The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1888-09-06
LECTURE ON HISTORY.
Delivered by A. E. Price at the Re.
cent Meeting Of the Hook.
ing County Teachers
Institute.

81 During tho Institute of our coun
d ty, the work in history started witt
the three general divisions. Ancien
q Mediaeval and Modern. Ancien
history euds with the downfall o
Rome, when We find all Euror,
1 without any form of government
One Roman province after another
bad broken off ITS allegiance t.
, the Empire, and was now suscep!i-
! BILE to any organizing influence that
world enter the ruins of tie fallen
government Christianity finds a
ready foothold among the people
who have become tired of their
heathsD gods, and who we're rest-
less, chaotic and confused.
The church, the powerful, con-
trallzing organ of the christians,
becomes the government and the
State. 1t relgns supreme during
the Middle Ages. and though it
was not difficult for the Church to
get control Of the State, it took cen
turies 60 get the '-divine right Of
Kings'' routed out Of the peoples
belief. They, looking at fallen
Rome. saw her prostrated because
of her luxurious living aud moral
d;<soluteness Of every kind, and to
avoid this calamity in the future,
labstnined because the ruling mo-
tive and extreme poverty of the no
bles; of virtues. Individuality of
man was crushed from out him for
awhile and all progress was obstruct
ed and barred. But the kind OF
government that was Instituted was
q blessing 10 mankind, for it brought
harmony out OF chaos and soothed
and calmned the restless anarchic
spirit of the people. Besides this.
tho church in its coavents and
schools. preserved all the Grecian
and Latin literature. philosophy
and learning. and m .de it possible
for revival of learning" or for
the time known as the Pagan kea-
naisance.
1t had within it's own b,dy. those
elements which should finally bri ng
about the emancipation of the in
tellect ana the separation Of Church
and State. Following the Pagan
Renaissance the Christian Rennais-
ance marks the beginning of the
Reformation which found i's great
est exponent in Martin Luther
Contemporaries Of Luther were Cor
pernicus, who disco vere.l the sun To
be the centre of the solar system,
and that our earth was was Only a
small, insignificant revolving plan
ct in the handiw0rk of the heavens;
and Machaivalli who wrote his great
iiscourses Oh government advo
eating the separation of Church and
State, and who is considered the
founder OF modern politics. The
invention of printing camc at this
time and brings with it the d'ffu-
sion of knowledge which had hilh-
erto been confined 70 the converts
and to the priesthood. Improve
ments N the mariners compass fires
the mind tor greater navigation of
the great sea. The earth is proven
to he round by careful measurement
upon 1t, ard by the rising of the
North Star to the zenith as tho pole
is approached. Mon conceived the
sailing around the earth from these
data, think,as to reach the eastern
part. of Asia by u western route
hus the discovery Of America was
not an accident, but Was the result
of the great mental activity Of the
times. IL was period when men, a
m,nds we're continually on tension,
stretching out it seemed to intinity,
making the impossible possible. re
veaIing tho deep hidden secrets Of
nature and of natures God.
Many of these things were in
credulous at first but they forced
their own belief. and prepared the
mind to believe in the possibility If
many imaginary and absurd things
An educational reformer declares he
has discovered q method by which,
u pupil can become the compile Q
master Of any foreign language in
three months. Many 0olieve that.
by some ingenious device man may
prolong his lite forever. A number
of men came 10 Descsrtcs and ask
cd him If such a devics was not pos