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- Herausgeber: WS
- Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
- Sprache: Englisch
A speculative novelette predicting some changes in the world 200 years into the future from the year 1871, written by a noted Dutch scientist, originally published in the Dutch language, the author hiding himself behind the pen name of "Dr. Dioscorides".
The story begins as the narrator settles into his comfortable chair and ponders the predictions made by Roger Bacon, the 13th-century scholar, that actually came true by the 19th century: telescopes, self-propelled vehicles, bridges across spans without intermediate supports, devices to navigate without navigators, ships that can be controlled by a single man at great speeds. As he dozes, he suddenly becomes alert and sees that he is in the year 2071 by the date on a clock tower. A noble old man appears before him, whom he recognizes as Roger Bacon, with a young lady named Miss Phantasia. He learns from them that he is in the city of Londinia, a megalopolis formerly London, England. They give him a tour of Londinia and then they take him on a flight over Europe and onward to New Holland (Australia) by airship, explaining the new technologies and changes in the world.
Some of the predictions: domed air-conditioned cities, megalopolis cities, end of war due to the cost, electro-magnetic device to control direction of airship travel, universal time for electronic transactions around the globe, electric vehicles powered by batteries, submergence of North Holland under the sea, decline of colonization, the age of aluminum, and more.
Edited from the rough OCR www.archives.com version by Stanley Sokolow.
Das E-Book können Sie in Legimi-Apps oder einer beliebigen App lesen, die das folgende Format unterstützen:
Seitenzahl: 100
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015
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Anno Domini 2071
Pieter Harting
Translator's Preface
The late Artemus Ward was in the habit of quoting—either from his own or another man's store of wit—"Never prophesy unless you know for certain." There is, however, a particular mode of foretelling which is neither dangerous nor venturesome; that process, namely, by which inferences are being drawn from analogous things that have come to pass, and applied to the contemplation of future events. The little book here presented in an English translation may serve as an illustration in point. It was originally published in the Dutch language, the author hiding himself behind the nom de plume of Dr. Dioscorides. If success goes for anything—and who is prepared to say what it does not go for—we launch it in its new form with more than sufficient confidence. Even within the narrow geographical limits of the Netherlands it has rapidly passed through three editions, and a German scholar has deemed it not unworthy of a translation in his native tongue.
The present publication is more and at the same time less than a translation; more, because it has been prepared for a different class of readers than it was originally intended for; less, because in some instances, and at one point especially, we thought we had some reason to apply the pruning-knife to obnoxious excrescences, as no doubt they would have proved in a new soil. The foot-notes have either been added with a view to ensure a perfect understanding on the part of the reader, or to secure for the little work as wide a circulation as possible. So far with regard to its form, object, and origin. There are the boundaries of our province.
A. V. W. B.
London 1871.
Chapter1 Roger Bacon
When comparing the present condition of society with that of past centuries the question naturally arises, what will the future be ? Will the same progress which, in our own times especially, has been of such vast dimensions, and manifested itself in so many directions, continue to he 'progressive ? And if so— for who could think of reaction, since the art of printing has guarded against any future of the human mind being ever effaced—where is to be the ultimate goal of the progress of our successors ? Where are we to look for the fruits of those innumerable germs which the present generation is sowing for the benefit of those that will come after them ?
These, and similar other questions, occupied my mind when, seated one afternoon in my comfortable arm-chair, I allowed my thoughts freely to wander amid the manes of those that preceded us. I thought of our own Musschen-broek, Gravesande, Huyghens, and Stevin, and of what would be their surprise were they to reappear on this earth, and gaze upon the marvellous works of modern machinery; I passed in review a Newton and Galileo, with so many others, founders of an edifice which they themselves would not now recognise. I thought of steam engines and electric telegraphs, of railways and steamboats, of mountain tunnels and suspension bridges, of photography and gasworks, of the amazing strides lately made by chemistry, of telescopes and microscopes, of diving bells and aeronautics; aye, and of a hundred other things, which, in motley array, wildly crossed my mind, though all corresponding in this that they loudly proclaimed the vast and enormous difference between the present and the past. The line of demarcation between the one and the other revealed itself still more clearly to me as my thoughts carried me further back into the past and the ghost of Roger Bacon seemed to rise before my imagination. This thirteenth-century child was a scholar who surpassed all his contemporaries in sound judgment and knowledge of natural science; alas ! His fate was the ordinary one in store for all those whose light shone above that of others in those darkest of ages. He was accused of witchcraft, and cast into a dungeon, there doomed to sigh for ten weary years, after which, as the rumour goes, he died in his prison. The memory of that illustrious man called to my mind some passages of his writings, from which it will be seen how he, as if endowed with the seer's gift, did actually foretell, some six hundred years ago, that which since, and chiefly in our own time, has become an array of realities. [1]* For example:
*****
"It is possible," says he, " to construct spying-glasses by which the most distant objects can be drawn near to us, so that we shall be able to read the most minute writing at an almost incredible distance, to see all kinds of diminutive objects, and to make the stars appear wherever we choose."
*****
"We might make waggons that could move along with great velocity, and without being drawn by animals."
*****
"Similar other machines ntight be had, as, for example, bridges without pillars or supports of any kind."
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"There might be contrivances for the purpose of navigation without navigators, so that the greatest vessels would be handled by one single man, and at the same time move onward with greater speed than those with numerous crews."
*****
As I pondered over such remarkable observations as those, I sank into absolute reverie; all surrounding objects seemed gradually to disappear from my sight, until I got into that peculiar condition in which, while everything material about us is at rest and passive, the mind, on the contrary, proves uncommonly active and alert. I felt myself suddenly in the midst of an immense city; where I did not know, but about me I saw a vast square, and in it a stately edifice with a lofty tower, on which I fancied I read the following inscription:
A.D. 2071.
January 1st.
I could scarcely believe my own eyes, and must have approached the tower with looks highly expressive of curiosity and amazement; for an elderly gentleman, accompanied by a young lady, stepped forward to speak to me.
" I see, sir, that you are a stranger in Londinia; if any information could be of service to you "
These kind words caused me to stop; I looked at the man who stood before me, and was at once struck and impressed by his thoughtful and noble features. Nor was I slow in recognising him. He was the very man with whom I had been for some time past engaged in my thoughts.
" You are Roger Bacon," said I.
"To be sure!" was his reply; "at the same time allow me the pleasure of introducing you to this young lady friend of mine, Miss Phantasia."
I happened to be in that frame of mind to which one might apply the Horatian nil mirari. Nothing of what I saw surprised me, not even the appearance in the flesh of a man like Bacon, who had taken his departure from our planet some five hundred years ago. I therefore simply accepted his obliging offer, and began by asking for an explanation of the figures and words on the tower.
" On yonder tower, over the clock-face ? " answered he. " Why, that means simply this, that we have arrived at the first day of the new year 2071."
Chapter2 Aleutic Time
" But what is the time ? I see so many hands and figures on the clock, that I am perfectly bewildered."
" What kind of time is it you want to know ? " asked he in reply ; '' true, mean, or Aleutic Time ? for each of these has its own set of hands and figures."
" I know full well," said I, " what true time is, also what is understood by mean time, but what on earth is meant by aleutic time ?"
" I will soon explain," spoke my obliging guide. "Since the whole globe has been encircled by one large net of telegraph lines, and wire messages [2] *, whether east or westward bound, do the whole round of our planet in a single moment, it has been found necessary to adopt a kind of time that would apply to any spot of the earth; for by some such contrivance alone was it possible to avoid a confusion that would have been fatal in many cases, more especially in those of commercial transactions, when the knowledge of the right time is an object of no mean consideration.
By mutual agreement the several nations therefore selected the largest of the Aleutic islands, by way of a neutral point or centre. When the sun rises on the east coast of that island, then begins the world-day. Nor has the selection of the neutral point been in any way an arbitrary one; for east and west of the meridian which passes over that island are to be found those very latitudes where the confusion of time was formerly at its height; and for this reason, that according to their discovery having been accomplished either from Europe in easterly direction round Africa, or westward round America, one whole day had been lost or gained. Now the consequence of this was, that in the islands of these latitudes the inhabitants of the eastern coasts and those dwelling in the west differed four-and-twenty hours in their calculations of time, owing to the circumstance that they belonged to, or were descended from, the one or the other ancient colony. The adoption of an Aleutic time has put a stop to any such confusion." Having thus endeavoured to satisfy my curiosity, my companion went on to say: " Do come along with us; we shall have plenty of opportunity to show you other matters of interest in the city of Londinia."
'"Londinia ? Is that the same as London ?"
" Not quite ; ancient London formed but a small portion of the present city of Londinia. The latter occupies a considerable part of the south-east of England, and has a population of something like twelve millions."
Chapter3 Distribution-of-Warm-Air Society
As we continued our tour, I chanced to hit upon the trivial remark that we had "very mild weather indeed, considering the time of the year."
" You are mistaken," Bacon said; " on the contrary, it is bitterly cold; only you forget that we are in town. Just feel the heat of the current of air which rises from the sieve-like plate on which you are walking, and you will doubtless agree with me that the Distribution-of-Warm-Air Society is by no means unfaithful to its obligations. Then look above you. Had the distribution been insufficient, we should still see the glass roof over our heads covered with this morning's snow."
I looked up, and saw that the street was vaulted over with glass plates of considerable length and width, joined together by thin bars, with here and there an aperture as the means of ventilation.
"I apprehend, then, that we are in a so-called arcade ?"
" Well, yes; if you mean to apply that name to the greater part of our city. That which in the nineteenth century was only to be found occasionally in the great towns of Europe, has become a regular institution in the twenty-lirst, owing to the manufacture of our inexpensive Verre sans Fin, or 'Endless Glass,' as our people generally call it."
" I have no doubt that this must be a considerable improvement on your town-life throughout winter; but in summer-time I should say this must be intolerably hot."
" Not at all; the same society which undertakes the supply of warm air in winter also provides for us during the summer months a cooling draught. Nothing can be easier than that. You are doubtless aware of ice having been manufactured in the middle of summer for at least a couple of centuries. During the warm season the air is made to pass over the glass vault above us before it reaches the pavement through the sieve-like plate, and if the warm-air inspectors properly attend to their duties, there is scarcely any difference in our temperature throughout the year."
" Then probably you warm your houses by a similar process, and you never use any stoves or fireplaces now ?"
Neither of my companions could help smiling at these words, betraying again, as they did, my very old-fashioned notions. Bacon, however, gave me a kindly nod of assent as he proceeded to explain:
" Just as a cold-water bath may be heated at pleasure by opening the hot-water tap, we can warm the air in our apartments by means of a valve, which when opened, not only affords a supply of warm air, but has the additional advantage of producing a most dehghtful refreshing of the atmosphere without any idea of draught."
" I really cannot understand," Miss Phan-tasia here remarked, " how the people in those barbarous times managed to live amid the smoke and ashes and dust of their horrible fireplaces."
"And then their chimneys on fire," added Bacon; " thank Fate, we have done with that too. Poor insurance offices, they don't pay half the premium now of what they used to do."
