The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1912-04-05
HOW A GREAT THOUGHT GROWS
(Goodwin's Weekly

HOW A GREAT THOUGHT GROWS
(Goodwin's Weekly
Somehow it seemed perfectly nat
ural to read that Mr.. Peter Hewitt of
New York, has made a new applica-
ton of electrical power which is to
revolutionize the worlds power.
The nature of the invention, of
course, we have nothing to do with
at present, because We do not know
enough about it to give an intelli-
gent opinion. But that the son of
Peter Coopers daughter should come
forward with something to transform
half the work of the world, seems
perfectly natural, because Peter Coo
per started all right when he built
his first little furnace in which to
take some worthless material of this
world and make something valuable
out of it. And he kept on preparing
for more and more improvements as
long as he lived. And now that his
grandson has picked up the idea and
has seized upon the very same agent
that the Infinite uses in forming and
launching his worlds, who can tell
what may not be achieved?
If any one will go into the steel
works in Pennsylvania, they can see
a hundred tons of molten steel in a
crucible move backward and forward
simply by the touch of one mans fin
ger, SO perfectly has man got that
power broken to his use. And now
Mr.. Hewitt is going to accomplish
with few stations stretched across
the continent all that is being done
now by the locomotives that are haul
ing the heavy trains. 1t is clear that
one great use for fuel will be done
away with. And at the same time a
great deal of the work now done by
men will be picked up and done by
machinery, all carried on by that sub
tie invisible power which we stand
abashed before and simply say, it is
electricity.
In Wednesdays paper there was an
account of how Henry Phipps had
the previous day given his children
ten million dollars worth of proper
ty in Pennsylvania. Away in the
long ago when Mr.. Phipps was a
poor man, he began the work and de-
termined that for him and those dear
to him there should be a fortune,
ground out of the raw material in
Pennsylvania. He has succeeded.
But before his time even Peter
Cooper began with nothing and de-
termined in his own mind that he
would so reinforce what his family
had that fortune would be secured
for those who were dear to him. And
as he was more and more favored,
his mind kept expanding until it went
out around others beside his own
children and so he established his
school in New York by which young
men and young women could obtain
such an education that when they
went out into the world, the world
would need their services and be will
ing to pay for them. And now he
gets his reward. One of his grand
sons appears on the siege and said:
1T is time to put aside the locomo-
tive. There is cheaper, more sub
tie, a more wonderful power that can
be controlled with less expense"
And thus it is men work out their
destinies. Phipps wanted to be rich,
practically rich, too; Cooper wanted
to be rich, but in getting rich he
wanted every day to make all around
him more happy and more prosperous
and his reward comes after he has
gone to his last sleep in accomplish
ments which are going to make mil
lions of poor men rich in the future;
which are going to have their effect
in making men better; because the
more prosperous the earnest man
can be the better he is, the more he
loves his country, the more he loves
that kind of progress which, when
carried to the final result will leave
no more poor men in the world, ana
no men helpless; but rather that all
men shall be able at some useful
thing to carry on work that will
make an honest living.