The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-05-22
WHAT NExrs

A8 LneTe u llillt " tuG WOndCTS VI eiectricity7 We have 1t on good au- thority that in Omaha few days ago hundreds of incandescent lamps were lighted by electricity transmitted with out wires from plant located six miles away Commenting on this feat The Sacramento Bee says.
 This remarkable demonstration of tricity opens up % vast possibilities, The l same Inventor year ago made an cleo trfc truck which was successfully op- "rsted without wires In the unio s Pa ,a dicates that naval torpsdoss may ne guided and exploded in ths same way from ship or shore. Tn fact, such an sion sion of the British Government.
 It seems possible that wireiAss ciee- tricity may revolutionize the worlj iI 1t be feasible by this means to explode powder magazines on board war ves- sells or in Notifications. from a dist anee of miles, war may soon he thing or
 Industriany. the capabilities of wire less electricity seem almost h"undltss. in view. of what has actually ne.h 1,sa apne at Omaha and elsewhere. Already wire less teiegraphy over distances of thousands of miles. has become fan,- iliar thing so that on Atlantic steam SHfpS III IIllQ-OCtdH i'HScehe their daily newspaper. printed on board the very latest news from both Europe and America l.. these days that no one has time enough to keep pace with the advance Tn sel- ence, arts and inventions. Life is be- living, as we'll as more complex, from day to day. And, despits the walls cI the pessimists. the world is growing the wonders of invention and discovery point the way to still greater triumphs of the brain of man over the forces or Nature.
 One may almost envy the twenty 1rst century fellows because of the big things they will see and do: Just es omt % of date as a motive power. the next century may have something much bet ter and cheaper than electricity. The powers suggests the existence of nu- merous unknown substances and forces yet to play an important part in the eiSiIizst,on %SiIh or h throughout out the S world.
 We have copied at some length from The Bee because of the line of thought the article suggests, and because 1t leads us back to the question if there is any limit, humanly speaking. to the possibilities of electricity. It has been but short time since the idea of wire less telegraphy was laughed at by we'll informed people. and regarded as sim ply impossible, but now we know that it Is not only possible but that it is an accomplished fact. So, also. was the general opinion of the prediction that transmitting photographs by electricity would soon be common, but we are no longer authorized to ridicule the claim. And so 1t has been with every advance in the use of this subtle fluid. From Professor Morse down to the present day each man who has predicted some new and more wonderful use of cleo tricity has been the subject of ridicuie from scoffing unbelievers. but 1t has continually happened that the scofrers have been silenced.
 And so it will be in this instance, for anything we know or can know to the contrary. We have not seen the details of the Omaha wonder. but take 1t for granted that the facts were as stated. both as to the lighting Of the lamps and the reported running of an electric truck without wires. As Is we'll known one of the great expenses of f1siectric lighting. as we'll as electric travel Is the cost of putting up and keeping up the wires. If this expense can be done away with. and if lights can be maintained and cars run with out wires the cost will be immensely reduced. as all must admit.
 And. as The Bee suggests. if these things can be done why may not oth- CTS of equal apparent impFob ability be among the accomplishments of the fu- ture-and the not distant future. at that? We may as we'll admit that we are only on the threshold of what may come to those who live after us. It may not be necessary to wait for the twenty-hrst century for those who come after us to see things that will cause them to wonder at the back wardness and stupidity of the age in which we are now living. Well may all of us inquire, What next?