The Idaho Republican

THE ON-SWEEP OF THE WORLD

Goodwin's Weekly.

The Bank of England the other day raised its rate of discount and called a halt on the alarming increase of speculative investments. We suspect that was wise advice, but, after all, that speculative business, or rather the rush of it, is but typical of the world's work today. Look at the mining at Bingham and compare it with ten years ago; look at the smelters at Garfield and compare them with anything ever seen, save perhaps in a few great iron works, a few years ago; look at the ships coming into New York and San Francisco and compare them with the floating coffins that the Argonauts went to California in;—the contrast is still greater in warships; look at the changes in city blocks in the past forty years: the changes in railroads and rolling stock; see the air filled with aeroplanes, and listen, here is a message that found its way in from the deep sea, announcing that the ship from which it was sent is just now riding out a hurricane a thousand miles out to sea. About all that is left that is natural is the proposed fight between Jeffries and Johnson and the depth, sincerity and steadfastness of a mother's love.

The whole material world has become revolutionized.

There are many causes for the tremendous changes. Modern schools are bearing fruit. The number of accomplished men to do the world's work has vastly increased during the past fifty years. Then steam and telegraph have brought the nations close together; then the perfections of invention and machinery have led to a vastly greater interchange of commodities; the advances made in the medical science have about taken from men any fear in visiting any country; the explorers are doing their part and within two score years vast tracts of country untraveled before are made hunting grounds now, and places for miners to prospect.

Behind all is the mighty increase in the world's money. The sky scrapers in the cities were made possible by it: so were 200,000 miles of new railroad that have been stretched through our country in the last forty years; so have been a thousand gigantic enterprises like the road from Moscow to Vladivostok; the Cape to Cairo road; the Panama canal; the building of $5,000,000 steamers; the purchase of works of art; the moving perpetually of an army of tourists from land to land; the endowment of universities by individuals; the exploiting of gigantic enterprises by companies. We doubt whether they would heed it themselves could they see a fair profit of loaning $500,000,000.