The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1908-05-31
GROWING SMALLER
Reduction of Time Brings
Us Nearer to Europe.
FIVE DAYS APART
And There Is Indication That There
tn May Be an Ultimate Reduction to
Three Days--This Would Require
"A. Steady Speed of SO Miles an
Hour.

! ohu ~ 10 quite udIuidl, tutTSlUES
that the success of the Lusitania in
racing across the Atlantic at a pace
/ faster than had hitherto been at
talned by great liner should have
excited sort of enthusiasm both
In England and America.
rhe feat is really remarkable
one, reducing as 1t does, the ocean
distance between England and Amer
lea to less than five days and indi-
eating the possibility of an ultimate
reduction to three days which would
be the result Of steady speed Of
! fifty miles an hour.
That is probably the limit of pace
| OF journeys across the world, unless
the great engineers who now build.
| ing aeroplanes succeed In securing
higher rate without strangling the
unhappy victims of their expert
ments.
AS 1t is, however, the present pace
iitensifies ones perception of that
shrinkage of the world which has
been steadily going on for the last
fifty years, during which, speaking
broadly, the globe has been practl-
cally been reduced to nearly one
third its size.
When we reach America In threa
days we shall reach India In seven
and Hong Kong in twelve and shall
have. of course, by degrees, new
Ideas of the distance of those places
from us. That must be admitted to
be progress. The later question,
Progress to WHAT" still, of course
remains to be ans severed but that
man should be proud of his new
powers is, as we have said, most
natural.
But we cannot help wondering
how many have considered gravely
what the consequence of these new
powers must be- One political con-
sequence at least is pretty clear. rhe
value of sea power to every nation
must be seriously enhanced. 1t is i'm
possible to exaggerate the impor-
ance of this effect; but there are
some other effects which thoughtful
men have accepted as certain that
are, we suspect. exaggerated.
The federation of mankind" for
example, will probably not be has
tened. That depends upon changes
other than those In the speed OF
communication. Years ago swim
mer, Capt. Webb, actually swan the
channel between England and
France Yet for 500 years the OK
istence of that channel helped to
maintain a perfect severance be- /
tween the countries and their states
men.
There was no symptom of even
oesire for federation, and might not
have been had the channel been re-
duced to narrow river. Very re-
Gently the boundary line between
Germany and France was such Il
river, and the consequence of that
contiguity was that the population
of both armed themselves to the
teeth through centuries for the pur-
pose of killing each other.
Difference of language is a more
insuperable barrier than distance.
and difference of civilization is more |
impossible than either. 1t would be |
as easy to federate ourselves with |
Japan as with France, and easier !
ttan to federate ourselves with Ger |
many.
Ftytil "a M a m N
the world ia consequence of in
creased speed, whether by land or
sea: rather there will be tendency |
to fall back in despair on universal |
system of CONSUMPTION and fortress
es.
1t will not be q source OF atDity, |
hu. rather of distrust, to know that I
France or Germany possesses the
means of transporting so, 900 men |
say in thirty Lusitania 's-within
the half of one daylight to the shores
of Britain; while If Russia or China
could accumulate armies within two /
days journey of India Lord Kttch- |
ener would demand and obtain dou-
BILE the forces of which he now pos
sesses the command.
The development of science does
not necessarily insure peace, and one
agreement or register of an en-
tente cordiale, IL heartily accepted
by both populations will dc more to
cement the friendship of the evil
lethargy in which for three Thousand
years the richest of continents has
been sunk.
We assume too readily that the
Frand obstacles to civilization are
phi ysical, and forget too readily that
! tyrant may drive a motor car and
B voluptuary sleep away existence
Men were still driving ships with
The help of the wind and the power
Of their own muscles when St Paul |
set out on his mission, and the fate
Of half the world was revolu.ionized
when Columbus set sails in boats
which a Newcastle collier of to-day
would despise as a means of convey
,nce for his coal.
Beliefs, antilles, systems OF
hought, are all too subtle to be con-
ieyed by telegraph. and even The
.usitania cannot rival the matches
ipeed of electricity London Spec-
.ator.