It is not to be supposed that farming, the greatest of all American industries, had not Farm Hands at a Discount.made any progress during the twentieth century. Probably in no other field of labor was electricity employed to better advantage. Farm hands in the nineteenth century were as unreliable in some cases as balky horses. The farm owner’s distress and nightmare in 1899 was the farm laborer. But in 1999 the “farm hand” was practically done away with. Horses and farm laborers were no longer employed in the cultivation of the land. Electricity was on tap in every part of the farm. Even the milking and stable cleaning was done by mechanical means. In 1899 a farmer who hired all his work done and lived along comfortably on the proceeds The Dignity of Labor. of the property, was called by the absurd title of a “gentleman farmer.” The farmer who rolls up his sleeves and toils is none the less a gentleman. A gentleman is not always the one who spends a life of leisure and lives on the toil of others. The hard working farmer in many cases proves to be the real gentleman; he dignifies labor and commands the respect of his neighbors.
In 1999 all agriculturalists were “gentleman farmers.” Their great slaves were the electrical machines. They never groaned, complained or knocked off work in the busy season to go on an excursion. The electrical farming implements could work all day without sitting under a shade tree, with a jug of cider and a corn-cob pipe. They labored patiently and faithfully and performed their tasks with great accuracy.
CHAPTER XXI.
Twentieth Century Inventions.
The Wonderful Automatic Valet,—a faithful servant and silent friend. A Balloon-car Accident,—twelve thrown out and killed. Excursion to the Moon. Woman Worship in France. Ready Digested Dinners. Highly nutritious pellets for noon lunch. Ice cream pills become popular; also delicious fruit pellets.
If some wide-awake American genius in 1999 had invented an electrical breathing machine his invention would have been well patronized. By the use of electrical appliances, manual labor had been reduced to a minimum. The electric automobiles, ærodromes, ærocycles, electric bicycles and hundreds of mechanical appliances used as labor saving machinery, really invited laziness. If a breathing apparatus had been invented in 1999 its sales would have been phenomenal.
In support of this statement we reproduce, herewith, an article taken from the Scientific American, under date of May 28, 1999, as follows:
THE UNIQUE MECHANICAL FIGURE THAT DOES EVERYTHING BUT FEED ITS OWNER.
Some years ago the need of a machine which would dress persons on arising from bed, make their toilet and prepare them for breakfast, or a stroll on the street, was generally felt.