The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-06-23

enjoyment sOf the tr1umpnS or mOQeTLl invention. A more notable example ol this influence could not be found than in the island kingdom of Japan. But a few years back, the Japanese were encountered by feuda1 superstition and oriental Seclusion; at present, the vast shipping trade of the Pacific is con trolled by them and they are wing with the great nations of the world for the mastery of the Orient. From the earliest times, mans great est problem has been to facilitate methods of communication with his fellow-men. That the results of one | mans study might reach and uplift others, there came the desire to inocu- late those achievements in the minds of those about him and leave them for the betterment of future generations. The means employed have differed widely according to time and circum- stance. Records of the deeds of mighty heroes and accounts of unceas- ing wars have been found, chiseled on the surfaces of stone by the Eastern nations of antiquity.
 During the middle ages, men of learning sought peace within the stud ious cloister, the solitude Of the monastic life fostered a desire for study. Long, weary hours were spent in making manuscripts and artistic copies of their learned works. What few of these remain today are treasur- ed as silent witnesses to the art of a past age. Their influence was great
 
 ed, but time was considered too valu- able for such a slight return.
 The fifteenth century nourished in it's bosom many noble men, but no one of the good and great of that hallowed past was permitted to lead the way in embcdying mans thoughts on the printed page, save young German who is represented as being high-sp1r- ited, thoughtful ard devout. In early manhood, he placed before himself a great and worthy object, and through life felt the thrill of inspiring pur- pose which stimulated and ennobled his nature, and tended naturally to success. Had he. like thousands. been contented to drift through the world with the current wherever it chanced to bear him, living for himself and the Deeting present, never would we have heard of the name John Gutenberg.
 Printing has been styled "the te1e- scope of the soul.' As the optical 1n- strument brings near and magnifies objects remote and invisible, so print ing puts us in communication with minds of past and present and pre- serves the thoughts of this age for those who will come after us.
 At the present day, books are within the reach Of all who desire them and one may enjoy the wisdom of the an clients, be enraptured by the immortal Shakespeare, or while his time on the modern novel.
 We are said to be living in a prac- tical age, an age remarkable for it's mechanical progress Labor-saving devices are everywhere in use. The humble farmer tills the soil, aided by the most improved agricultural imple- ments, and the busy factory abounds in contrivances which demonstrate the utility of the modern invention.
 The broad expanse of the ocean is size and winged in flight. weary stages no longer cross the arid plains of the West, but one may. travel with ease and comfort in the sumptuous parlor car and recall the days when the hardy settler forged his way west ward under the greatest hardship.
 The telegraph and telephone are in putting the remotest corner of the globe in constant communication with the controlling centers of thought and finance.
 As we picture in our minds that re- cent collision at sea where so many human lives were in danger, we ven- crate the genius of those who have made the wireless system of practical application and unQueStioned value.
 Too much could not be said of the influence of steam and electricity. MyriadS of inventors have probed these mysteries and chained their forces to work as they would have them.
 We have been amazed in contemplat- ing the legacy of the past, but we no longer look to the past, for our fond est hopes have been realized.
 It is rather the beckOning future which calls us with it's promise of what shall be in time to come, but the door is closed and we must look to that One in whose sight a thousand years are as yesterday, for He alone holds the key.