There is an old Chinese proverb which states "Man who say it cannot be done
should not interrupt man doing it." Throughout history, there have been
examples of inventions and ideas that some people said "couldn't be done"
so the they resisted them. Consider the following:
1. The first successful cast-iron plow, invented in the United States in 1797, was rejected by New Jersey farmers under the theory that cast iron poisoned the land and stimulated the growth of weeds.
2. An eloquent authority in the United States declared that the
introduction of the railroad would require the building of many insane
asylums, since people would be driven mad with terror at the sight of
locomotives rushing across the country.
3. In Germany it was proven by "experts" that if trains went at the frightful speed of 15 miles an hour, blood would spurt from the travelers'
noses and passengers would suffocate when going through tunnels.
4. Commodore Vanderbilt dismissed Westinghouse and his new air brakes for trains, stating, "I have no time to waste on fools."
5. Joshua Coppersmith was arrested in Boston for trying to sell stock in the telephone. "All well-informed people know that it is impossible to
transmit the human voice over a wire."
6. The editor of the "Springfield Republican" refused an invitation to ride in an early automobile, claiming that it was incompatible with the dignity of his position.
Two thousand years ago in Jerusalem, people were saying that a man who would die to take away the sins of the world "couldn't be done". Despite
the pessimistic nature of His world, Jesus Christ "for the joy set before
Him endured the cross, scorning it's shame, and is now seated at the right
hand of the throne of God" (Hebrews 12:2). Today let us view our world
through eyes of optimism.
