Evening star., 1921-03-20
DR.. SteinmetZ Predicts
Future Electrical Cities

and with no animals for traction
! laoor. there will be no dust or dirt.
With clean. pure air city dwellcrs
will be able 10 make their yards more
attractive. and cities can improve and
heautify their parks. Evergreen pine
trees can be grown near homes. add
ing TO the health of the community.
/ These do not grow in the cities today
because OF the smoke. dust and gases
Trees need fresh air and their needles
are lungs. The evergreen does not
shed its needles in the fall As other
, trees do their leaves. thus replacing
. their smoke checked breathers with
new. II has but one set OF needles
and in the city these become 50
cloggcd with dust and smoke that
the tree dies from suffocation.
II is all pretty picture. this day
when everything will be electrical
, But for the fact that DR.. Steinm.tz
forcsees such a condition. the thought
| might be dismissed an over
! enthusiastic dream. However. won
derful as have been past achieve
ments. one is safe in believing they
/ viii seem insignificant compared with
| those of future years.
One must look back forty years to
| 1880 and observe how primitive were
/ many ol the cONulIlOnS OF existence,
as viewed from our present-day stand
point. How did the people OF those
/ days manage to get along without the
/ telephone. the typewriter. TIE cash
register. the safety bicycle. the cleo
! trio street car. the player piano. the
| skyscraper building with steel skele-
ton. the wireless the automobile and
a multitude of minor conreniences
! now in common use but unknown
/ then? Look back 100 wears and 1t is
N 10 he Aar
| Most persons have never stopped
| 10 consider just how dependent We are
on electricity today" said Mr.. stein
metz, Living would be almost impos-
sihle II electricity should go on strike
; for day without notice.
! Take. for example. time when you
may be attending dinner on the
roof garden Of some hotel. Electricity
ceases. The place is suddenly thrown
into complete darkness. You rush to
the telephone to find out what is the
matter. but the telephone doesn't
work without electricity: you call the
waiter and tell him to bring some
candles: he hurries to the elevator.
| for you are on the twentieth floor. but
| the elevator isn't working. He then
| runs down the long flights to the Of
fice, secures candles and returns; the
room is poorly lighted. but you can
see your way out. You face the same
, long walk as the waiter. down hight
after flight of stairs to the main floor.
You leave the hotel and plan taking
(. trolley car home, but the cars are not
running. You call for a taxi. but none
are able to start: their electric bat
teries are on strike. Being long
| way from home. you decide you will
remain at the hotel for the night. and
return. The best room the clerk has
to offer is on the sixth floor. and you
have to walk. Struggling your way
through dimiy lighted halls and stair
ways. you are at last ushered into
your room. Two candles afford the
only light The exertion has made you
thirsty. You just must have q drink
of water before retiring. but when
you turn the faucet there is no water.
for the electric pumps have stopped
You push the button for the bellboy
to bring some water, but there is no
response: the bell doesn't ring. So
you go to bed and make the best of
it until morning.
Upon arising you are anxious to
see the morning paper, to learn what
has happened. but their is no paper.
the typesetting machines and print
ing presses can not operate without
electricity. So you decide to visit the
newspaper office. You are anxious for
the news from important places. but
the newspapers have no bulletins ex-
cept of local interest. for the tele-
graph wires are closed and news
from other cities must be relayed by
courier. as in the olden days. and 1t
has not yet arrived.
And SO on will be your troubles
for the remainder OF the day. Yet,
electricity is only in it's infancy
Benjamin Franklin said that he would
like to be sealed up in q wine cask
for 100 years and then come out and
view the world as II would be at the
end of that time. We can imagine how
amazed and delighted Franklin would
be II permitted to behold the electri-
| cal marvels Of the twentieth CEN
tufy. Yet. / feel safe in saying this
would be but slight as compared TO
our surprise il we should seclude our-
selves at this time for a like period
and view the world in 2021."