Los Angeles herald., 1908-06-09
WORLDWIDE INTEREST
When America Is Grown-Applied Science
Science
BY FREDERIC J. HAsKlN

-----------------------------
years ago. Seeing by wire. or tele-
photography, would seem an idle dream
but for the fact that we know 1t has
been accomplished. But beyond this
even we would have regarded the dis
charging of torpedo by wireless COM
munication within range of seven
a recent accomplishment. Is not that
a wonderful first step in the direction
of the wireless transmission of power?
So that after all the dream of the
farmer replenishing his storage bat
teries from a wireless current may yet
ripen into an actually. 1t is even pos
sible that new sources or power may
vet be utilized. Who can calculate the
force with which the billows break
upon our coasts? Someone has In
vented a turbine which may be an
chored in midstream to catch the power
of the water as 1t rushes onward In
the universal impulse to find a resting
place as near to the center OF the earth
as possible. May the century not
bring forth a similar method OF mar
Messing the waves as they break upon
our shores?
For generations man has dreamed of
the utilization of the energy OF the
SUMS rays. But II has remained Tor
the twentieth century to take the
greatest step in that direction. A So
lar engine, showing three and a hait
horsepower while the sun shines mas
been developed. So successful was the
engine that a company has been
formed to build one In Florida to be
used for commercial purposes. Is 1t
any greater step from this to a gen
eral utilization of sun power than II
was from the Watt steam engine to
one of the modern kind showing 10000
horsepower? Or is 1t a longer dis
tance to travel than from Fulton's
Clermont to the twentieth century
Lusitania?
The century will bring forth new
methods of preventing fires and OF
fighting those which do occur. In the
past thirty-two years the fire losses OF
the United States have amounted to
two and a half billion dollars. The
money values thus wiped out would
be enough to furnish 1,250,o00 families
with $4,000 homes. Fireproof buildings
will be imperative necessities as build
ing materials become scarcer. In the
countries of Europe furniture. even in
the homes of the poor, lasts for hun
dreds of years. Dovetailins and the
like prevent 1t from ever falling to
pieces. Who would think of such
things here? 1t is cheaper to buy a
new paper of pins than to pick up
those scattered around. 1t is cheaper
to use half dozen bedsteads that
have been glued together than TO buy
one perfectly mades 1t has been
cheaper TO rebuild house IL 1t hap
pened to burn down than 1t was to
build a good one in the first place. All
of this argues wonderful prodigality of
resources By the end of the century
necessity will have caused us to evolve
a plan of living on the basis of ."once
well done, twice done:''
The new century will revolutionize
warfare, and a bold prophet indeed
Is he who will try to describe the end
of-the-century battle, IL perchance
brute force Is recognized at all In
those days. Already the new century,
yet in its happy childhood, has given
us the noiseless gun. 1t has given us
the promise of airships which will be
effective In time of war. Every new
year brings forth new inventions to
add to the hideousness OF the war
monster and each one of them be-
speaks such terrible carnage that every
human impulse revolts at the thought
Each step of progress in the science
of war seems to make the possibilities
Of war more remote.
The health of humanity will be q
matter of general concern in the days
that are to come. The span of life viii
epidemics Individual understanding
of the laws OF health will enable us
to avoid thousand ills. 1t Is not inn
probable that necessity will force upon
us the Chinese way Of paying our doc
tors to keep us well instead of re-
warding them for treating us when we
are sick The discovery of dirt has
been said to be the hygienic triumph
OF the nineteenth century. So has the
oott 90 ola he krl
umph of the twentieth century. Plenty
of sun. plenty Of pure water, plenty
Of pure food and of fresh air for every
body will be the order of the years to
come. Trying to keep well rather than
to cure disease will be the individual
policy of those days,
The application of the discoveries of
science to sanitation and hygiene has
already resulted in great Improvement
of the public health. Our grandfath-
ers did not dream of the science of
cleanliness as we know 1t today. The
grandsons of the more enlightened
Americans of the first of the century
will be better and stronger men In the
end Of the century. When the United
| States comes to the year 1000 with
1856, 900, 900 people, II will be the great
est nation of history. Much of the
| credit for that triumph will be due
| to the scientist who has made possible
the intimate daily communication of
the people all over the broad coun-
try. who has made knowledge popular
and cheap, who is teaching us how
to be clean and healthy. The appli-
cation of science to daily life means
that the people of the end OF the CEN
| tury will be better men than we are
better physically. better mentally and
better morally.
| Copyright. 1908. by Frederic ]. Haskin)
Tomorrow--When America Is Grown