The mirror., 1919-11-20
THE IRON INDUSTRY
Short Treatise This Resourceful Commodity and its
Application as Material to Labor and Wealth.
Paper read before Pisrian cAautauqua Circle 6y r. H

OUCto w ~. II.
the kill and the modern breakfast
with its pre-digested breakfast
foods and the part that the manu-
facture of iron has taken in pre-
pairing the latter, we must agree
that the manufacture of iron into
machinery, tools and utensils has
benefited man to great extent in
this prime necessity.
In the same manner we find the
iron industry interviewer with the
manufacture of textiles on which
we depend for clothing. It is
known that weaving was under.
stood many thousands of years ago
as pieces of clothing that were
woven have been found wrapped
around Egyptian mummies. But
although cloth may be woven by
hand the advent of labor saving
machinery has done so much in
advancing the textile industry and
those industries that the textiles
depend on for raw materials, that
with the present state of our civili-
ZatiOn the manufacture of iron is
very essential in the making of
clothing for man.
A study of the history of archi-,
lecture would show an evolution
in buildings beginning with caves,
next came huts, then stone castles
and finally houses, palaces and
churches. If we we're deprived of
the many uses that manufactured
iron is put to in building our
present buildings what stage in
this evolution of buildings would
man revert tog Undoubtedly q
cave or rude hut. Practically all
of the conveniences of our modern
buildings that we now deem peces-
sites would be impossible for
here again tools and machinery of
iron are necessary in the procuring
and making of various materials.
Our modern steel Office buildings,
steam heated, fire-proof. electric
lighted are the wonder of the age.
AS with food and clothing so with
buildings, mans shelter, we find
the manufacture of iron is of the
utmost Importance, for as the popu.
lation has increased and evolved
from barbarism to the present
civilized state a vital means has
been necessary to procure the
necessities in ever greater and bet
ter quantities.
We have found that with the
aid of iron manufactured into ma
chinery and tools, food, clothing
and shelter has been more easily
obtained in quantities and kind
needed by man but production
alone is not sufficient for although
vast fields of grain may be har-
vested and the materials for cloth
ing and shelter abundant, trans
portation facilities must be such
that the grain can be distributed,
the materials for clothing and
shelter carried to the localities
where the manufacture can be
carried on the most economically.
The part that railroads and steam
ships have played in developing
new countries and industries as
we'll as the part they have taken in
giving to man a new and larger
hope and wider range of activity
by converting deserts into fertile
fields, wildernesses into populous
cities and bringing the light of
modern civilization to the dark
corners of the earth. has proven
them of iuestimable value to man.
kind. Our railroads and ships de-
pend very greatly on the manu-
facture of iron for their materials,
machinery and tools to construct
them. Then here again we find
things now deemed essential to
man depending on the iron indus
try.
With the development of the
various industries came the In
crease in power over nature as the