The Value of an Idea

Every human achievement is the result of some idea-some thought-some dream. And yet no idea has ever been conceived but that a better one has come to take its place.

The progress of the world-the advance of civilization, is the hist6ry of successions of ideas.

Each of the great inventions of the past century-a century of miracles-is the result, not of one man's genius, but was brought about through the efforts and energies of those who followed up an idea with a new and better one.

Sir Charles Wheatstone patented the first telegraph instrument, a crude affair, with however, the underlying principles of operation. But Samuel Morse conceived the idea of transmitting messages over wire by means of an electric current, and he made its first commercial application.

This was followed by the laying of the Atlantic cable, which -was simply the result of another idea, a step aiong in ihe progress of science and invention.

The establishment and final perfection of the telephone was not the work of one man's brain. Each step was brought about by the conception of a new and better idea supplanting and superseding the previous one.

The thought of producing sound by an electric current was created in the mind of Alexander GrIham Bell. His- first idei was the invention of a musical telegraph. For years he studied and worked along this line. And then the idea of conve.ying_sounds, -words, was born in his imaginatlon. It resulted in the first telepho_n-e d._19". But- perfection came only with a sucEession of new ideas conceived by himself and his associates.

Transmitting messages through ether was an idea which brought -the-wireles!, Perfected by Marcoii. It das founded upon theories which the brains of others had conceived.

The idea which created the gas balloon was superseded by the tho lght which resulted in the dirigible, followed by thJinvention of the airplane._ The first principle was worked out more tlan a century agb Uy Cayley, an Englishman. It was improved upgn- by Langley. It was made praciiciUte -by tfre W"igtt Erothers in 1903 and since then it has steadily been improved upon by the creation of new ideas.

As early as 1700, experiments in the development of steam propelled conveyances were made. Thi steam engiire was the idea of James Watt, conceived at the clos6 of the eighteenth century bul founded and fashionld on the ideas of the past. And so down the line.

Every idea has its value-but there.always is a better one.

The idea of devising and building BETTER HOMES for humanity has permeated the mentality of the race siice time began; and is at its best today. Better hornes for man and his family; b'etter housing for his possessions ; more safe, comfortable, sanita:y, attractive, and generally satisfactoiy places of SHELTER, is the BIG IDEA that the lumber merchant of today is working on.

The result is evidenced in every city, town and hamlet of the land. The old time dreary house is fast becoming replaced by the modern, cheery HOME.

Perfection has not yet been reached. There is still plenty of opportunity for the individual dealer to invest and use his ingenuity to better the housing conditions of HIS town.

And it is this general effort that is helping to lift the retail lumber industry out of the rut of simply being a warehouse industry fbr raw material, and investing it with a MENTAL attraction that is demanding the respect of business men everywhere.