rare
Plugged silver pieces, when there were
any silver pieces. usually 5 or 10-cent
pieces. were the rule, rather, than the
exception, tho the holes and lead filing
seemed in no q Interfere with