The Age of Brain Passes.
The war was a blessing to Germany. In cutting out the old military
system it gave wider opportunity for manufacturing. Young men, instead
of spending their days in military training, went into business, and
things boomed.
The war had caused a great outcry against German-made goods, yet when
peace came and dropped the barriers, the manufactures of Germany began
to flood the world.
Germany's indemnity of L1,000,000,000 could only be paid from its
manufactures, so the Allied nations took every opportunity to see that
those goods got into circulation.
Though British, Russian and French merchants during the war had tried to
"kill German trade," as money was urgently required the Allies had to
let it live, and see that it had a vigorous life in order to get their
indemnity without delay. That was why Australia, as well as other parts
of the British Empire, was advised to lift tariff restrictions on German
goods. It was an extraordinary request, and later on was to have a
world-wide effect.
I remembered a remark Nap once made to me during one of our yarns whilst
waiting behind the fighting lines on the Aisne for the dawn to call us
into the air.
"It's blamed hard," he said, "to have this war in our life time. It's
going to throw the world back thirty years, and thirty years in a
fellow's life is a mighty big hunk. This war had to come. The world had
been moving too quickly during the last ten years, which saw wireless,
flying, radium, and other marvellous stunts--in fact, the world had
rushed ahead so swiftly that it had to pull up to take breath. This war
is giving the earth breathing space, but it's going to take thirty years
to clear up the mess, wipe the stains away and patch mankind up
physically and mentally."
But time proved that Nap, like all the other gloomy prophets of bad
times, was wrong. The war speeded up things. Men, flushed with the
activity of the battlefield, came back quick-witted. Country louts and
city boys, who had been taken in hand and trained to physical perfection
for the battlefield, came back in twelve months--men.
There was prosperity everywhere. All Western Europe, with the exception
of Belgium had declared for Socialism. The Humanist (Socialist) trend of
things made high wages for the workers everywhere. But the capitalists
were being hit hard. Their factory profits were dwindling away under
Humanist rule, and as each one went under, the Government would take
over his business. Great estates were taxed and super-taxed, till the
owners had to relinquish them.
The Socialistic ideal of "all sharing the wealth of the wealthy" was
rapidly approaching, but bringing with it a social cataclysm.
There was no doubt of that. It was being hastened by the lessened output
of the workers. The ca-canny system ruled everywhere. With good pay for
little work there was no incentive to excel, and from "little work" to
"no work" was an easy step for many, as under the Humanist rule the
unemployed were also paid.
The people were rapidly losing self-respect. With their false idea of
equality, discipline was difficult to maintain, and lawlessness was
rife.
People were so sick of war that in most of the nations disarmament was
an easy matter. Even the German Navy, that was passed over to the Allied
nations at the termination of the war rapidly deteriorated from lack of
discipline and reduced votes for upkeep.
War was looked upon as a waste of blood and a waste of heroism, so the
manufacture of arms was declared to be illegal.
Invention practically ceased.
There was no incentive to invest, as the Humanists had gradually taxed
the capitalist out of existence; and it is interesting to note how time
proved that the capitalist was essential to inventive progress.
The State desired to improve the flying machine, as flying was still
confined to the aeroplane and the dirigible.
The then type of aeroplane could not rise or descend vertically, and
only kept in the air when at great speed. The dirigible balloon was of
the Zeppelin type, and was not always dependable.
It was decided to invent a machine that could easily rise and descend,
and could rest in the air and be independent of all atmospheric
conditions. So a State flying machine factory was commenced in England
on Salisbury Plain.
The first trouble arose when the building was being erected. Many
workers objected to what was called the waste of labor. It was pointed
out that under the Socialistic rule, the product of labor had to go to
labor, and as the building of the flying machine factory was not
producing food or clothing, and the workers on it had to be supported by
the labor of the whole community, it was making a distinct class of
them, which was illegal. However, the Government went on with the work.
The first machine made was not successful. Then an agitation ensued that
it was not equitable and just that the community should support any
labor engaged in such a foolish enterprise. It was demanded that the
factory should be closed, and the workers set at useful employment,
instead of being a burden on the state and reviving the old system of
classes.
I remember reading at the time that a leader in the experiments named
Cooley, pointed out that the successful machine would save much labor in
after years, by giving more efficient means of transport, and that when
the successful machine was built the whole community would enjoy the
result of the labor expended on it.
[Illustration: "The First Wright Aeroplane."]
He pointed out that in the production of the first aeroplane, the Wright
Brothers had spent years of effort in the solution of the problem of
aerial navigation, and that a vast amount of labor and material was
consumed before the first practical machine was made, so it was,
therefore, reasonable to consider that much expenditure of labor and
material would have to continue till the perfect machine was found, and
that it was worth it all to win that ideal means of transport. The labor
of the hand and brain to achieve the perfect flying machine would have
to be directed either by a capitalist or by the State. There were now no
capitalists, and it was, therefore, the duty of the State to take the
matter up notwithstanding the so-called waste of labor and material.
He pointed out that all industry involved waste. That millions of pounds
had been spent in experiments in evolving the machines we were using
to-day. He also mentioned that he remembered, when in America, that
millions of dollars were spent in attempting to tunnel under the Hudson
River, at New York, and that many failures were met with before the work
was successfully achieved.
He might also have mentioned that all this expense was borne by the
capitalist, and that if the State had had charge of it, the enormous
waste of money in experiments would have caused a public panic.
He pleaded that all great inventions were developed on expensive
experimenting, and the perfect flying machine could only be won in the
same way.
The State flying machine factory was, therefore, given another
opportunity, and the second flying machine was made. On its first test
it failed to rise, so the public objected to the mad enterprise and
refused to support the experiments in unprofitable labor. The factory
was closed, and the workers put at employment that "showed results."
I mention this incident of the flying machine, as the same opposition
was met in other branches of science.
Thus the spirit of invention was suppressed. There was no anxiety to
achieve, no desire for individual excellence. With invention ceasing the
Age of Brain went out--that Age of Brain that brilliant period in the
world's history which only covered one hundred years, yet saw the rise
and development of the most brilliant scientists the world had ever
seen!
Great brains rose in one brief space of a century, and gave the world
railways, steam navigation, electric telegraphs, the telephone, gas and
electric lighting, photography, the phonograph, the X-Ray, spectrum
analysis, anaesthetics, antiseptics, radium, the cinematograph, the
automobile, wireless telegraphy, and the aeroplane; all perfectly new
departures from anything previously devised!
That wonderful Age of Brain passed out, giving place to the Age of
Brawn!
It was the sunset of ambition, and the remarkable events that followed
are all so recent that to give details seems like telling news of
general knowledge.