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POPULAR SCIENCE REVIEW. 
mechanical elements of safety into railway working, which are 
as ingenious as they are effective. Improved permanent way, 
the interlocking of signals and points; the concentration of 
levers in well-constructed cabins ; effective brake power ; per- 
fect tyre fastenings ; better coupling arrangements, and superior 
engine and rolling stock, have all aided to secure that simpli- 
city of working and safety in travelling which undoubtedly 
exist. 
But, as the principal element of danger in railway travelling 
consists in the fallibility of the human machine, it must not be 
forgotten that we owe our immunity from accident as much to 
the careful selection, education, and supervision of the staff and 
the maintenance of good discipline, as to the appliances of 
scientific skill. Science cannot be devoted to a nobler purpose 
than to the protection of human life, and the records of experi- 
ence show that it has earned well-deserved laurels in rendering 
the dangers of railway travelling potential and its safety actual. 
