Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1877-05-05

"perpetuum mobile" or the squad
nature of the CIRCLE" is only a
question of time; nay, even flying
machines are among the problems
to be solved. In our days, when
the idea of humanity, the principle |
of nationality and the solidarity of |
nations, when the Capitalization of |
political power, the concentration
Of capital, the consolidation of in
dustrial enterprises and the CO.
operation of skilled labor, form a
favorite and inexhaustible source Of
animated discussion. the motto is
forward" What a difference be- |
tween the bright and glorious times
of Pericles and Augustus and the
middle of the nineteenth century !
How astonished would Plato and
Ariototle be, if they could be recalled
to life! Would not the eloquent
Cicero, the divine Virgil and the
ambitious Caesar, in reviewing all
the modern Improvements. ma
chimes and implements, ask with
blank amazement "gaeis h0ec ODJlid
alueiaH ct e.rcogitauu?' There is no
telling how far mankind will be adj
vanced in about 50O-1 900 years.
Perhaps they will then smile or
mock at us, and view us from the
same standpoint and in the same
light as we look now, with mix
ture of pity, scorn and contempt,
upon the ancient Assyrians, Egypt
ians, Greeks and Romans. Many
of our theories will then be consid-
cred antiquated, many dogmas re-
garded as effete, and many systems
looked upon as moss-grown; and
they will throw them overheard as
worm-eaten furniture, crowd them
down into the shadOwy kingdom of
fiction and superstition, or relegate
them to the lumber room. Human
genius is restless, and shrinks back
before no difficulties, no obstacles,
were they as lofty as pyramids or as
high as mount; ms. Nothing can
stem its onward course. As the
condor, that large Peruvian bird,
in its bold flight, scars up to the
giddy and snowy crests of the An
DIES Mountains, 50 man aspires heav-
ward. All the intrigues of misan-
thropists, the terrors and fortunes of
persecution, the stronghOlds of des-
potism and bulWarks of tyranny,
cannot arrest the human mind
DictatOrial DEGREES and imperial
edicts will not prevail against it.
Ignorance and superstition, bigotry
and fanaticism are pOwerless. Even
if all the enemies of mankind would
make an alliance, offensive and de-
fansive, if ali the evil spirits would
form conspiracy, or even the in
fernal powers would enter into
covenant, genius could at most be
restrained temporarily, but not be
muZzled or manacled forever. The
Titans in classical mythology who
piled mountains upon mountains,
Mount Oeta upon Mount Ossa, in
order to storm Olympus, the heav-
emily mansion of the august and
mighty Jupiter, are an appropriate
and beautiful symbol Ofman's world
conquering, Misunderstanding impet-
uosity, We have not the remotest
idea of idealizing and idolizing
mortal man or to incite to self-adu-
latiOn, standardization and self-ad-
grafton, but we simply wish to en-
ter an earnest protest against the
ridiculous theory that, as the Mate
Fialists say, man is not more than
an animal, and against the absurd
assertion that, as the Pantheists say,
nature herself is God. The first is
not possible because man is i'm
mensely superior to animal, and
the second is untenable because
man makes nature subservient to
him.
PROF. l.. LAvALLETTE.