James Grant, a Model American
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common highway of intercourse between different marts on land were canals, which in the northern part of the temperate zone were, like the rivers, frozen over for one-half of the year. The business was so badly con In all my wanderings, the old North State ducted that the transport of a bale of cotton has never lost its place in my memory or from Liverpool to Manchester is said to have affections. To me, in the full maturity of occupied as long a time as that required for an manhood's days, in the enjoyment of the ordinary voyage across the Atlantic in sailing recollections of a long life, there is always vessels. All the commerce between the Atlan a well-spring of happiness in the memories of tic and Ohio was by wagons. Mankind, even in the face of all our the past which cluster around the humble home of childhood's hours; and I rejoice that progress, is slow to adopt anything new. The fate of Fulton is not peculiar. Howe, the poverty-stricken boyhood, which stimu lated me to go to the other, and, as I think, the sewing machine man, long after his inven a better land, was passed in the pine-barrens tion was in practical use, was thought to be a cracked-brain enthusiast. The canal inter of your sea coast, and that the sturdy man ests in Britain had such influence in Parlia hood, the independent spirit, the indomitable will to succeed, were all made a part of my ment as to delay for years the passage of a existence in the quiet shades of these college bill to construct a railroad from Liverpool to Manchester. The act was passed in 1828. grounds. The line, when begun, was to be used to con That surely is a noble appreciation of vey goods, and the wagons to be drawn by life, worthy of remembrance by every horses. When the proposal was made and a prize offered to induce the use of steam power, youth who bears the name of an American. an eminent authority, in a serious treatise His address discloses the most thor on the subject, "hoped he might not be con ough and complete understanding of founded with those enthusiasts who main the progress of the world in his day and tained the possibility of carriages being driven on a railway at such a speed as twelve miles time, and particularly of the develop an hour." ment of steam power, including the It is noteworthy that there is no origin and growth of railroads, which was a particular pet of his mind. He mention of dining cars, wireless teleg thought, of course, that his half century raphy, phonographs, typewriters, tele of active life had been in the golden age phones, dirigible balloons, aeroplanes, radium, electric lights, or other modern of the world, since it had seen the prog ress of railroading from the time of a contrivances in this address, which reviews with so much satisfaction the protest to Parliament against the pas sage of an act which would permit a achievements of the half century be train, with passengers, to travel more tween 1828 and 1878. None of them was known at that time. It is a wise than twelve miles an hour, to the opera tion of trains between New York and man who perceives that the coming age San Francisco within six days, and will outdo his own. Nevertheless, it giving to travelers the comforts of is well for each age to appreciate its own achievements. Judge Grant was sleeping accommodations en route. Let us hear him a moment on this not overestimating the world's achieve ments of his day and generation. That subject :— he knew and appreciated those achieve The first railway for the carriage of pas ments, whether in science, art, or in sengers was the Stockton and Darlington, thirty-seven miles long, built in 1825. The practical matters, is fully manifested carriages were drawn by horses. At this in this address from which we have been period the only improved means over the quoting. university which had drilled into his mind and heart the principles upon which he had built the edifice of his life's work. Said he :—
