The first human invention which is obviously final

[strepetaa]

Обожаю глупости в старинных книжках. Вот недавнее приобретение... Речь об электрическом телеграфе:

This use of electricity possesses for us an interest especial and unique. It is the first human invention which is obviously final. In the race of improvement, steam may give place to some yet mightier power; gas may be superseded by some better method of lighting. No agency for conveying intelligence can ever excel that which is instantaneous. Here, for the first time, the human mind has reached the utmost limit of its progress.

The 19th Century: A History, by Robert Mackenzie, 1880

А стиль каков, стиль... Девятнадцатый век как в капле воды.