The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-08-04
SHIyERING IN THE SHADE.
The Acton Cottagers Have a Day of I'm
comfortably Cool Atmosphere.
on Next Sunday-PrOf. John Clark Rid
paths Lecture Yesterday

Yesterday. in an atmospheric way, was de-
lightful day at Acton Park. The early hours of
the morning before sunrise were uncomfortably
cool for most of the cottagers who were unpro-
vided with autumnal bed clothing. AS four
yearold expressed himself to a Journal reporter,
SIT was so told it almost freezed my legs toged-
der" The woodpeckers, at an early hour. few
out from the dark places of the woods, Haunting
their colors-red, white and black, like German
hags-in the breeze to meet the warming sun.
The ladies, maids and matrons with raised
shoulders Struggled in all sorts of wraps, and
men shivering in seersuckers, came out to meet
the luminary of the day. From their devotion,
turning their Dyes to the east, it might easily
have been inferred that the camp had unani-
mously gone over to the sun-worshipers.
Shortly before noon farmer bursting through
a corn-feld, gasping and breathless, addressed
the gate-keeper. In each hand he held half a
dozen dnttering yellow legged chickens care
the preachers all gomez" vas his anxious inquiry.
He was told that there was still quite number
in the camp. and entered the gate joyfully.
A great many rush down to the station when
ever a train comes in. These are chiefly the
younger jewellers in the camp. There were two
sweet girls at the station es the train came up
from the east yesterday afternoon. Il hope
Mamie has brought my chewing gum" said one
II hope Cholly will bring some taffy" lisped the
other.
The hotel walters are young colored men from
indianapolis. and very efficient. The head
wal ter is high school graduate Yesterday,
addressing one of his subordinates and waving
his hand over al abandoned table, he remarked.
Remove the debris" The underwater stood
with mouth wide open and immovable until the
order was put into dining-room vernacular
Take away the dirty dishes, said the head
waiter, and the command was obeyed.
Late yesterday afternoon the anxiety in re
gard to the attendance of Sam Jones. of Geor-
ga, at next Sundays exercises, had become in
tensely narrowing and DR.. /. III. Mcconnell was
commissioned to go for Mr.. Jones' find him and
bring him into camp by fair means if possible,
but bring him in without fail. In the evening
whether through DR.. McConnells efforts or not,
is not stated, positive assurance was received
from Mr.. Jones that he and Mr.. Small would
bot be at Acton Park on next Sunday
At 2 o'clock in the afternoon Prof John Clarke
Ridpath, LII. D.. lectured, his subject being,
.'fhe Secret of Physical Progress" He said:
1.-THE most striking fact in modern civilization
is progress 1t is this which distinguishes the
world which now Is from the world that once
was. 1t appears TO me that the leading element
in progress is the mastery of force 1t was. the
popularity of antiquity that the forces of the
human mind stood in awe of physical nature.
Man was afraid of his environment. The laws Of
nature held him fast and made him slave. If
we scrutiniZe carefully the man Of antiquity we
shall find his mind to have been marked by two
characteristics. First, stupendous ideality
second, profonnd ignorance of the external
world. 1t is in the light of these two qualities
that the man of antiquity must be analysed and
considered. He had enormous idealitv. He
was thinker. He could excogitate he unused
and dreamed and the work of his hand bore in
every part the traces of his ideal constitution.
The great works of antiquity are marked every
where by ideality. But while the ancient man was
a great thinker perhaps greater thinker than
the man of to-day, he was nevertheless, pro-
foundly ignorant of the laws and processes Of ma
ture He looked upon nature as an enemy. He
shrunk from the fantest manifestations of ma
lures energies and fed from her sublimer as
poets. The idea of making nature his confed
crate and friend never entered his mind.
AS a result. the ancient civilization had nothing
Of the unitarian aspect 1t was lacking in prac-
ticality We look in vain for even the shadowy
outlines OF the great machinery of progress. The
great temple of antiquity was founded and
reared in idealitv, and utility was no part of the
dream of the ancient Greek.
In the modern world all this is exactly re-
versed. Here practically is everything and
ideality little or nothing The era began
with Francis Bacon and the inductive phil
osophy. In this, mans face was for the first
time turned in friendly manner to the natural
became mans engrossing pursuit He turned
aside from the iDane speculation of the ancient
world. He began to make nature his confeder-
ate. He discovered that the laws of the natural
world were. not ordained for his an,
noyance and destruction, but that they
were intended to become in his hands
the elements of power and greatness. The
promise which had been made to the first man,
that he should rule the world, began TO be full
filled. The whole history of modern times is
ami in YGaS Of FORE .T1cf
portion as man has dominated the forces of ma
ture and made them subservient to his will, just
in that degree has the of progress rolled on
to its destination. On the other hand, Just in
proportion to the supremacy which the natural
world has maintained the human mind
just in that degree has man remained barba-
rian.
Henceforth everything in the progress of the
new era is to be accomplished by the mas. err of
the forces of nature In private life and in pub
lie life, in peace and in war, on land and sea, in
earth aud air, and oceans cavernous depths, and
afar through the nebulB of the skies, every
where, force has become the minister of mind
This Is the basis of the new philosophy the
secret of the new civilization.
Great and wonderful are the illustrations of
mans mastery over the forces Of nature Mark
the victory which modern civilization has
achieved in her onward march and conquest If
the sunken lodges of He'll Gate culver, and quake
and part, to make room for safer commerce, it
is accomplished by mans dominion over the
forces of nature. Yonder. in the throat of the
Golden Gate. lies the tremendous obstruction
known as Blossom Rock. The engineer, Won
Schmidt, looks upon the monster az sunk in the
pathway of ships. He says: ST will destroy
him. So he gets upon the back of the giant
rock. Downward he drills his way, and outv ard
into chambers, Twentyone tons of giant
powder are placed in the caverns, and with the
wire of little magnetic battery, dropped into
the powder. he goes ashore, and says in his
German accent, Il bees retty." And the people
of San Francisco come out that Saturday after
noon, and sit down on the shore of the Pacific
Won Schmidt puts his finger on the wire of the
little battery, and, chug ke-thud. comes such an
explosion as made old ocean quake for leagues.
Blossom Rock had become thing of history
Soundings were made. and henceforth forever
the beautiful ships will sail through the Golden
Gate with thirty five feet of placid water be-
meath their keels. Mama dominion over the