Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-22

IN ~ the Great Tomorrow. More ana
/HA more creature comforts And more
leisure-in that may come our ruin
alton or our greatest opportunity.
Perhaps in the future we may be able TO
turn dial on radio set and see a ski-jumper
in Norway and hear the swish as he lands on
n frozen ford. Or see and hear q big game
hunter as he stalks q tiger in an East Indian
Jungle Our travel will be on swifter wings
than any we now know. We may be eating
foods grown in a nearby factory and served at
home with a minimum Of preparation. The
''climate" inside our houses may be what we
desire it to be at any time of the year. We
will work less with our hands and more with
our heads. Many who work viii do so for
recreation.
These are some of the most plausible prom
Uses that the future holds out to u.s. according
to DR.. George Burgess, director of the Bureau
of Standards in washington, under whose eyes
and hands come hundreds of developments IN
almost every scientific and economic field.
-. Even though the most vivid Imagination of
20 years ago would have failed in foretelhng
the many wonders we have today, DR.. Burgess
spoke of the future only in the terms of actual
recent accomplishments. Many of these dis
coveries and inventions open up wide vistas.
SsT IFE has been speeded up tremendously in
recent years and will be speeded up still
more" he said Inventions pile upon one
another so fast that no person could know of
the existence of all of them. In America alone
119 inventions are made daily. In fact one well
known scientist recently suggested in all seri-
business that we stop for 10 years and try to
catch up with ourselves-that we learn the use
OF the knowledge we already have.
To-day the Scientises are literally the dream
ers of dreams no less than the poets. They
are the prophets of the future. Their vision,
plus their skill, makes progress possible.
But it is dangerous to predict the future,
because one single invention or development
SO often comes along and changes the entire
trend not only of thought but Of material prog
ress in certain direction. For instance, 80
years ago men were wondering whether it
would ever be possible to get enough street
cars and subwayS to carry all the traffic Of
city. The automobile was in an experimental
stage then and the airplane was unknown
Soon traffic moved over to the highways and
now 1t is taking to the air.
Looking forward, however, Is fascinating
business" DR.. Burgess smiled. Science does
not progress slowly and methodically from
point to point, but it moves in cycles or waves
of fashion. Tremendous progress will be made
In one field and then that field will lie dormant
while some other field reaches climactic de-
velopment For instance, at the outset Of the
World War the work on the development of
sound was almost at standstil Tremendous
strides had been made in X-ray work. in the
study Of atomic rays and in spectroscopy
These subjects for a while had been the fashion
In the scientific world
with the World War came the necessity
for detecting the location of big guns by
study of the whiz Of their bullets The study
OF sound waves has grown tremendously since
Today. as an outgrowth of those studies, we
have radio broadcasting and the talkies.
When some great genius develops in a
particular field of science, that science develops
tremendously under the stimulus he gives it.
Then 1t moves forward at slower rate until
some other great scientist comes along to push
It forward. For instance. medicine under the
outstanding genius of Pasteur made tremendous
strides during the latter part Of the nineteenth
century. Thomas A. Edison has lighted our
homes and electrified our machines and labor
saving devices with no more effort to us than
aladdin used In rubbing his lamp. Already
scientists. and even Edison himself have begun
60 realize what the loss Of his genius win mean
30 the world
But despite the danger of prophesying
there are certain Developments which it seems
reasonable to expect In the very near future"
Then DR.. Burgess cited numerous instances
where the future is writing its story upon the
present.
How long man win be able to live is of
interest to everybody Tremendous strides
have been made within the last 10 years in
increasing the span Of human lfe But in
-creasing the span Of life would hardly be in
eereseng unless 1t was possible to increase the
aengsn OF youth at the same time-the length
OI time during which . man can enjoy health
vigor and keenness Of mind and spirit Loeb
mas told " that prolonging human life indefi-
niteiy Is merely matter Of mastering labora-
tory technique through research. At least
Some progress has been made in that direction.
[OR ID days part Of chickens heart