Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-04-10

. of matter. Blocks OF stone, one sal
/ to measure 264X120 feet were hurle
: out of that crater like shot out of
. gun. Not long ago | listened to
scientist say that one grain of radiur
, had power to lift ton of matter
thousand miles into the air and sustain
!, 1t for $500 years. And Edison ha
, said that every square inch of atmos
phere has force enough locked up In
to drive our heaviest trains, if we on
ly knew enough to tap it. And Tesli
has said that he could split the eartl
by getting the periodicity of it's rhythm
and exploding dynamite in unison will
that rhythm; or that he could crumpl'
the tallest sky-scrapper by placing
against its side an electric vibrator
timed to its rhythm. Titanic forces are
these, all about us, above and below
and all for our use, not for our destruc
ton. That's the point They We're
given to be mastered, not to master
This Is world rich in power, fol
which we ought to be thankful. Wha
would it be worth to us, If 1t were with
out power, II it were possible to con
ceive of it thus? What would we want
with a powerless world? Better by
| far world of power, even though pow
,er uncontrolled. or abused destroys
than to live In a world powerless.
Intelligence Necessary. pe,.
Being thus q. world of tremendous
power, and therefore good world for
the purpose for which it was. intended
there is but one plain thing for man
to do concerning it, and that is to
carry out the designs of the Almighty
who placed him in such a world OF
power. Since we must either perish
or conquer, mans spirit rises to its
task each time with increased
strength. 1t is noble, it is inspiring,
this rising determination Of man to
conquer nature. A few years ago,
just after some disastrous cyclone,
sat with one of Iowa's greatest mas
tiers Of industry. We were discussing
this question of mans helplessness,
and ventured the inane remark that
it seemed as If man were wholly un-
able to protect himself from these ter
rifle storms. My friend, who knew
more about mans power than I, fixed
his grey eye upon me as he said; Give
man time and money and he will do
anything that needs to be DONE" The
expression seems extravagant at first
thought, but 1t contains fundamental
principle nevertheless.
= Give man time and money. One
could wish, however, that he had lit
tie more common sense with it. am
reminded of situation in the little
Iowa town where grew to manhood.
There were two men in that town who
for years were standing candidates
for the Office Of road supervisor. One
time one man would get the office, and
the mex" time the other man would go
in. Thus it worked election after cleo
,tion for as long as can now remem-
Der. One Of these men had the idea
that what was wanted was to make
cutters along the walks and throw the
dirt into the\center of the street. Next
time the other man coming into Office
had the idea that what was wanted
was to make single gutter In the
center, of the street and throw the dirt
up to the walks. And those two men
rotating in office every year or two,
and rotating the dirt also, kept the
main street Of that town as soft as a
newly plowed field, and the good ma
tured citizen taking sides in this mat
ter, some Of them rejoicing In the
election of one man, and the others
rejoicing in the election of the other,
all the while waded through the mud.
None Of them. so far as can now re-
call, thought at all about the road, but
only of the men who wanted the ONCE
Of road supervisor. Well, almost any
Of our modern cities will sometimes
offer evidence Of being controlled with
Just about as much intelligence as
that. But the point l set about to J
way man has employed himself In |
handling natures forces.
Folly Is Noticeable. =:
Take this matter OF our floods, and
all the engineering knowledge needful !
to control these flood waters has for !
\ long time been in our possession. We I
had known OF leves, revetments, |
source stream control, canalization. I
We have had knowledge of the fact !
that to strip out hills Of their forests !
would empty the rainfall more quickly /
into the nary ow beds of the streams;
but instead of using our knowledge,
we have built our levees, where we !
have built them at ALL until the stream ,
ject to overflow, have been carried on
aqueducts, and we have still kept on
stripping the forests from the hill
sides, and to complete our folly, we
have frequently bullded our cities in
The holes from which the dirt for the !!
evees was taken. Or, perhaps we
have built the levees up still higher
and sent the water in more dangerous
food on to the next city or the next
state. We have not yet seriously rats
I'd the question whether it might not
oe better to control these floods, and
send the water where it is needed.
When will men in groups apply the
wisdom which as individuals they pos
,ess? 4-
Give man time and money. said my
Iowa friend. Well, we now have both
,hese conditions. And yet here we are
still struggling to accumulate more
Like some child with a new
10Y, we lie down on the floor and
worship our gold, our physical posses
sions. That is, some of us do, while
others of us, and by far the greater
number, starve in world of power !
and plenty. Yet, what is money for but |