The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1888-09-08
a MISTAKEN NOTION.
The Obligation due From the Ninctccuth
Century To the Eighteenth.

read, under one form or another Oi CN-
preston, a great deal OF Indulgence in
mutual congratulation as 10 this niuc-
tecnth century OF ours, and all Of its
accomplishments. It's tremendous intel
lcctual force, its wonderful achieve
meuts, while we speak and think OF 10
rs though the nineteenth century wcro
something that has suddenly wheeled
out OF space, unrelated 20 any thing
that had gone before, wheeled out as
the new burning star In the northern
crown did, as something integral with
out any debt 10 The past. But iu rCali-
ty the nineteenth century has no such
separate and individual existence; IL Is
the last length Of the growing stem.
and if the life and juice OF the stem
have run into it more freely, So that il
blossoms more generously, 1t is the
other lengths nearer the root that have
conducted 20 il that life and juice; and
thus much that has como 20 perfection
In the nineteenth century is indeed but
the completed force OF the eighteenth.
and oven Of others that have preceded
that. Had not Franklin, a hundred
years or so earlier. sent his kite into tho
air, would Morse havc sent speech in
vicwlcss fire through the air, would Bell
have carried whisper after il around
the earth, and the various electricians
have kindlcd their electric lights re-
fulgcnt at midnight as the moons Of the
tropics? If Watts had not watched his
tea-kcttlo lid trcmblo and dance and
lift with the steam bcucath il, would
the prodigious motive powers that
movc the commerce OF the world have
ever been brought into being? Every
thing in life Is the result of something
that has gone before it. We hayc no
actual right toattributc any great doing
20 ourselves; We arc like the sons OF
rich men whose money has been mado
for them, deserving or undc-crying,
and who are only required 10 let il lie
at interest In order 10 receive income;
We arc simply the heirs of "all ages iu
the foremost files of time
il Is not 50 ilattcring 10 our vanity 10
acknowledge our debt 10 those that
have preceded ue. those for whom pos
sibly We entertain some indifferent dis
duin, a., like Mr.. Bouudrrby, 10 imagine
and proclaim ourselves sclf-madc. But
il is interesting, now and then, 20 get
II glimpse Of the truth. and 20 under
stand, not only "a "A truism as respects
the passage Of timc, but as fact re-
spccting the work, discovery and gen
cral greatness Of this era, that thero
never would have been any nineteenth
century if also there had not already
been an eighteenth - llibcrnianism
though the statement may be. Great
thoughts have their fruits i'm great
deeds; the eighteenth century was full
OF great thoughts that have come 10
fruit in the nineteenth.
In all this We have our reckoning 20
cast up. We fancy that the cmancipa-
tion from much that is -ordid or be-
littling, if not degrading, is duo
solely to the influences Of to-day; rather
is it due, we shall find, 10 tho action
OF to-day; tho influences were started
long ago. The man who walks the
street to-day, educated, comfortable,
and at large liberty In the matter OF
property, labor and movement, would
never have been 50 if the germ Of the
idea had not stirred far back in tho
dark, and undergoing all the con-
ditiOus Of growth, aud not to-day come
into the open light II IN her heart
the woman Of tho eighteenth century
had not rcbclled against ignorance,
against the withholding Of her prop
erty from her, against being held
under compulsion rs "A piece Of prop
crty herself, against many OF the in
justices and inequalities 20 which very
largely through want Of observation
and thought, she was then subjected,
tne woman Of the nineteenth century
would still be where her predecessor
was when the first idea Of discomfort
demonstrated within hcr-that discOu-
tent that grew 10 open rebellion, aud
received its reward long after -hc who
first held il was dust and ashes
We arc all Of u7 greatly I'm tho habit
Of looking down from our scorufu.
height Of to-day upon the past 20, some-
thing buried iu mi-t- Of ignorance, and
slOthiul with want Of effort. II might
better become MS % think OF what the
past has done for us. step by stop. and
day after day Till all that 10 had not wo
have ia full measure. Tho same habit
leads u- 20 dc-pise even our own past
as individuals, a. n never tin now had
wc attained wisdom. forgetting all
about the fact that the Gc-pi-iug indi-
vidual has no more claim upon the de-
sirablc future than it has upon this
valued present or the di-daiusd past
We are not Of those who 600 thcir
scorn. or affected scOru, ~ tho present
usually only "a dissatisfaction with
with The duties brought 90 them by tho
present make "a fetch 81 tho past and
fall down a1d worship b. But 10 seems
% Us that the present will Doe only tho
uOblcr for regarding The claims % re-
spcct belonging % the past. viii be- the
less iuluriou-Iy pIGed up iu it- own
cOnccit-alway- "a hinduuro ike any
other form Of pIHiucs.-aud win be tho
filter % help that future t0 which iu it-
turn 10 g. ~ soon itself ~ play tue part
Of the past -HyrDlrE B1.lr.
Can you give me "a little brcax-
fast, ma'am?" pleaded tho tramp. I'm
huUr,rv auI cold I -Isrf orf-T,....