The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1883-04-28
NAVIGATION AND FLOODS.

STACKPoLE, on the subject OF Navigation,
Floods and the improvement OF Rivers"
Science may be defined as knowledge,
and true knowledge is not lover of theo-
ries. but rather of truth. Ii looks out up
on the universe and beholdlng its wonders,
and feeling It's throbblng impulses, it seeks
to learn the uses of things. The first ques.
ton of the child is what is this fory" 1t
does not say why was this made so and
So" but desires to know the use,---the de-
sign, and how to apply it.
What 1 shall endeavor to do is, to bring
to your attention, as many of the most prac'
teal, important and far. preaching truths as
our limited time will admit. This is the
foundation on which our labors must rest,
and on which we may hope to build.
Navigation is lnterfOcked with the ply
sizes Of rivers anu of the world and 1t Is al.
so interviewer with the politics OF nations,
and has been from the beginning OF his
tory. Ana now the most remarkable events
of their kind in history have recently
shown us how great and how pressing and
urgent Is the question of floods now, IN our
own country and IN Europe, as 1t has long
been in China from obstruction and engl-
neerlng and common errors, that must be
remedled. 10 do the most needed work AS
to liUods and navigation, we must array
wide ard general Interests, and we must
guard against political foes.
Let US resolve to work for a practical for
ward movement from this very night; for
the conception here of wise and hAed
purpose, for Il true advance along the whole
line,-that advance 10 DC correspondent
with the physics OF our country and the
world, and correspondent also with the
a l.. =
and other countries,
In our onward movement OF course there
will be times when the enemy Will harrass
and annoy Us greatly, and our defense then
must always be the lmpregnablo truth of
our positions
Bat Gu. advance should now be organIz
ed for continuous and rapid movement,
with no long halt UNTIL our work Is done.
Recent great events in the natural and pol
ltICal world admOnlsh Us that greatCrials
has been reached, ahd that new and great
work should now be done. Great as it u.s.
it Is but slight as 10 the work IN other
fields that has been done since 1913 in cur
own country. The Dutch are the fathers
of jeilie construction and when thsy ap
piled them they coulG not do better They
did not have the question OF floods in great
use OF steam and cOrrelative forces and ap.
pliances for rapid aud effective work. The
world has advanced and 1t must continue
to advance. And in no field is an advance
now more needed than in the improvement
of rivers with reference both to navigation
and floods.
Ii we look upward at night and reflect
upon the glory of the starry heavens ana
upon the unthinkable wonders which as
trOn0my dlsCloses, we will realize that the
great globe we iuhablG is but small part
indeed of the great universe OF God. And
If We take map OF the world and examine
1t, we Hili he surprised 10 see over what
small portion OF this world the light OF
civilization has extended. AnQ, i0uki Ing
still further, We vii! fad that what We Gail
the ligh. Oi civilization Is hut a feeble twi.
light, halfway between darkness and light.
Aud looking yet further we are again sur
prised 10 see that after all the EFFORTS of
man by labor, crippled, embarrassed, and
loaded by wars, errors, accidents, debts,
usury, and all manner OF contests, mercen.
airy, political, legal and religious, after
all the efforts of all the ages, at least one.
half OF the productive land OF the globe Is
but savage and turbldding wilderness.
Meantime Europe, by II long course of
human errors, has become almost converted
INTO a vast camp, studded with poriresses,
on which military science has exhausted
its utmost skill. so great and long contIn-
ued has been the dram of men, and the
fostering OF the military spirit instead of
labor, that for long time much OF the
hardest manual labor in some parts OF Eu.
rope has been performed by women. Wo.
men dig bitches, wOmeH carry heavy bur
dcns, women clean streets, women pillow the
fields; and not only pillow the fields, but &c.
tually IN many cases, draw the pillow, as do
our horses.
Such is the deplorable condition of af-
fairs to which great political errors have
led. Yet even this is not the worst.
Minds debased by ruthless disregard OF
human suffering lose the natural instincts
OF humanity and sympathy, and thus are
liable to even sink below the level OF brutes.
Not long since we read of the siege of
Pievna by the Russians, and its heroic de-
Tense by the Turks.
Those line critics Of human slaughter
and sutfering,-thc English war correspon
deuts,--gave US the particulars in great
detail, and much IN the spirit OF gamblers
weighing the chances of a cock fight
OF course the world could moi but admire
shS 1iNht va e'Si1 anu lIIt
military skill shown on both sides.
The suffering and Woe and the endless
vlllanles and crimes OF all wars, are hid
den from view, or they must be disposed
But darker yet than this was the Incredl.
pie atterplece to that fearful tragedy.
A cargo CT the skulls and bones of the
brave soldiers of Russia and Turkey was
brought to England and sold for manure
TO enrich the fields of the island lords who,
from safe distance, had watched the pro
Sress OF the war and commended, or critl.
cised the active participants in the saturn.
ALA OF human carnage
Russians and Turks had fought before
the English lords, as fought the gladiator
OF Rome, aud enslaved captives To amuse
her corrupt pa,rlcians, before ChrjstIan,
ended those brutal sports.
AlmCst.lruItless IN any good object the
dcIuded Russians and Turks in that war
as often With other nations, only weakened
and impoverished each other, to strengthen
England's tory policies and increase her
financial, commercial and maritime power.
And In addition to the woes of war. Russia |
Europe and the world have failed 10 gain |
tI