Evening star., 1922-03-26
CIVILIZATIONS PROGRESS SEEN
MEASURED BY MODE OF TRAVEL
Advances in Methods of Locomotion
Greater in Last Twenty-Five Years
Than All Preceding Centuries.


made signs for those near him, after
wards using rudimentary language:
| for those at distance he was
! obliged to travel in person in order
to deliver message. or send a mes
senger who transmitted his thoughts
in as we'll remembered form as he
was capable Of. Now. man talks from
| continent to continent with no more
than the conception of 4 thought.
stenosrapher transcribes his ideas.
cable company transmits and de-
liverS them: or the individual may
project his voice over land and sea.
The transference of physical, bodily
objects is no longer a matter of labor
common carriers OF the nation trans
port him and his effects wherever he
wills. 1t was Z tremendous advan-
age for existing and future humanity
when the first crude concept of
wheel crept into the mind of some
and his fellows in lifting burdens
from human backs. Imagine world
without wheels or their possible
equivalent. 1t is unthinkable.
Just as the telegraph. cable. tele-
phone and wireless companies have
moved swiftly ahead in the develop
ment Of multiplying and disseminat
ing the ideas OF man, go have the rail-
road. steamship and automobile COM
panies moved with dizzying speed in
Of civilization convenient means of
physical transportation. Greater safe
ty. comfort and speed than were con-
ceiVable less than twenty-five years
ago are available in transportation
| on every hand today. Improved rail-
bility OF accident and permitting Of
rapid and comfortable travel. great
iy improved rolling stock and highly
| trained operatives offer general
transportation on land. Ocean and
lake lanes. carefully charted and
builder Of vessels. make travel by
water possible in luxury and speed
almost beyond belief.
Roads Meaa. Prosperity.
The measure Of q country's prosper
ity 10 in its mileage OF roads avail
able for quick and safo moving of
mankind and his effects. And judged
by this standard, how, enormous has
been and is the influence Of the motor
vehicle with self-contained power.
The world began to grow at 4 new
rate and civilization expanded in di-
recttons undreamed Of whom the self
J was first accomplished. Automobiles
literally forced the construction of
good roads that the exchange OF COM
rnodities upon which civilization sub
Areas were made available for dwell
ing. for manufacture. and for agri-
culture that might have remained for
decades isolated from communities
which they could serve and by which
they could be served. When all ia
and economical distribution Of COM
modities 10 one that touches all hu-
nanity. Upon it depends mans exist
ence.
highly developed and fertile imagi-
nation. and 1t is noticeable that their
highest flights had to do with rapid
travel. The magic carpet represented
an ideal with an undreamed-of reali-
xation. Every man longed to possess
tho seven-lsague boots Of fable. The
transportation Of Aladdin's enchanted
palace from one place to another in
trigued the imagination OF those who
listened breathlsss to the story. And
all Of these things were talked OF
when civilization was still creeping
on all fours.
Capt Nicholas Joseph cugnot, a
Frenchman, invented and operated the
first motor-drivsn road vehicle that
actually moved along a highway un-
der it's own power. He is thus the
father OF the automobile industry.
Tho last machine he built. in 1860.
was placed In the Conservatory OF
Arts and Trades in Paris. Nineteen
years later Oliver Evans, q Philadel-
phian. built a first self-propelled We
hicle constructed in America. The
automobile was waiting for the right
kind Of fuel. and when gasoline be-
came an established article Of manu-
bilities were seen. but not fully real
lied. BY 1879, the motor and the tuel
came together. and May 8, of that
year George b. Selden, Rochester. N.
r, took out the first patent on . gaso-
a,ss oisr 20 IN sss buit
the first American gasoline automo-
bile that would run: Henry Ford fol-
lowed him a year later and Elwood
Haynes came q year later still. 1t was
not until April !, 1898, that the first
manufacturing companies was made.
That date Alexander Winton sold
car to Robert Allison Of Fort Carbon,
Pa. The first Oldsmobiles were mar
keted In the same year.
opposition Of Horse Owners.
Every Improvement in serving civil
lization meets with opposition. and
the automobile has been no exception.
When Mr.. Allison bought HI hts sod first aaa
ers ana breeders bitterly opposed the
innovation that was destined before
long to replace 30 many OF these ami
NAL workers. As recently as 1896
there were only four cars in this
country. but by 1916 the number of
automobiles in America had grown to
3,5st,567, and the registration OF July
I, 1921, showed automobiles and
trucks in use to the enormous total Of
.9.257,b75. The value Of the production
Of cars in 1920 reaehed $2,136,1s3,00o,
and the amount Of license fees paid
in the United States the same year
was more than $S1.0oo,000. At the
present time there are about $50 man.
ufacturers of motor vehicles in Amer
lea, with factories located in thirty
two states. The product Of these
plants is sold and kept in commission
by 17S.o00 dealers, charging stations
and repair shops.
Today the automobile industry
stands third in Importance in Amer
ica: steel and textile fabrics alone
surpass 1t in volume Of business. It
is firmly established as one Of the
greatest factors in the. progress Of
civilization. It Is essential to mil
lions of people in their business, and
is playing tremendously importapt
part in developing and maintaining
the volume Of business required BY
the present worlds needs.