ABSTRACT
In the late 19th century, observers believed that Western technology, especially engineering, was harnessing natural forces for the benefit of man. It was seen as creating a human-built world within a vast natural context. Great Britain, the most human-built of nations, and the United States were rapidly industrializing and urbanizing. Their citizens believed that they were improving upon nature, as canals replaced rivers; tunnels supplemented natural passes; machines substituted for labor; and steam engines replaced animal, water, and wind power. Gaslight was extending the day, improved heating was moderating the effects of climate, and the early telegraph lines were eliminating space. Nevertheless, nature in the 19th century was never more than a horizon away, even in the rapidly industrializing countries. Her great forces still determined abundance or famine, health or disease, comfort or misery.
