The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-01-28
PRESIDE SCIENCE
THE GREATEST INVENTIONS

THE OhEAIEO1 1CN HIN 4AUINo We can understand what civilization cans, if we think of it as state of ind from which fear and long list animal instincts and prOpensities ye been banished. This serene and ing state of mind, which cares more truth than for creeds, is charged h knowledge gained largely through coveries and inventions. The dis very that the earth is not a fiat disc, example, with the sun and stars 1und it, sent a good many shadows ing out of the mind. To eliminate 'se shadows from the strain of mental ritYfce was necessary preparation - thinking.
 IT Science has published its list
 reatest inventors. The names
 tions are as follows:
 tney-the cotton gin.
 Goodyear-the vulcanizing
 cess.
 F. E. Morse-the telegraph.
 IT Bell-the telephone.
 III McCormick-the reaper.
 we-the sewing machine.
 Bessemer-the process for
 teel.
 Edison-The incandescent
 monograph.
 csla--the induction motor.
 ,Eright-the airplane.
 lventors, indeed, yet not the
 eatest. The greatest inven-
 those which 'revolutionized
 ts, made mankind more ca
 .elped the human species to
 tha difficulties in the pathway
 ogreAs.
 at greatest invention was probably first-the club. Before inventing club mankind lived no better than apes-afraid of shadows and ever dy to take to the trees. Fearing the man-eaters. those two-legged, I-.in-skinned, hornless and tuskless man-creatures were feared by none. But the club more than trebled the length and strength of the human arm, and with it the earliest men began to brave their way through the jungles. One may realize what the club meant 10 primitive man by recalling what he was before and after it's invention. Almost as great was the invention of the spear, and the bow and arrow may have been greater. With these two weapons, hunters could stand back and strike down foes at a distance without the risk of being clawed down. Up to about the time of the discovery of America, all the wars of the world, including those of the Egyptians. Assyr- ians, Greeks, Romans and the Germanic tribes, were won with spears and bows and arrows. Human culture began with mankind in the bow and arrow stage of development. Armed with bows and arrows, aborigines wandering from hunting ground to hunting ground found their way into all the continents. The invention of the fire drill proved equally revolutionary. Without it we should still be devouring meat raw i; and who would not rather be remem- bered as the inventor of pottery than, say, of Bessemer steel? Steel has be- come tremendously important, but it means less to us than bronze meant to the human species at the time forgot ten barbarian first smelted tin and cop per together and produced bronze. From -hH invention of bronze has come our lwledge of the metals. We could get ng without Mir. Goodyear's tires. but would fall back into Savagery if we ,uld forget how to duplicate dozen time inventions.
 ' ,ssihly Wilbur Wri3hts name be- n .s on the list of the world to, z attest inventors, for with his h q n-air machine we are begiL ns o q equer the air. Air navigation sounds re practicable now than did ocean tDigation before the invention of the timers compass.