The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-10-12
MEET FRANCE; THE
INVENTOR NATION

Washington, d. G. Oct 9.--"Now
that the World War has prompted
careful weighing of Germanys
fiamboyant claims to pre-eminence
In nearly every scientific field, and
found her wanting In many respects.
1t Is well to inquire more closely into
the origin OF the achievements OF
human ingenuity which have been
boons to mankind" says bulletin
from the Washington headquarters
of the National Geographic society.
France, always accounted n liter
arv nation. and new acclaimed more
gallant than the world realized, also
has to her credit a notable record
OF scientific achievement, according
to a communication to The Society,
which says:
France has given no more direc-
ton to the literary aspirations OF
mankind than she has to the scien-
t!ic endeavors OF humanity. Go
back to the beginnings of science
and you viii see her astronomers
point ing the way that astronomy has
PURSUED 1t was her Pasteur VINO
established the germ theory or dlS-
ease and through whom the wonder
full miracles of saving human me
that have characte riZed the past
third Of A century have been
wrought The normal death rate OF
CIVILIZED countries before the days OF
i asteur was about thirty per tnou-
sand Of population. To-Day II IN
about fifteen per thousand in the
more progressive nations.
Think what the saving of fifteen
lives for every thousand of ,popula-
ton means " hen applied to half the
1. lHsa L -
600 600 urltfrn ely deaths annually II
means more than 1000. GOO cases
of Illness. avoided. 1t means health
and happiness in 90 100000 homes
frather than disease and distress
Who can estimate the dement's 10
humanity Of the wonderful dlscoV~
>ery of Pasteur ? When one tries 10
=-s-fxs11xref; e.r4y9 ard sn. estip N ate, those
that may yet flow out of that nas'e
discovery. ones mind Is simply I'M
able to grasp it all.
Certain Il Is that the life SAVING
processes reared on the great touh-
dalton built by Pasteur are saving
more people from beds of sickness
/ and ,1intifnely graves than the great
war in Europe with all us tefrofs
was able to send there.
( And then we must not forget that
radium comes TO the world through
the French laboratory, and with II
the budding science of radio-actlVlty
who can say what the world s ocol
! to France therefor is going to DC
4 Those who know most about II ten
liz that we stand with reference 20
extraoting power from the rocks ex-
.actly where our forefathers long
ages ago stood when they saw the
lightning Hash set FIRE to. the deaa
nine tree, but stood ignorant ana
helpless to reproduce the fire we
know that there are thousands Oh
+ times as much power wrapped up
+ il radioactive material as there Is
in coal, thanks to the work or the
French laboratories: and when we
learn how to harness that power AS
wee have harnessed the power OF
wood and coal by promoting tne
+ processes of decay, who can aae-
quately portray the possibilities thai
v ould follow
( And while we think of this Won
derfui new science, whose 200"
France has opened to the world, We
/ rgust not forget it's elder sister the
science of electricity, which, whiie
harnessed TO mans purposes nanny
by American inventors, had ule
T Foundations upon which they puif'
laid largely In France by such men
as CouT0nfb, f4ap!ace and @Anpere-