Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-01-06
THE NEW YEAR.
Sc. Louis Globe-Democrat.

II do the same. National literature will
DO but little. The epoch of 8 literature
CT the world is at hand, and every one
ought to labor to hasten it." To day that
literature OF the world exists, and the
writings of Goethe stand we'll among the
foremost of our common human posses
Sens. We are as proud OF Goethe as the
Germans are proud Of Shakespeare. In
any part OF the world you will find on 8
Students table, side by side, Plato, Schil-
,ler, Locke, Emerson, T&sso, Tolstoi,
Pascal, Milton, Homer, Cervantes. Men
of all. nations, ancient and modern,
come together in our Libraries
as brothers in the great frster-
nifty of man. Boundary lines pass
for little in these days. Thoughts need
no passports. National prejudice is
yielding to an appreciation of a single hu-
mainly. Genius recognizes that it speaks
80 longer for tribe, or nation, but for
ali the world. What sharper contrast
can there be than that between Homer
singing hexameters to a village crowd in
Tnessaiy and Homer annotsted by Glad
stone snd published in languages spoken
by 400, 100000 Of people.
Look farther at the tendency toward g
system Of universal law, q common code
OF international comfy. When any peo-
pl4 fails to become an integral part OF the
commercial compact of nativity, 1t per-
ishts. LAWS that render one nation
prosperous 1t the expense OF another do
not satisfy the moral sentiment Of this
generation.
1t is no longer possible to fad an ex-
cuse, even in "decrees" and 'Provi-
dence," for the enforcement of bondage
on any race or sect. The idea CT human
equality has been called in scorn ga gilt
tering generality" a golden generaliz:-
ton il is; and truth that moves on to
fdlfllment. Spain was the LAST OF civil
lied nations to confess slavery to be no
longer a tolerable institution. Oar little
globe is the common property OF single
family.
There is also growing community Of
CUSTOMS tendency toward common
coins, weights, measures and other sp-
pliances of progress. Japan and China
take up the westward roll Of ideas; and
while we admire their Elasticity in
adopting our institutions and methods,
10, they have gone further, and
worked out holder problems thsu we had
dared to conceive. Progress sccalerates
its rate of speed each yesr. Whatever is
good in one land soon becomes common
endowment. The invention Of G common
language has long seemed desirable; but
heretofore attempts in that direction
failed absolutely. But an obscure Swiss
priest, working in retirement, has sud-
denly given Us in Volapuk st least an
available commercial language for the
whole globe. Five years from row il
will be e disgrace not to understand this
language Of humanity. It will crowd into
our colleges, elboWing cut Greek and
German: snd doing Whist the classics
never did-unite the people in common
interchange Of ideas Language is not
only the vehicle Of thought but the mould
Of thought. 1t shapes thought. We shall
think much as we speak. II We speak
English we remain English. II we speak
German we do not become identical il
sympathy with Americans. We must
talk together to feel together. A COM
mon language for civilization is desider-
alum of supreme importance. The old
Egyptian language had no pliability that
enabled the nation to breed grest philoso
pliers, crest poets and great orators; it
could only have priests. Greece had, on
the other hand, remarkably flexible
language; the result was Homer, Plato,
Demosthenes. The future of human pro-
gress will open along the line Of more
cosmopolitan and richer human speech.
Language Wss the first of arts; it Is also
the last and greatest. By means OF words
man became man; by richer vocabularies
he became enlightened; by still broader
speech will he become Intellectually
greater.
Another feature Of our years is the
fealty shown toihumanitY IS greater than
nationality. Old legends that were the
Cry 5tallizirg points about which nation
~ SIN took shape, have become fireside
Wales for our amusement. The Yankee
takes more pleasure n the Suez canal
than in Plymouth Rock; the Switzer
cares more for the tunnels beneath tue
Alps that bring MIN tourists and trace
than he does for William Tell; and the
ScotchmaD, at last, cares less for John
KrCXend Calpinism than be does for s
telegrapheto Bombay. We began with
the tEisEl feeling some 5000 years ago,
hsrray Strong enough 10 master the tanl-
lily instinct. Tribes gravitated into na
ton, and now nations eravitste together
into humanity. Patriotism was 8 geo.
graphics! virtue; philanthropy is power
Of sympathy that leaps rivers and sur
mounts mountains.
Prejudice means pre-judgment. 1t is
/. curious product OF the human mind.
The Jew called all others Gsntiles. All
others retorted by concentrating 81! bit
terness in the word Jew. The Chinese
called us outside bsrbarisrs; We detested
hem in return as outlandish lsggards.
We Gespised MeXicsns because we were
strongest; and eDslaved Africans because
wet were nbla to do it. But mark the
ehsr ge. The Chinsmap strives to become
q member of the international brother
b ,od. We have interlinked our interests
with Mexico by means OF railroads
and telegraphs, until 8 mutual re-
soect has even reached cordial emity
aud friendship. We are recognizing ST
last the civil rights of red men, and the
social rights of the black. It is q very
Pleas ant sight 10 see the "heashen" and
isoutside barbarians" all over the world
dofing hats and turbans to each other;
and instead CT building Chinese walls
railroads.
But to those who recognize the value OF
our religious and moral faculties the
rapid growth of a religion OF humanity is
still more interesting. 1t is the delight
Of 8 very small minority to discuss the
possibility Of any one outside OF
Dur faith being saved. A few years
,go this was hardly considered as allow
,bIe. Then the Vedas of India and the
doctrines of Buddha were unknown in
our popular university courses. Mo.
manned was still the ''Felse Prophet"
Except our own sacred books no others
Gould be held to be anything but profane.