The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1916-05-22
THE GREATEST GIANT
Essay by Miss Katie Mae Eagleton
at Closing Exercises of the
Ocala High School

In Genesis God commanded man to
subdue the earth. That meant, among
other things, to seek out natures
forces and make them do his bidding.
These forces are like mighty giants.
Man first subdued fire and water,
two of the most powerful and most
useful of all giants. Then a little
child, James Watt, discovered the
third giant, steam. One day he heard
this mighty giant, or rather one of
his genii, struggling to escape from
lis mothers kettle. 1t alone was not
strong enought, but when countless
numbers of these little genii are
united, we have a giant mighty
enough to pull thousands and thou
sands of pounds. Yet there remain
ed a giant, undiscovered, the might
est of all-electricity. AS Atlas, in
fable, held the world on his should
ers so today electricity in truth holds
the world on it's mighty shoulders.
This greatest giant of all has not
been fully subdued, but each day
brings it more and more under the
control of man. Surely our own
Thomas Edison is succeeding in bridl-
ing, Harvesting and training electric
ity to the uses of man, and what the
end will be, what wonderful discover
les are yet to be made by this still
young inventor, time and Edison can
alone tell.
From Fowler we learn that from
the beginning of time, man has been
familiar with the manifestations of
electricity, for they are all around US.
But the first recorded observance
comes to US from the Greeks. How
ever, they were ruled by superstition,
and when they saw the amber pos
sessed, when rubbed with cloth or
fur, the power of attracting to itself
light particles of dust or parchment,
they thought that a spirit in the am
Der was aroused by this rubbing.
Then during the sixteenth century
scientific investigations were made
and it was discovered that different
substances possessed the power of at
traction and repulsion in different de-
grees. The power of communicating
a charge from one substance to an
other followed, and then the Leyden
jar was invented. After this inven-
ton came the most wonderful of all
discoveries by Benjamin Franklin.
During an electric storm he sent up
q kite with key attached to the
end of the string, and in this way sue
ceeded in charging a Leyden jar with
electricity drawn from the heavens.
So was established the identity of
lightning with the gentle manifesto
tions of the attraction of slip of pa
per to a piece of rubbed ceiling wax
or amber. Then followed all of the
great electrical inventions which we
have today.
What would our up-to-date house
wife think, if today she had to use
lamps and go to town every time she
wanted the least little thing? To her,
/ think the invention of the electric
light and telephone is the most valu-
able, also to her husband, the bust
ness man. Gradually electricity is
taking the place of steam and even
of fire. Of course we could never en-
tirely do without steam and fire, for
they are needed to obtain electricity,
but in many places it is used where
formerly they were used. Go into a
modern home and there you will find
the electric door bell, electric heater,
electric iron and most recent of all an
electric incubator. 1t is an endless
wonder to us, how people used to live
without electricity. Now to go out
side of the home. What is that large
black thing propelling itself? 1t re-
sembles a buggy, but where is the
horse? Of course it is an automo-
bile. Compare the electric car with
the old horse and steam car, and you
will see how we have advanced. On
the farm, motors are taking the place
of horses. Ploughing, fertilizing, and
planting are done by the motors,
which do the work more quickly and
thoroughly. The windmill is also be-
ing displaced by the motor. Recently.
in Columbus, Ohio, an enormous
birthday cake was made in recogni-
ton of the thirty-fifth anniversary of
a large store, and instead of the ira
tallow candles electric can
dies were used and proved very salts
factory.
Let US consider for a moment the
greatly scope of electric in the med
ical world. Only few years ago, if
anything became imbedded in the
flesh below the surface, the knife was
the only remedy known, with which
to even locate the object. Now by
Use of the X-Ray photography the OBJ
Jet is instantly located and also the
extent of the injury it has done. The
electric light has also proved of great
yalue in the exploration of the nose,
.hroat, ear, eye and many other parts
# the body. IL the doctors of CEN
,ury ago could only behold the won
lers of this age! Electricity is now
! common medicine. 1t is certain
y more pleasant to take, more east
y administered, and quicker in re-