The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1876-04-06
ESSAY,
Read Nv victor G. Hill, Of the Clis.ephic se-
eirty st the Aanasi Contest at Highland
Uuiversity, March 3, 1876.
PROGRESS

Progress seems characteristic alike OF nature and
of the human race From the earliest times Of which the
world any records there can be traced lines of prog
ress There was time when the earth without any
life all the surface Of the globe water backness
and silence But there changes rocks began to be
lifted above waters; then grass and herbs grew upon
them then animal life inhabited the waters then higher
forms dwelt upon the land until finally appeared
the highest type of animal life.
But turning the broad field of natures progress
there found most interesting study in the progress of
the human race exhibited in art science, education
and society Among the conspicuous signs of prog
ress the advancement in mechanical inventions The
inventions of the ancients but few and confined
limited number of industries 1t is said that there
but machines of ancient that their origin
could not be traced-the the yoke the pow and the
dista. From these they have increased, till their
be told they the foundation Of every art
and they employed in every department Of human n
dustry And than this, they have come TO be re-
garded important of promoting civilization
This truth recognize by civilized nations in
granting of special rights and privileges to inventors
Another thing in which is observed remarkable prog
ress the ting of the soil and obtaining the fruit
the earth The ancient husba ndman melowed the soil
with crooked stick he gathered his harvest with the
sickle and the grain ground in stone mortar These
primitive instruments of agriculture have given place
steel plow the reaping machine, and the steam
grstmill
than the increased facilities for travel At the begin
ming of history his only mode of locomotion
90 foot, ride upon beast: this improved
upon by the Of wheeled vehicles and these again by
as Carlyle expresses 1.-THE rewnged car hying from
cities to far cities, weaving them together like a mon
strous shuttle" Also. in modes of travel by water,
is observed like progress: the first ships hollow
logs propelled by paddles the ships of "Hirams navy
were about such boats carried on board
otwar passing the shore and the famous
ships of Tarshsh," which brunght gold to Soomons
Temple were not larger than the hfeboats which
hung the bnlwarks of modern steamship. The
anc lent ships sailed only along the coasts and upon in
land the steamer plOws the pathess ocean like
thing of life These improy ed methods Of travel have
been the most beneficial Of all the achievements of
progress for by making communication more easy and
rapid they have brought distant countries into closer
lations made them acquainted with each others
affairs and thus tended dispel superstition and dis
rust thereby preventing aggressiOns and encouraging
comm between different peoples.
The study of medicine scarcely attempted by the
phi yscians of old world Plato said that the best
thing which could happen to men with bad constitutions
die Once-the the better Their only at
tempts disease by prayer and the unsystem
attic application Of few herbs. About the fourteenth
century. physicians began the practice of dissection
which time the average length of human life has in
creased
The ancients the sun, the oon the planets and
the stars they regarded them all alike balls of fire
propee about the earth by invisible hands and gazed
upon them in mute wonder But time advanced, men
grew dissatisfied with this simple explanation OF the a
pearance of the sky Various theories advanced
from time time-each plausible than its prede
cessOr-until the trnth obtained. Now only
explains the Phenomena of the heavenly bodies but fore
tells, with exactness all their notions And his power
the universe only limited by his power
Of vision.
Looking the marks of progress there three things
to be observed First that in every department of mans
smpoyments has progress Second that this
progress has always been by slow degrees and by
sudden impulses And third that is real and permanent
There are some things which, at first, might seem
contradict the first of these observations The
ders of the world called pointed works of art
which, the present age beyond the power of
to produce. But this subject is examined
fully, it is that there better than the
want Of ability why such works not erected now.
Men might dc many things Whieh they do not do 1t is
probable that if the United should devote its
terprise such business it could build pyramid large
that of CheOps adorn its capital with hanging gar
dens, like those Of Babylon The why do not
such works because their energy expended
in another direction. They spanning New York
harbOr with work of art which, say nothing of its
practical utility costly and wonderful in
mechanism than the famed Colossus which is said to have
stood astrde the harbor at Rhodes And the building of
mountain ranges and bridging rivers with works of
iron In regard the lost arts there is to be-
eve that only such have been lost not worth
tanning such have had their places superseded by
others
That progress has always been gradual be de-
MED; yet il almost unaccountable that il should be
1t would natural that when some great iuven-
ton such for example, the art of printing, pro
du ced that the world would its value aud utility, and
seize upon it and make of it at once But such
the it slowly into that its origin
scarcely be traced When the mariners compass
constructed what would be natural than that every
navigator should Immediately want and that taking
such guide he should 60 boldly futh to discover the
unknown parts of the earth Instead of doingg this
sailors almost universally superstious in regard
the compass they thought that captain who guided
his ship by such mysterious contrivance be in
league with evil spirit and they would not trust
themselves under his As consequence, it |
hundreds of years after the discovery of the magnetic
needle, before IT relied upon guide for ships
There is class of persons who claim that progress is
not always real but imaginary being obliged to admit
improvement m things, they say that in other |
things the process has been backward The invention of
gunpowder and the eontrivances taking life
cited things of evil mankind. they will not
bear close examination. The records of ancient
furnish the fact that hundred Thousand of
often slain in day In the late Of the
rebellion the largest did exceed twenty
five thousand and in the still later Franco Prussiawar
where all the Odern shooting machines employed
the largest number lost at any engagement about
eighteen thousand 1t may strange that the Amer
leans, with their Calling Gun, the French with their
Mralleuse and the Germans with their Needle
Gun, could not kill in day than could the
ancient warriors with only their swords and spears but
the remains that the deadly the weapons used
the less bloody the So instead Of producing
evil here is a real progress for good.
But it is the advancing sentiment in favor Of aboshn
capital punishment of granting the right of suffrage
females like social changes which most often
ferred to signs Of retrOgression But in regard
the have only to observe that they settled
customs and moreover they still debateable ques
tons and has the right to refer them posi-
tive evil They may be achievements Of progress
and If they they sil sometime become recognized
such il they not they will follow the of all
false theories of the past-they will lose ground and
finally die The question Of human slavery once occupied
the position in the eyes Of the world that these
questions hold. Such issues constantly before
the world and time alone decides upon their merits
The learning Of antiquity speculative that of the
present age praetica the learned Of old studied
simply to smbeish their minds those the
day study to gain some useful knowledge
But the great difference between past and the pres,
ent il not much the difference between the learnei
men Of the respective the difference in tn