Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1908-06-20

the West will be exhausted, and we
can go no further,
I'VE will face the Pacific, and be-
yond that said the speaker, "the
millions of China"
The attempt to fertillze the ground
put back, Dr. Steinmetz held, only
small proportion of what was taken
out, and 1t would be only about ten
years when the supply of saltpeter,
used in fertilizer, VIII have been ex-
hausted.
when the capital of our farms"
said the speaker, "is exhausted. we
will have to produce fertilizer. A
large part of what we take out of the
soil we dump into the rivers as sew
age. Billions of dollars of capital is
carried down by them into the ocean
But we cannot hope to utilize all Of
this.
Electrical power is the only means
that will combine the elements of the
air necessary for fertilizer That
process we are just reaching-the
production of fertilizer from the air.
1t is not practical yet; the cost of
electrical power is too great. This
fertilizer is produced only in Sweden,
where electrical power is extremely
cheap. Every year we can see the
necessity of restoring the capital to
the farm. That situation will have
to be met within our lifetimes.
Referring again to the possibilities
in our water supply, DR.. steinmetz
said:
"We may get an enormous amount
OF power by collecting the water.
There will be no more creeks and
rivers. The rivers will be lakes joined
by power stations. 1t will not be
question of saving the beauties of ma
ture but of saving human life. All
will have to be utilized, even the
spring floods, in restoring what has
been taken from the soil. We might
be able to get along without physi-
cians-the human race would prob
ably continue-but we would not be
able to get along without the cleo
tricians."
DR.. Steinmetz, speaking of the de-
velopment of the uses of electricity ON
railways, said that it's effect on the
social life of the Nation had been and
would be incaleulable.
ITO realize it," said he, ego out
into the country. An enormous
change is gradually taking place. In
the old days the country districts
were becoming depopulated; the peo-
pie were moving to the cities. Now
conditions are changing. The city is
rapidly sending its people back to the
country. The overpopulation of the
cities is being relieved by the country
becoming practically part of the
cities. The city is fast becoming the
place of business, with factories
office buildings and boarding houses
for bachelors. The families will live
in the country. This will progress
further and further until the Nation |
will again live in the country but |
work in the cities and towns"
DR.. Steinmetz believes also that |
the application Of electricity to rail-
mately afford the solution of the |
labor problem on the farm.
"At present, said he, 1.-The farmer
that he hasn't enough |
help; that the farm has been depopu-
lated. He wants a man for only a
few weeks in year, and then he is
through with him. BY operating be-
tween the town and the farm the cleo
trio roads will make 1t possible for ]
the town man to meet those periods
of demand and to work in the fac
tories the rest of the time. At pres
ent this isn't feasible, but the time
will come when we will have to econ
omize. The time will come when we
will have to cooperate in systematically
distributing according to the season
the work that is to be done. Then
we will combine the city and the
.own. New York Sun.