Omaha daily bee., 1906-09-09

~ IlEAMS are coming true very
rapidly these days. Fact IL out
running fancy and truth is ois-
y counting fiction to extent posi-
lively bewlIderins to him whose
eyes are open to the scientine
wonders OF the day.
Just twenty years ago Edward Bellamy
wrote "LOoking Backward" Few books
ever published have been more widely
read II was interesting then because II
was such deliciously daring Journey into
dreamland. Bsllamy ''iooked back" from
the year 1000 and described the Transformed
civilization as he found IL In Boston after
his sleep of 1l3 years
In 1887 the book was Interesting because
OF the marvellous inventions the author
dreamed would come into use In little
more than century. 1t Is interesting to-
daY because In less than two decades
many OF these creations or Fancy nave
crystallized into realities, and some Of
them have been developed far beyond the
widest flights of Bellamy's imagination.
One of the most striking Illustrations OF
this IL the final perfection OF the dyna-
mophone. a wonderful electrical invention
for producing scientifically perfect music
and which is now being installed In a
building not far from the Metropolitan
Opera House. In New York. When In
stalled the great musical invention Will
supply over telephonlc wires all kinds OF
music, not only to homes, theatres and
churches In the city, but Its production
will be transmitted to adjacent localities
wherever high grade music is desired at a
nominal cost
one OF the most interesting chapters in
Looking Backward" was a description OF
iust such n distribution of music as this.
When the author awakened from his long
sleep he found that residents OF Boston
no longer left their homes TO enjoy the
best music. At any hour Of the day or
A..& a..
the room was flooded with any sort OF
music one desired. But this music pro-
ceeded from central music rooms In vari-
Qua parts Of the city, where trained musi-
clans were constantly employed. the
strains Of their Instruments or voices being
simply transmitted over wires
Here is an instance whore the reality
Of 1905 has far eclipsed what Bellamy
dreamed would be accomplished In 1000.
DR.. Thaddeus cahiirs dynamophone does
not transmit the music or an instrument
or An orchestra, but It creates music said
TO be more perfect and pleasing than is
possible to produce with voice or musical
instruments and sends IL over the wires
with undl>Iinished volume and tone quail
lily. II IL an instrument which builds up
tone from electrical vibrations. requiring
hundreds OF dynamos to produce the re-
suits. DR.. Cahill has been at work on II
for many years. and the frst instrument,
which IL now being lnetall0d IN new fork,
will cost more than 10000. 1t requires
several trained musicians to operate II.
through the medium Of q great keyboard.
and, in the opinion Of experts. bids fair 20
revolutionize the musical world.
In the July number of McClure's Maga-
zine eleven pages are devoted to de-
scription OF Dr. Cahills invention. About
the same amount of space was given in
Bellamys book to substantially the same
creation, but which existed only in his
Imagination, twenty years ago. Read side
by side, the words describing the reality
are like an echo of the language OF the
dream.
In Looking Backward" the author
employs q thread OF romance to carry
4 the story. He describes himself as awak-
I ing from his centurys trance in the home
Nof DR.. Leete. OF Boston. after having
been discovered IN a cataleptic state In a
subterransan room. BY degrees the new
4 conditions of the year 1000 were explained
to him by members of the household. DR.
Leete had very beautiful daughter
Edith, and II was she who conducted him
10 the music room. and much OF the de.
scription Of the new musical system is
given In her words TO him.