Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-08-05
SYNTHETIC LIVES
DUE IN 100 YEARS
Scientists Gathered in Farley
Outline What to Expect of
Future Generations.
BY OLIVER SHERWOOD.

Erseisl Dispatch to The star
EVANSTON. Ill. August 4.-Im-
eginative persons who like to picture
the sort of life their great grsndchil-
dren will live 100 wears or more from
now can feel assured Of one thing---it
will be synthetic
So the scientists say. Gathered here
for the American Chemical Society In
Stitute. they are picturing future that
probably would be paradise for apostles
OF z machine age. but more like per-
dition for the old timers.
The chemical laboratory is the basis
FOR this future civilization which would
feature synthetic food. synthetic drinks.
synthetic homes, synthetic clothes. even
synthetic warfare. This synthetic civili-
ration, pieeed together from the eN
pressed views of these chemists, fur
nishes plenty of food for thought
When people eat. in this future syn
thetic world, il will be of factory food
Farms are to become pssse. The COW,
which Henry Ford considers inefficient,
will be displaced.
Yeast 10 DiSplace BeefSteak.
A yeast product will take the form oil
beefsteak. One of the speakers pointed
out that 80 men working in factory
form of proteids as much food as / 00O
men tflling $1,000 acres under present
methods
Vegetables are TO be replaced by d
new type of plant probably grown on
the Sahara Desert. which will store up
tremendous amounts Of energy from the
sun. Fats and sugars are TO come FROM
Shale OIL Saw6uSt and coal VitaminS
will be produced artificially or through
concentrated cultivation of certain
products which yield them in large
quantities. BY regulating vitaminS.
chemists expect to influence the COM
plexion and the size of human beings
When the future citizen goes shop
ping for clothes. he's expected TO buy
clothes made cut of corn stalks. Sawdust
or other waste. People will live in
synthetic homes. DR.. Gerald Wendt.
dean Of the School of Chemistry and
Physics at Pennsylvania State College.
expects
Everything about the future home
will be made of synthetic materials
he declared. The house will be built
OF concrete and steel. both svnthetfc
materials The walls will be finished
In iscQuered metals which can be
washed down with a hose Draperies
and rugs will be of rayon
Other Possibilities Noted.
1T will not be MANY wears until if
viii seem that the age was almost pre-
historic which burned cellulose as fuel.
Already the South is raising crops of
pine TO be used for cellulose Coal is
much more valuable as raw material
than as fuel. Bakelite with its ir-
Unite possibilities, is made from the
carbolic acid which is derived from
coal and from formaldehyde, which is
taken from natural gas"
When these people of a synthetic
civilization take to fighting they win
put on a synthetic war. the scientists
believe. Some of the speakers pointed
out that aviators flying over cities or
over opposing armies could release con-
centrated aneSthetics in such large
doses that their opponents would be
put to sleep. While they were under
the influence of the anesthetic the
enemy would conquer them. Afterward
they would be none the worse for wear
Prepared to Combat Poisons.
II poison gases are resorted to- the
chemists are prepared to combat IT,
They are preparing to develop organic
peroxides which neutralize lethal gases.
In this way, if cities are attacked by
gas IN the future. or If armies are
subjected 10 attacks of this kind,
peroxides would be released TO comba
their effectiveness
Overpopulation and the depletion Of
raw materials. now such a worry to
many parts 70 the world. supply few
worries for the chemists. They figure
that people can be fed on synthetic
foods until there is one person for each
square yard Of arabic surface. For raw
materials they are prepared 10 syn
thezie waste products and TO utilize
substances now considered valueless
franvricha To9s