ENGINERY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE HUMAN RACE
The energy of a nation may be expressed by its horse power. It is not numbers, or intellect, or character, or beliefs that indicate the progress of a people in a material sense.
It is curious how closely related enginery is with the advancement of a people. Nothing can be more striking to illustrate this than railroads as a feature of development in any country.
Power in Transportation.—Without the construction and maintenance of mechanical power, railroads would be impossible. To be able to quickly and cheaply move from place to place, is the most important factor in human life. The ability of people to interchange commodities, and to associate with others who are not in their own intimate community, are the greatest civilizing agencies in the world.
Power vs. Education and the Arts.—Education, the cultivation of the fine arts, and the desire for luxuries, without the capacity for quickly interchanging commodities and to intermingle with each other, are ineffectual to advance the interests of any nation, or to maintain its prosperity.
Lack of Power in the Ancient World.—The Greeks and the Romans had a civilization which is a wonder even to the people of our day. They had the arts and architecture which are now regarded as superb and incomparable. They had schools of philosophy and academies of learning; their sculpture excites the admiration of the world; and they laid the foundation theories of government from which we have obtained the basis of our laws.
The Early Days of the Republic.—When our forefathers established the Republic there were many misgivings as to the wisdom of including within its scope such a large area as the entire Atlantic seacoast. From Maine to Florida the distance is 1250 miles; and from New York to the Mississippi 900 miles, comprising an area of 1,200,000 square miles.
How could such an immense country ever hold itself together? It was an area nearly as large as that controlled by Rome when at the height of her power. If it was impossible for the force of Roman arms to hold such a region within its control, how much more difficult it would be for the Colonies to expect cohesion among their scattered peoples.