Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1869-04-28
THE pRoGnEss OF MANK1Np.

ii PROGltESS OF
The first of a series of FIVE lectures,
on "The Progress of Mankind" by Sig.
@. Vellimiro, was delivered by that
gentleman, last evening, at Mercantile
Library Hall. The.audience was mod
erately large, and evidently composed
from among our most Intelligent citi-
zeus. he said His undertaking was a
study of causes that had produced the
civil and political progress Of mnnkiudi
the whole world being his subject,
everybody and everything would be
liable to his consideration, and a
straight committal upon all questions
being his motto, no body and no thing
need expect exemption. His main object
was to simplify the real meaning Of past
and present political action, so AS to rem
der it easily Ineligible to all, and by
that means to do his share in smooth
ing the thorny path Of practical life.
But how should he attain such desired
simplicity, but by vigorously question:
ing his own heart and mind as &c oil
actions Of others, and by noting them
down in full. He was aware that the
only reason why philosophical works
were generally distasteful aud unpopu-
lar, was wholly in the merciless process
Of condensation to which they were
subjected before being ushered into tho
literary world, and that was the theory
upon which he built his conclusions.
Whatever was the real origin Of man,
it appeared beyond all doubt that when
he first came to behold the Infinite
beauties of surrounding nature, he
must have experienced %unbounded plea
sure, and, therefore u~nbounded desire
to live, in order to enjoy them. Being
fully endowed with bodily strength,
with burning passions, and with ideas
multiplying far beyond the ratio of tho
external objects that came within his
senses, he must have soon succeeded in
establishing comparisons, then to judge
of qualities, and in natural and rapid
succession to have formed q preference
for the best, or those best adapted to
his taste and welfare. He therefore
concluded that the fundamental motive
of action in mans early life became the
full and unrestrained enjoyment Of his
senses, by everything that was to be
found in nature. Awaiting himself Of
his physical strength and superior cun.
ming ere long he monopolized all that
was best suited to his i%nclinations. The
will Of all other animals bowed unto
his, and DO proclaimed himself the Lord
Of Creation, and became vain, proud
overbsaring. His purpose was, the
further expansion OF the power, thus
by his inherent superiority acquired,
aud, as a matter Of course, whether di-
reetly or indirectly, knowingly or
unknowiugly, his perpetual scheme vas
tho oppression Of tho weaker.
With the course Of time the number
Of human beings upon the earth aug.
msnted-everywhere the strong held
mastery over the weak. Absolute sla-
very became the natural condition Of the
women and children, while the wager OF
battle decided between the presumed
equality Of man and II After a sea-
son Of reckless bloodshed, the victors
found it more TO their advantage to
spare the lives Of their vanquisheh foes,
by reducing them to a state Of the most
abjsct bondage. Thus, compulsory Ia
Dor became the fate Of the defeated, and
the uudisturbed enjoyment Of " the fat
Of the land" the absolute right Of the
couquerors. While this condition Of
things was existing, day after day Ma
ture underwent her regular and harmo.
NOUS changes. The sun shone in all
its majesty and gave light aud heat, and
out OF the idle seeds developed fruit and
flowers. The moon, surrounded BY
countless stars, regularly rose to the
visible sense Of earth's inhabitants.
Spring shook of her gorgeous apparel
only to give place to the inexhaustible
plenty Of summer, to be followed in its
turn by the melancholy beauties Of au
tumu, and by the rigid majesty Of win
ter. Nothing was wanting for the full
comfort of mankind. Yet men, entirely
blinded BY their inherent vanity, never
felt any stimulus to investigate the
causes that produced the beauties by
which they were surrounded never
thought Of any superhuman power MS
the necessary agent to the perform
ance of Natures harmonious revolu-
tons. Nor could they. Being dreaded
by all inferior beings, they naturally
enough believed themselves to be the
greatest Of all and everything. The sun,
the moon, the dews, the fruit and flowers
wero but parts Of their very existence.
Being born amid such circumstances,
they felt, as q matter of course, that
they had as much right to their perpet.
uation as they had to the eyes they SAW
by, and to the hands they grasped with.
They had no though, of any power
beyond their own.
In the course of time, Il foudness for
variety and Incidence produced mer-
chants aud mercantile transactions. A
sack Of wheat was traded for o sack OF
barley a horse for a COW, and a vine
yard for . house. The expansion Of
commerce finally rendered this method
of exchange almost impossible, and
some easy and universally recognized
equivalent became a necessity. Hence
money had its origin. The speaker
spoke Of the first coinage as in the
days Of Abraham, when he paid
Ephram a certain mount OF silver
coins for a certain field ; and Of the
rise and progress Of the arts and sci.
snces down to a comparatively modern
date. The lecture was we'll received
by tho audience, and evinced much
thought and study on the part Of the
orator.-Sdn Frdnoiseo Herald.
Mining shnre Marker. a4ie
The nativity OF the mining Shnre mar.