The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-11-02
FRON OTHER PENS
wEArHER-w1sE INVENTION.

More even than sailors, before the
days of steamships, who had to de-
pend upon the wind for the success
of their voyages and had to watch
the weather for their lives, the men
who manipulate flying machines must
be students of the air currents, the
skies, the signs of storms. The more
this young century interests itself
with the navigation of the air the
more it will learn, perforce, about the
great invisible enveloping fluid when
surrounds the globe. The airships
and the aeroplanes are going to make
this generation the first in weather
lore of all that have felt the power
of the winds and the per1ls OF the
fury of the elements.
This will be a notable gain for
human knowledge. 1t means long
forward step in the wholesale init
macy which should exist between man
and nature. It will lead to new famil-
iarity with the appearance of the sky,
the clouds and the signs of coming
changes. 1t will lead multitude of
men and women to think more about
the splendors ofsthe wonders OF the
visible heavens-Cleveland Leader.
EXPLOITING ALASKAN RESOURCES.
It is evident that President Tafts de-
clarations concerning the future OF
Alaska have stimulated the waiting in
terests to action that shall the sooner
readiness for self-government, for va
rious of the suspended operations in
that country are now reported as taking
on a new lease of life. Conspicuous
among these is the Alaska Central rail-
road, which, now that it has fallen into
the control of the Morgan interests, will
doubtless be completed forthwith into
the Tanana. country. with a view to the
opening up of the resources of wide
area and the exploitation of the Ma
tanuska coal fields.
1t has long been believed that the sue
cess of the road was dependent upon the
ultimate development of the coal re-
sources, and the assurance of the Nor
gan people that millions are to be ex-
Tended in Alaska is taken by the peo-
pie of the Northwest to mean that the
town of Seward is to have great smell
ter and become a center of activity for
the Tanana country and that 1t will be-
come the shipping point for the Ma
tanuska coal deposits, for which the
Northwest has long been awaiting mar
ket.-Omaha Zee.
YANKEE INGENUITY GROWS.
The Yankees genius for invention
loses none of its fertility by reason
of the heavy yield it produces year
after year. In point of fact, the
patent Office records show that there
were 1000 more applications for
patents last year than during the
previous year. bringing the total num-
Der granted to date up to 100000.
Three years hence, unless there is an
unlocked for slump. the total will
have passed the million mark.
Does invention pay? This question
has been answered in the negative by
those best qualified to Judge, though
it is a matter not easy to determine.
What with reckoning the time spent
in devising a patentable article. often
the work of years, the outlay for
models, attorney and patent office
fees, and, most of all, for putting the
invention on the market, it looks
doubtful that the grantees of the 49,
600 patents issued last year. will, on
the whole, reap pecun1ary reward.
To this must be added the outlay of
applications were rejected A few, of
course, will strike it rich. but
depleted pocketbooks and sore dis
appointments await the many
Washington Post.
PROFITS OF PEACEMAKING.
Nothing in the story of what was
talked about by the Kaiser and Mr.
Carnegie when they met at Kiel last
summer as discreetly told by lis
create embarrassment for the prin-
cipa1s. Inevitably the subject of
peace came up. Mr.. Carnegie is one
of the worlds most active peacemak-
ers while the Kaiser processes to be
of Mr.. Carnegie's mind to dot, only
his activities take a different direc-
ton. The unaccredited ambassador
from Pittsburg expressed the opinion
that the Kaiser is able greatly to
promote the abolition of what he was
trying to do with all his might OF
course, the Kaiser knew that Mr..
Carnegie knew that to maintain the
example of promoting the WORLDS
peace by investing hundreds Of mill
lions in battleships encourages the
material fortunes of Mr.. Carnegie,
| however repugnant the method may
| be to his finer instincts. And, OF
course, Mr. Carnegie knew that the
Kaiser knew that he appreciated this
phase of the matter. Hence there
was no need for either parsonage to
atouch upon it.-Providence Journal.