New-York tribune., 1922-01-22
Inventions IN Their Relation
to the Progress Of the Race
Rear Admiral Fiske's illuminating Study of the
Fruits of Human Ingenuity in
All Lands and Ages

words was familiar long before the
time of Gutenberg and Faust. Why
did it take so long to hit upon the idea
OF using separate block for each let
ter? Again. the pointed wood screw,
one of the most universally familiar of
objects. For generations, perhaps for
centuries, 1t was in common use, but
always without a point. the end insert
ed in the wood being cut of abruptly.
so that gimlet holc as deep as the
length OF the screw was necessary. At
the same time the g!mlct and augcr
were also IN use, with points identical
with our modern screw points. And it
was not until within the time of men
now living tina. All American inventor
nit upon the happy thought Of making
every screw with gimlet-lihe point
so that in soft wood it would need 10
hole at all for its insertion md in hard
wood would require one Of lesS depth
than did the biunt-nosed screw; while,
of course, the strength OF its hold upon
the wood was greatly increased. Why
was not so obvious an invention made
century earlier than it was?
The present has been called the aga
Of invention. We remember ourselves
once maintaining the proposition that
in the nineteenth century there were
made more inventions Of the first rank
than in all preceding time. Yet we are
not quite so sure Of i. as VIC once
thought, amid the glamour Of The tri-
umphs in art and industry which
marked the fin de steele Where would
the railroad and the automobile have
been but for the prior invention,
thousands OF years before, Of the
wheel? The steamship has not meant
to the world 1.-THE OF what the sailing
ship meant long before the days OF
Fulton and Ericsson. Marvellous as is
the -perfccting printing press, re
must confess that it and the linotype
put together have not done for the
world what vas done for it centuries
before them by sheets Of papyrus and
slips Of reed and by parchmeNts and
gooscquils. AS for the multifarious
applications Of steam power ana cleo
trio energy. upon which cur whole in
dustrial system depends, they must all
together take inferior rank to the orig
inal invention Of fire.
One OF these days Admiral F;skc or
some other competent authority-and
1t Will require an exceptionally high
dc gree Of compctence-will elaborate
the theme OF this delightful and most
valuable volume into complete his
tory of the world. or Of mankind. from
the point Of view Of inventions. We
have had plenty Of political histories
OF the wo,ld. and military histories,
and religious histories. and Mr..
Wells has just given US what
he considers q history from the eco
nomic point OF view Under the inspi-
ration of Admiral Fiske's luminous and
sugge stlvc pages We venture the conf
dent opinion that a history Of mankind
as affected by inventions would be sec
ond to no other in interest or in in
structive value. Invention is cne Of the
cardinal essential and universal diff
Icrcnccs between men and animals. 1t
IS universal characteristic OF human
ity, manifested by all races in ali lands
and in all ages. 1t is confined to no
class and is not dependent upon educa-
ton or scientific research Some in
ventioAs were, of course, possible only
after protYactcd and profound scion-
tic study. Others, of the highest
value, and the result not OF accident
nor Of observation but of pure reason,
were made BY men of whom it could be
said that
hnowicdge to their eyes her ample page.
"lch With the sspoils of time. did nc'er
Invention, in behalf, is essentially the
gift Of genius, and genius is construct
ed by no conditions and controlled by
no rules