Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1886-02-13
THE AGE OF

1x1EL Az - VT vt.ASx. I
At no time since men have dwplt up-
on tue EARTH have their notions about
the universe undergone so great a.
change as in tho century of which we
are now approaching the end. Never
before has knowledge increased so rap
idly; never bofore has philosophical
speculation been SO actively conduct
ed. or its results SO widely ditfused. 1t
Is a characteristic Of organic evolution
that numerous progressive Tendencies.
for a long time inconspicuous, now and
then unite to bring abo..t u striking
and apparently sudden changes. or Ii
set OF forces. quietly accommodating in
one direction. ut length unlock some
new reservoir Of force. and abruptly
inaugurate d new series Of phenomena.
as when water rises in a tank until ito
overflow lsots whiriinx u system Of
tootaed' whecls. 1t may bo that Nature
Makes 10 leaps, but in this way she
now and then makes very long strides.
1t is in this way that the course Of or
ganic development is marked hcrc and
there by memorable epochs, which
seem to open new chapters in tho his
eVAy "a SAO utt1tC&SCs 4AoIt WIS SUCL AU
epoch when the common ancestor Of
ascidian and amphioxus first showed
rudimentary traces OF q vcrtebrai col
umn. There was SUCH an epoch whom
the air. bladder Of early suaplibians be.
gan Q doduty as aluug. Greatest of
a!l. since Q, och. still hidden from
our KEN. when organic life be4an upon
the surfaco OF tho globe, was the birth
OF that new era when, through Il won-
drous change in the direction OF tho
working of natural selection. Humani-
ty appeared upon the Gene. In tho
career of the human race We can like
wise point to periods in which it has
become apparent that an imneL.se
stride was taken. Such = period marks
the dawning of human history, when
after countess ages Of dcsu.tory tribal
warfare, men succeeded in uniting into
comparatively stable political societies,
and through the medium OF written
language "egan; handing down to pos
terity 'th0 record OF their thoughts aud
deeds. Since that morning :Lwinxht OF
history thure has been 40 era SO strong
~ marked. no change SO swift or 80
~far-reach.nX III tue CONDITIONS of hu-
man lie. Us that wuicn began with tue
great maritime discoveries Of tho ill.,
toenlh century. ANA ~ a%pvroacn!n. its
elimination to-day. | u its carrier
stages this mo.iorn era WAS siSnal .zvd
by sporadic achievements .! tue nuluau
INTELLECT, great III tisc.nsc.vc>, u ivuu-
!ns ~ sucn stupcndous rcsu.ts lis tue
b"..cst dared 40, urcam OF. Sue.
ucnie vclucnls wrro tue l%uvcutiol vi
printing. tuc t".c ~ ami m.cro.c ,pc
lao :, n .lry mD c r.c,, the :.sL. u..-
uiny y -'cw.ou. al P"t'.cs 1T tiut-
cay, III" pAt u.O,. M II NV y.
...n n,'> ". IL. t.us luu Haze y eu-
lar."L "s Mas lnc.n> ol Al.un
We !~ril,c''''; ..c NC Me c,V"u.c ..
cX cA..!n. PAYS ca. luirrrnccs .ru /. the
q 60 20 lnc %..;.vc.e; anu ne made ~,
N.Y., "c,la..nt. nc WI.. tn.L .uIu.u i'.-
-, ".,-. ~" e. Va, -, and b: 80 -
~" ~, Il. safe. IL ": III LITER
~ - ,0i, * "I"il IA. :.we VI tee
n..c. ">cu. i - auc.falc.
~ IS q u h .nv present century
tnat the v,slnc>s III the cl!anlos tnus
beginning 10 Ue wrought mas mc nnc
aei,arcn.. lno >G.Gnt,hC c~u!rvrLucuts
q. .iIr uusn III iN,c..crt 40 . n l.
sporA'ica ~; they io'.ow Que upon ail-
ulurr. .iMe ,uc organ u " anu sN sienna
IL Conquest Ut II rvs,>,.csS amy. kucll
new I'll. cu\ery ueconhC 1t once Il puw-
cru. lmp,emcul III The nallus vi lrnu.
mcrabic workers. aud cacn year WINS
over fresh regions vi III. universe from
thu uuKuuwn 10 the known. Our ow
generation has become SO wvnteu t.
tnls unr.sting marcn vi discovery that
We already takc 1t rs y matter VI
course. Our minds become easily
Leadcnel to It's real import, and the
examples We cite in illustration Of it
have au air Of i%ritencss. We scarcely
need to be reminded that all the udvun-
4. ces made in locomo,ion, from the days
OF NeDuchAdnezz II TO those VI Andrew
Jackson. were rs nothing compared to
the cnange that has Deen wrought
within IL lew years by the introduction
of railroads. In these times, when
Puck has fulfilled his boast and put q
g;rdle about tho earth In forty minutes.
we are not yet, perhaps, in danger Of
forgetting that a century has rot
elapsed since he who caught the kght-
ming upon his kite was laid in the
grave. Yet the lesson Of the facts, as
we'll us OF the grandmother's spinning
wheel that stands by the parlor freside.
is we'll to bear in mind. The change
therein exempliied since Penelope
Piled her distaf is far less than that
which has occurred within the memory
Of living lei the development Of
machinery, which has worked such
woniers. have greatly altered tho po'
iitical conditions Of human society. SO
that a hugo republic like the United
States is now as snug and compact and
ensily manageable as was tho tiny 10.
public Of Switzerland in tho eighteenth
century. The number of mol that car
1.-Two upon a given area OF the earth.
surface has been multiplied manifold,
and while the mass of human life hut
thus increased, its vxiue has beon a
the SAME time enhanced. -JIoam ttsk.
IN .,oVtMHr Atldnl:c.