Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1869-08-13
THE N1NErEENrH cENruRY.

SSSuf ySt htdc 6OEC Iuuu tWOskutkVs VI
it have passed away, and its closing
years bid fairNto exhibit yet greater phe-
nomena than those which have ap-
peared. There have been but two
centuries at all resembling it in the
rapid development of human thought
and activity. The first was the fourth
century before the Christian era, when
Greece had eliminated in all her lite
rary and architectural splsndor, and
Alexander the Great carried her civiliza-
ton and spread her commerce through
out Western Asia. The second was the
still greater epoch Of the Reformation,
the invention Of printing, the revival OF
letters, the discovery Of America and
the circumnavigation Of The globe. The
fifteenth century of the Christian era
certainly stands out in very brilliant
contrast with its predecessors and its
immediate successors. The world had
refrigerated and begun to stagnats at
the middle of the last century and
even at the beginning of the present
how backward it was in many things.
In the year 1901 the streets, if lighted
at all, were lighted by oil lamps, which
literally made darkness visible. In
Europe there was no organized system
of police, and highway robberies were
of daily occurrence, owe in the middle
of large cities. The postal service was
carried on by stage coaches, which took
fortnight to travel from Washington
to Boston. All travelling was slow and
dangerous. Steamboats, had not com
into general use, and railways were as
yet undreamed Of; and as for telegraphic
Communication, my n who should
have suggested such q thing would have
been deemed q lunatic. Most of the sci
ences, especially chemistry and geology,
were in thef infancy, and literature
had apparently come to a standstill in
that same year, 1901. If We look at the
political horizon, all was gloom, except
in this favored land. Europe, which
was then involved in a great Continental
war, was being drained Of her wealth
to carry on the struggle, while misery,
poverty and ignorance were brutalizing
the mass Of her population. ireland
had just sunk in q last struggle for in.
dependence. France, having beer
gorged with the horrors of q tremsnd-
Gus revolution, had fallen a victim to
ON Imperial despot. Spain and Portu-
gal were in the depths Of superstition
and corruption. Germany was divided
into a number Of petty States, whose
sovereigus were patterns of licentious-
ness, and the country was the theatre
Of war, as vas Italy, which g~roaned
under priestly and Bourbon tyranny.
Russia was under the sway of o mad
man. Turkey scarcely gave signs Of
vitality ; and Sweden and Denmark
were not much better-the latter had
lust lost her feet to Nelson. Holland
aud Belgium formed part Of the do
miuions of the French Republic /; Po-
land lay in the grasp Of Russia, Aus
tria and Prussia. In the East, China,
Japan and Persia remained in a state Of
torpor. Hindostan, wrcsted from
France by England, was undergoing the
process Of annexation. Australia had
Just formed her first settlement, and
New Zealand was unoccupied by Euro
peaus. Africa was but little known (;
the only change in that quarter had
been the transfer of the Cape Of Good
Hope from Holland to England. The
slave trade ragged in all its horrors, and
slavery had become one Of our domes-
tic institutions. The Union comprised
but sixteen States, and the seat OF
Government had just been transferred
to the. District of Columbia, which,
with the city Of Washington, had
sprung into existence. All South
America belonged to Spain or to Por.
tugal.
This was the state Of things sixty
eight years ago. What do We now see?
A Union extending from Atlantic to Pa
ci6c, with City States and Territories,
many of them empires in themselves,
overspread with a network of railways
and great water channels, with flourish
ing cities springing up everywhere, and
a vast commerce. We have had a civil
war and got rid Of slavery ; the slave
trade has been suppressed everywhere,
except, perhaps, in the South Pacific.
Russia has abolished serfdom and adopt
ed parliamentary government. Italy has
q united constitutional monarchy; so
has Austria, Prussia, the German
States, Holland, Belgium and Portugal.
France is becoming a constitutional
monarchy, and England is on the high
road to q Republic. Spain is lowering
between the two, Turkey has Joined the
onward movement so have China and
Japan. Greece is free /; Belgium and
Holland are independent; SO 10 all South
America. It formerly took three years
to 20 around the world 1t now takos
less than three months. Te~legraphs
render communication between the Old
and New Worlds q matter of two or
three minutes. Stage coaches are al
most things of the past /; so are oil
lamps ; gas has almost superseded them,
both indoors and out. Steamboats, ply
on every sea and nayigabls stream.
Newspapers enlighten every district.
Education is general. And as for the
progress that has been made In every
department of science, it would take
volumes to describe it. More enlight.
ened views of religion and philosophy
now prevail ; aud the excluslveness of
class has everywhere been broken down.