Canastota High School - Toot Yearbook (Canastota, NY)

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12 THE TOOT ' This hand to tyrants ever sworn the foe, For Freedom only deals the deathly blow; For gentle peace in Freedom s hallowed shade. For gentle peace in calm repose, the vengeful blade, Therefore young Americans, having learned how great men of your country have attained success, if you want your flag and your nation to be respected and trusted by the whole world, do as they have done, aim as they have aimed, work as they have worked. But try—the trying shall suffice, The aim if reached or not, makes great the life. LOIS E. TEW1NKEL. ELECTRICITY IN THE SERVICE OF AMERICA As we follow the industrial history of this great and prosperous coun- try of ours down thru its years of experience and development, we find that it has reached its present advanced position in the world of industry thru scientific invention and its appliance. Among modern nations, none is so quick as America to profit by its inventive ability and to employ la- bor-saving devices wherever they can be used. Realizing that the earth is the source of all wealth, America has not only improved but has discov- ered many more valuable methods of applying the forces of nature to the transformation of the raw material found in the earth into useful pro- ducts. It is this appetite for betterment that has increased our standard of efficiency and has given our nation the control of a material agency which first showed itself to the ancient Greeks at the beginning of the Christian Era and has come into the service of man in recent times. That agency is electricity. Despite the fact that the services of this wonderful agent were lost to mankind for a little over two thousand years, it has resurrected itself after this period of germination and growth in a place five thousand miles from where it first made its appearance, America. No other nation approaches America in its practical use. Since the time that Franklin discovered that lightening is the same thing as static electricity, American inventors have been making artificial lightening and harnessing it to turn the wheels of industry. Do it Electrically,” is America’s twentieth century appeal to the world. Regardless of what part of our country one visits he will find electric energy used in some form. In the factory, the workshop, the office, the home, the farm, in- deed every place where man is working or living and electric energy can be obtained, one can see at least one result of Franklin’s experiment. It is true, however, that America has not invented all the electric de- vices and appliances that are used in the country itself but to her not only goes the credit of adopting them and proving their efficiency and value to the world but for the principles and early experiments on which the more inventions of foreign countries have depended. Of all the applications of electricity, probably no other electric machine

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THE TOOT 11 energy on the side of Justice. His assistance in the Panama revolution helped create that great canal and his measures in regard to the Russo- Japanese war wen for him the Nobel peace prize. That he was most bit- terly hated by his enemies and most deeply loved by his friends is suf- ficient to demonstrate the estimate and worth of Theodore Roosevelt as a true American statesman. As governor of the Philippines, William Howard Taft exercised his ability as a statesman, and played a large part in the successful advance- ment of those islands. President Taft followed the course begun by his predecessors and because of his stand on the Payne-Aldrich Tariff, dissat- isfied Republicans formed what is now known as the Progressive Party. Again we come upon a statesman who was a great president at a critical time, Woodrow Wilscn. A man of peace, he was forced to lead the na- tion into the most terrible war that the world has ever known. He en- tered the White House, a vigorous man in the prime of life to leave it feeble and broken in health. But Woodrow Wilscn has not wasted his strength and years; he has placed America in the leadership of the world. In the future, proud and grateful countrymen will recognize the service he has rendered humanity and will rank his name with those of Washing- ton and Lincoln. Probably no American is so well krewn ever all the world as Herbert C. H oover. Devoted to the welfare of mankind, he is a man of practical organizing power on a large scale. Pcsscssrd of vast information and experience, he is a man who has acquired the confidence of nations and people. In fact, the statesmanship cf Mr. Hcover has just begun; time alone can prove to how great an extent it will develop. Closely linked to the name of Mr. Hoover is that of Charles Evans Hughes. Though not so well known as the former, he has been of great service to his country both as a lawyer and an investigator. Because Mr. Hughes exercises his own will in regard to political matters, party ma- chines steer clear of him and regard him as a very troublesome hindrance. As Secretary of State, Mr. Hughes has an excellent opportunity to exer- cise his abilities as a statesman. Elihu Root, conspicuous for the disinterested service, which, regard- less of the effect upon himself, he has rendered to his country, has an in- ternational reputation; and will, no doubt, take a leading part now, as he has always done in the negotiations of foreign policies. These incidents in the lives of American statesmen might be enumer- ated indefinitely. Each generation, every session of the United States Senate, every political administration develops “a man of the hour”. We may be certain that the achievements of these statesmen were the re- sult of their own individual labors and perseverance rather than fortunate circumstances. American statesmanship is and will forever be working against but one thing—that is injustice. It is and will forever be working for but one pur- pose—that is humanity. In the words of John Quincy Adams.

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THE TOOT .13 appears more in practical use in America than the electric motor. This machine was invented by an Englishman, Michael Faraday, but it has been improved and adapted for driving pewer to such a great extent in America that we can at least claim credit for its rise in the electrical world. It is a machine constructed on thoroughly sound engineering lines and is reliable, adaptable and suitable for use under the majority of conditions wheie driving power is needed. It has proved its value both in factories and workshops and in the driving of electric locomotives. In every case it has been found to be economical and efficient after once installed. Before leaving electricity as a motive pewer, it is necessary to mention the machine which generates the current, the dynamo. The dynamo dif- fers from the motor in that it converts mechanical energy into electrical while the motor converts electrical into mechanical. When we think of this, it either seems useless or that we have solved the problem of per- petual motion. It is not useless, for mechanical energy can be distributed a great distance from where it is made and the two machines will not de- velop perpetual motion because of friction. It is by the use of the dynamo that the hidden power of Niagara is converted into electrical energy and can be conducted to the surrounding cities by means of underground cables for illumination and other purposes. Electricity for illumination has been found to be the most satisfactory artificial light for citv ourposes. What a wrnd?rf”l a-ccmplishm-r t to throw a switch in a power station and produce an illuminous effect in the whole city nearly equal to that of the sun! In comparison with the candle of colonial days the electric light is a wonderful improvement and we owe its appearance to the electrical wizzard, Thomas Edison. However, there are two different kinds of lights in practical use. The light that Edison invented is the incandescent bulb and that used for street lighting was invented by Sir Humphrey Davy, an Englishman. Electricity is also rapidly taking the place of fuel for heating purposes. In the steel industry electric furnaces are now used practically altogether. They are not only a great improvement but their use adds greatly to the conservation of coal. Electric heating is also coming to the front in the household because of its many advantages. It ;s used for cooking as well as heating. One of the most necessary and useful of the electrical inven- tions is the telegraph invented in our own country by Robert Morse. This invention together with the laying of the Atlantic cable made immediate communication possible between America and Europe and finally with the whole world, one of the greatest accomplished in history. It was a sim- ple invention yet from it have come very great results. The telephone, the radio telephone and the wireless telegraph are closely related to the Morse invention. Among medical applications of electricity, the X-ray is probably the most familiar and important. It has proved itself of great service both to the dental and medical professions for examining internally. The rayn of light will pass thru any part of the body except bone so that a picturo