RELATIONS OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING 607 



of burden, with vestiges of intelligence. This segregation of a large 

 section of the people into competition with animals tended to 

 brutalize all men, both the muscular machines and the more intelli- 

 gent beings over them. Coal and the steam engine gave a great lift to 

 humanity by removing the competition of human muscle with brute 

 muscle. The applications of electricity have so far aided the uplifting 

 process, by the improved distribution of power, that not only are men 

 emancipated in civilized communities from draught-service or mere 

 animal-haulage; but even horse-haulage in large cities has com- 

 menced to be uneconomical. 



From an economical standpoint, electrical engineering cooperates 

 with other branches of engineering in distributing either special utilities 

 exclusively, or general utilities with particular advantages. Distri- 

 butions of the former class are intelligence and pow r er. Distributions 

 of the latter class are light and heat. That is to say, the telegraph and 

 telephone maintain a monopoly of the rapid transmission of ideas. 

 The electric motor has almost a monopoly of the distant transmis- 

 sion of power. But electric light is in competition with other forms 

 of illuminant, and maintains its present position by virtue of con- 

 venience, cleanliness, or other special qualities. 



The sociological advantages derived from the electric telegraph 

 and telephone are enormous. If, as has been claimed, the invention of 

 the logarithm-table has virtually doubled the lives of astronomers, 

 the invention of these electric implements has virtually doubled the 

 lives of business-men. Moreover, our modern systems of government 

 would be impracticable in the absence of these instrumentalities. It 

 is stated that in the year 1815, prior to the electric telegraph, the 

 news of the battle of New Orleans was not received in the national 

 capital, Washington, for three weeks. On the other hand, in 1898, 

 the news of the battle of Manila was reported in Washington a few 

 hours after it occurred, by actual time; or, some hours before it 

 occurred, by local Washington time. 



As regards the electrical distribution of power, the convenience 

 with which insulated wires may be carried and distributed to motors 

 in and among buildings has profoundly affected the construction and 

 operation of modern factories, where the long overhead rows of 

 constantly running countershafting, with large numbers of endless 

 belts thence descending to machine tools, has been replaced to a 

 considerable extent by a clear headway for cranes, and an electric 

 motor on each machine tool or near to each group of tools. The 

 complete control of tool-speed which this system provides and the 

 cessation of all waste of power in running friction when a tool is out 

 of use, are great advantages in favor of electric factory driving. 



The contrast between the transmission of power by electricity and 

 that by rope -haulage is very remarkable. A steel cable in a rope- 



