Potosi journal. (Potosi, Mo.) 1894-1929, 1909-06-23
In Only Fifty Years.

In Only Fifty Years.
For the second time within {
week wireless telegraphy has
brought rescue to the passenger:
of stranded ships and probably
saved many lives. Thought OF
this use of his invention probably
gives Marconi greater satisfaction
than its application to the needs OF
commerce or war. 1t is rapidly
being incorporated into the daily
life of the world, and will soon be-
come as Indispensable and matter
of course as are the telephone and
tue electric light, around which
our customs, both social and in
dustrial, are now so centered that
their sudden removal would pro
duce paralysis.
The young man of twenty just
entering business can scarcely real
ize the conditions that prevailed a
half century ago when his father
began his business career. That
was just before the Civil War.
Both the railroad and telegraph
had by that time become we'll es-
tablished as successors of the
steamboat and stage coach and the
private messenger. The business
man of that day, looking back
only few years, thought himself
wonderfully blessed with convent
ences and facilities his father had
not enjoyed. In the cities gas was
in common use, but in smaller
towns the tallow candle was still.
the proud successor to the old tai
low dip. Kerosene as then called,
but now known as coal oil, had not
yet come into common use. AS
for gasolene, it was unkno wn.
Cooking with gas or gasolene is a
convenience of recent years.
Undoubtedly the great wal
stimulated invention and scientific
discovery. A flood of marveIs fol
lowed thick and fast upon the heels
of that great struggle. The first
was the velocipede, which develop
ed into the old high wheel bicycle,
then the safety, and finally the
motorcycle and automobile of to.
day. Then came in the seventies
the arc electric light, and soon the
incandescent. Almost 3imulta
neously came the phonogralh.
which for many years was only 6
curious toy, and not the wonderful
reproducer of sound of today, and
the telephone. which made its way
into practical use more quickly
than any other invention of which
there is record.
Following these came the devel
opment Of electricity for motive
power, its transmission by wire
over long distances, and its appli
cation to the use of transportation,
for which it is yet only in The
initial stages. Cncurrently with
these things telegraphy made won
derfal progressin the multiplication
of messages on single wire, an6
now without any wire at all mes
sages are flashed hundreds of miles
oyer sea or land, while the tele
phone also is being adapted to us'
without wires. We are also now
entering upon the era of naviga
tion of the air, but what relation
that will finally bear to busines:
and social life is still obscure.
In this brief summary, no effor
has been made tC catalogue scien
tific discoveries and great inven
tions, many Of which have pro
foundly affected ous business ant
professional methods, such as th
X-ray, radium, the germ origin o
disease, the linotype machine, stee
in all its uses, ETC., but only thos'
those great discoveries that hav
revolutionized business method
and have SO heeome q part of then
that we're they suddenly to be tax
sn away from The yoang busines