The University daily. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 18??-????, 1888-06-12

UuISs 8# ~ fHGI pSQ I'D SdfG# WGSGSIu
civilization from a long struggle
and perhaps from following ii The
wake Of the civilizations Of Egypt,
Greece and Rome. The progress d
the best civilization has always
been westward. It moved from
Assyria, Phenicia, and from the
banks of the Nile to Greece and
Rome. thence to Northern and
| Western Europe, centering in Paris
and London. It has crossed the
Atlantic, and unless there are
changes not now apparent, II is
designed to reach it's largest deNel.
| opment and highest perfection upon
| the American continent.
American civilization is the hei1
| of the ages. It draws its forces
| from the whole mighty past. Ap-
propriating and absorbing the bes;
| elements Of Europe, possessing IN
5rivaled physical and indust@al adj
vantages, it should be distinctive in
character, aggressive and vigorous
| enabled to understand and solve the
! problems which thus far have BAT
| fled society and overcome the dan
/ gers that have wrecked all former
civilizations.
/ 4 Already w estern civilization is di-
vided into European and American
civilization, between which there lis
a silent contest going on fof supre-
macy in the affairs Of the world. 4
| Z EUROPEAN CIVILIZATION.
The progress Of civilization in
Europe is hindered by the burdens
of military ornaments, public debts,
interest and taxation, together with
the inability of the people in many
of the States to produce from the
soil what they consumes and the
| want Of popular governments 10,
day, Europe, protesting to be- Chris
tian, is a vast military camp The
tramp Of soldiers lis heard on every
hand. Standing armies on a scale
the world has never seen, occupy
most of the States; armed with The
most approved machinery for hu,
man slaughter, facing each other,
and ready at moments notice TIC
grapple in deadly struggle !; all foI
no higher purpose than to satisfy
! dynastic ambitions. -, 49, +,
| France, Germany. Holland, Italy.
Belgium and Great Britain; furnish
to sheir standing armies 100000
able bodied men, who, instead OF con
tributing 70 the production ofweslth
| cost each on average, annually about
1926 to Supports OF in the aggregate
about Eve hundred million dollars
1,224 900 men, oil about one -eigh.
teenth of the whole adult workers
of France, Germany md England,
are III their armies and taken from
\ Industrial pursuits
! In 1880, the public debts of the
Leading countries Of Europe amount
ed to about twenty thousand million
dollars; the annual interest charge
on which ats per cent. amounts to
six hundred million dollars; much Of
/ which, however, bears interest at A
| per cent. Eight thousand million OF
these debts, or about 40 per cent.
thereof, was created in the fifteen
| years between 1865 and 1880. Eng
land and France, with an aggregate
population only % per cent. greater
than that Of the United States, pay
about four hundred million interest
per annum on their public debts,and
about three hundred and forty mil
lion for the support of their armies
and navies, besides contributing
100000 men to their standing armies.
The States of Europe to-day are
hopelessly mortgaged to the descend
ants of their present creditors. Eng
land does not produce enough from
the soil to feed half her population.
PROSPECT or EUROPEAN CIVILIZATION
| + NOT ENCOURAGING.
With this great drain on these
countries and with these embarlass-
| ments, is there reasonable hope of
European civilization making sub
stantial progress? If European civ
ilization is to prosper, large national
debts must disappear; able bodied
men must be taken from the armies
and restored to industrial pursuits
and the production of wealth; classes
and distinctions in society must pass
away; labor must get larger share
| of what it produces; and, sooner or
later, the people must have popular
government. II, in the march of
progress, European civilization shall
reach this point, it will then, id
many essential things, only be abreast
of American civilization today.
Will all this be done through
peaceful means or through blood?
Will another French Revolution, ais
Carlyle predicted, be the dreadful in
strumentalify employed to accom-
| plish this purpose?
Meantime, American civilization
oon1,nf8 rfoyd cfilI II - 1880 =.