The Washington herald., 1915-08-02
Energy.
BY JOHN ID. BARRY.

l BY JOHN ID. BARNY.
| A man said to me the other day, in discussing
the economic relation of things: "Now the first
work was done by hands, wasn't it?'
l was little startled at having this question
put to so abruptly.
| 1 realized that it was not the usual careless,
superficial question that we often ask one another
"Hands?" 1 asked. "What are handss"
The answer came quick as flash, somewhat
impatiently. Hands merely human energy,
| of course. And human energy is the beginning of
labor" 81, -
Isn't it the end of labor, too?" 1 ventured
to ask
| at is both. Labor is human energy"
! was at once reminded of remark that had
heard made short time before by distinguished
citizen of this State, known for his efficient pub
lie service. There is one thing that honor more
that ability he said, "and that is energy 1 know
many men who have great ability and yet accom-
pfsh very little in the world The really efficient
workers are the men with energy"
| The more I thought about the remark the
more convi inced became of its truth After all,
doesn't energy-that is, fairly well-directed energy
that becomes efficient energy, always develop
! ability?
Energy is form of concentration And, al
form of efficiency.
Sometimes it seems to me that the highly
priced quality that we call genius is the faculty
! for achieving intense concentration
When men began to work-that is to exercise
energy, they must have woefully misdrectcd their
energy. There must have been tremendous
amount of waste. With practice however, men
gradually tended to eliminate the waste. They
became more and more adroit with their hands
more dextcrous. And as they became more dex-
ferrous they realized that their dexterity would
enable them to handle energy outside themselves
for example, the energy of animals.
The first man who, with his hands, pressed an
animal into his service must have felt very proud
and happy. He must have gloated He must
have realized that he about to be relieved of
some of his heaviest burdens
1t took men centuries, however to find out
what miracle they could achieve by capturing
the animal forces of the world
In some parts of China they are still in the
most elemental stages Of manual labor They
know, of course, that animals can be made to
give up energy for the service of mankind and
yet they don't utilize this energy
Do you know what the reason is?
They cannot afford to maintain the animal
1t is actually cheaper for them to maintain
man than to maintain an animal In other words.
if they maintain an animal, donkey or horse
such maintenance will mean that some man will
starve.
1t is only lately that have realized the
marvellous energy that exists all about US in the
world both in the animate and in what we call
the inanimate.
Only lately have we become keenly alive to the
energy in the inanimate
1t looks now, however as if we might have
to stop using the word nanimate, as if we might
discover there was really no such thing
Everywhere mysterious forces are at work
showing that life exists in the apparently lifecss
vital energy, far exceeding the vital energy of
man and necessary to the maintenance of the race
We have been so simple in our ignorance of
the meaning of this energy, of its relation to our
human lite, that we have treated it as if it were
of little or of no value
Consider how we have acted in regard to our
water rights.
In millions of instances we have virtually
given them away to any one who came along and
asked for them.
We all know what has happened in the case
of oil, how we have allowed it to fall into the
hands of a comparatively few men who have used
it to enrich themselves and to debauch politics
so that they may 60 on enriching themselves at
the expense of society, the real owner of all
natural resources.
AS for coal, it is only in recent years that we
have thought seriously about it all. We have
found, however, that coal is one of our most pre-
cious possessions. that, in a sense, human life
is stored there
Now, however, are fully alive to the mean
ing of energy and to the Importance of safe
guarding it.
We know that in safeguarding it we are safe
guarding not only our own rights, but the rights
of future generations.
And we know that those who are trying to |
capture it for themselves are among the most
dangerous foes of the race
Hoch der Kaiser!
Some persons are askino ,vby .b. od;...:., -