158 MORRIS LOEB 



have a share in determining the entire problem of the possi- 

 bility of human existence upon this earth, on the one hand by 

 promoting a more efficient utilization of natural resources, 

 on the other, by inducing us to squander futilely, within a 

 lifetime, material that has been accumulated during untold 

 ages. Rarely will close analysis permit the conclusion that 

 an invention has wielded only one kind of influence; seldom 

 will no interest be found to have suffered from something that 

 has produced profit and enjoyment for the multitude; practi- 

 cally never, I firmly believe, has the evil preponderated so 

 largely over the good, that a corrective could not be applied 

 in time to prevent an irremediable harm. And yet, the pop- 

 ular mind is far from applying true standards to the estimate 

 of certain inventions, that have been hailed as the achieve- 

 ments of our era. 



Let me recite a few examples, in illustration of my last 

 assertion, without treating them as fully as if they came en- 

 tirely within the scope of my inquiry. 



Is it not generally conceded that the tremendous gain in 

 individual efficiency, derived from the introduction of tele- 

 graph and telephone, is offset to a greater or lesser extent by 

 an increased nervous irritability and decreased vitality? Has 

 not the diffusion of knowledge, through the introduction of 

 the power press, with the consequent cheapening of printed 

 matter, been accompanied by the virtual submergence of 

 good literature under a flood of ephemeral reading-matter; 

 just as the typewriter, with all its advantages, is surely un- 

 dermining the elegance of our diction? All these and kindred 

 inventions have vastly facilitated talking 'to our fellow-men; 

 have they improved the quality of our conversation or 

 strengthened our thinking-processes? We can deny this 

 without wishing [for one moment that these potent aids to 

 communication had not been invented.] . . . 



