Page:The Working and Management of an English Railway.djvu/15

 CHAPTER I.

may at first sight appear that the subject of "The construction, working, and management of an English Railway " is one calculated only to enlist the attention of a limited class, namely, of those who are, or may be, directly or indirectly, connected with the working of railways, either in this country or abroad, but a little reflection will probably suffice to show that the theme is one which should appeal to a much larger circle of readers, and,:n fact, to almost every class of the community. If the attention of an individual is drawn to any new law, any fresh discovery or social reform calculated to promote his personal comfort or well-being, his interest is at once aroused; and the circumstance that, in this case, the revolution has been effected and the benefit is actually being reaped should surely not suffice to rob the subject of its interest. The railway, in its present phase of development, enters so intimately into the social life of