Telegram-herald., 1890-03-24
4 GREAT GRAFTON
The Fr. Nugent Lecture AZ Hart
mans Hall.
The PROGRESS OF CIVILIZATION.
Mastery Comparison Of Anetent Times
with Moaera Lire-The Great Event
of the Woria's History was the
Birth OF Jesus ShrisG

Hartman's Hal contained a magnl =
hcent audience last evening t0weloome
Rev. FF. Nugent in MS incompatible
lecture on The Philosophy OF Ciyihza-
ton" Considering that this vas the
second delivery of the lecture IN this
city, It's success was gratifying. Fully
1900 people sat motionless an hour and
three-quarters under the reverend gen
tleman's elOquence, without a slgn of
fatigue. A few of the points OF the lee
ture are here presented:
think there can be no doubt that
the world enjoys higher degree OF
civilization than az any time during its
past history. What mean by the best
civilization Is that which best answers
the social and political problem. There
IS tradition that happiness is the sole
aim of man IN this world. Some
sailors N storm were once
told by their captain that If they
would pull the vessel safely through,
he would grant them one OF the three
highest requests they might make. The
vessel was saved, aud the sailors were
called up TO announce their wishes.
They unanimously agreed 10 prefer,
first, ali the rum IN the world; second,
all the tobacco IN the world; third, more
rum. Just so there Is fashion OF the
world 70 think the best things 70 have
are education and all the money. But
IN our exaltation of education We should
remember what education will do for
badness as well as for goodness. When
| studied algebra, my teacher told me
that II quantity was added TO one
member OF an equation and like guam
tlty added TO the other member, the
value of the equation would not be
changed. 1t is so in the progress OF
mere education; what mpy be added of
good by progress on one side, may be
added by bad to the other side, and the
result not changed. The world is full
of wealth and education, yet the de-
mand for orphan asylums is not dlmln-
lshed. Criminal courts are rushed with
business, and the courts of record can
not keep up with the demand upon
them. A new iron clad man-of-war will
effect larger results than a peace COM
mission sitting IN Philadelphia. And
yet tnere is real advance.
Our civilization is the greatest of his
tory, because it affects, by its influence,
larger number of men than did any
one of antiquity. A man with an in
come of $40 week is today better off
than Nebuchadnezzar, and a Chicago
alderman is better in his dress than
julius Caesar. Your anssSr 70 the
cause of this difference would be the
4 -F,,1 "a. D.
that is not what constitutes the differ
ence. In former times the common
people were mostly slaves, either mill
tary slaves or agricultural slaves.
ST. Augustine had said that he had
three regrets-First, that he could not
see Christ in the flesh; second, that he
could not have heard st. Paul preach;
and third, that he did not see Rome IN
except the third. Here followed a
magnificent word painting of Rome in
her ancient grandeur, material and in
tellectual; and when he had finished he
suddenly turned and snatched into
quick review the wonders of the nine
teenth century, showing how Cicero,
nor Cato, nor Virgil ever saw a news
paper, a street car, telephone, a spring
- -
old civilization have satisfied our wants
of today Why. as far as the satsfac-
ton of my material wants is concerned,
| would rather be showed in IN the re-
motest town OF Dakota, than to be de-
tanned for a single day in ancient Baby
lon, with her 10O gates.
The ancient civilization excelied in
logic, the art of correct thinking and
reasoning; yet all the thinkers and
fighters and soldiers and orators could
not transmit true and lasting clvlliZa-
ton, that is, the correct relation that
one man bears to another, and of both
TO the Power that produced them. As
soon as an idea is born ,and baptized in
the common consent of the best think
crs. 1t viii lave. believe the present
civilization VIII live, because it Is a true
answer to the problem of the relations
of man and man aud of both 70 their
Maker. The ancient civilization was
Durelv selfish. Never was a permanent
civilization built upon mere intellect.
II intellect can buifl a civilization why
did not the past come down? Why have
we not a New York 2G00 years Old? The
ancient order was selhshness ia the IN
dividual and force in the community.
Under these, It fell. II was motion
without progression. Like the waves
of the sea It's movement was not hOri-
zontai, but vertical, up and down for
ever.
The whole trend Of tho orators
thought was towards the birth Of Jesus
Christ. and wnen he reached tins part
of his lecture, the light Of his elo-
Quence was ike the eastern star. Be
ginning with the birth of the Infant
Jesus, he gave such an exposition Of
Christianity. not as a sentiment or a
philosophy, but ssaliying force, dyna-
mic movement in the world, such as 4
Grand Rapids audience has seldom, If
ever. heard. All that had ever gone
before was human all that came with
Jesus Christ was divine. TINS contrast,
as set forth by Fr Nugcnt. was incom-
parabIy grand, and can not but live
long IN the minds and hearts Of those
who heard It.