Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1891-07-23
ANNAPOLIS MD, THURSDAY EVENING, JULY go, 1891
THIS GOLDEN AGE
IS THE MILLENNIUM AT HAND, AND
We DON'T KNOW TT


Julia Ward Howe in recent address
suggested that we might now be actually
diving in the millennium without know
ing It. That period was, according to
the prophecy, 10 exist for a thousand
years. During that era there was to be
a state of peace. All wars and tumults
would cease, and there would be rapid
advance in religion. In fact the reli-
gious atmosphere would be over all the
world. There was also to be great ma
terial prosperity. The world would
settle down into a condition of content
ment, striving only for mutual advance
ment along the lines Of honorable COM
petition. The millennium was simply to
be a riper period of the world, when
human progress was 20 be greatly ac-
CELEBRATED and every discovery should
make for the benefit Of mankind. That
has been the dream of the ages. Some
where in the future there was TO be a
golden age-one better than the world
had ever known.
Now, as compared with all former
periods, this Is the Golden Age. 1t is
better than any preceding one. There Is
more security for human life, more prog.
ress that benefits humanity. more great
inventions that are creating peaceful
revolutions, more science turned to the
account Of the masses. In short, the up
lift of humanity was never so great as it
is now. But all this has hardly brought
Ia the millennium; OF IL SO, then it Is
quite evident that it has found no uni-
versal recognition. II is possible that
such an era might glide in 80 quickly as
to fail Of general recognition.
II a thousand years ago the condition
The world had been set forth as proph-
ecy just as 1t exists to-day, that condition
would probably have been recognized as
belonging TO a millennial period. There
would have been included the wonderful
advance of knowledge. That was to be a
prime characteristic Of the new era. The
world could be circumnavigated in less
than 80 days. People would cross cont.
nents at the rate Of 80 miles an hour,
feasting and sleeping as they SKINNED
over the earth. They would cross oceans
I'm floating hotels II shted by electricity at
the rate of more than 20 miles an hour.
They would send messages all around the
globe and receive answers In few min
utes. They would talk audibly with each
other from points 1000 miles apart.
They would read In the morning and
evening papers every important event
that had occurred in the last "a hours in
all the world. They would light up
houses, stores, churches, and ships by
that subtle element that was seen blazing
along the sky.
One would have only to touch button
TO illuminate his house or set in motion
the most ponderous machinery. He
would only have TO touch another button
TO call TO his aid the doctor, the police, q
carriage, or q messenger for his service.
He might, in fact, treasure up speech by
another instrument, so that he could
have repeated TO him over and over
again speech or a song which had been
given thousands of miles away. He
might, in fact, hear the words once more
of the dead uttered while they were
living. Instead Of the slow process Of
writing on tablets Of wax or on parch-
ment, he would have only to touch the
keys of little machine, when his
thoughts would appear on a neatly
printed page. Pictures Of himself and
ell his living friends could be made in an
instant catching the very moods and ex-
pressions Of life.
Now, all the gains here noted have
been made within century. No one
would have doubted thousand years
ago that II the sum of them could ever
be realized, that would be the millennial
condition so long foretold. II it had
been brought in suddenly no one, even in
this age. would have questioned that the
tulhllment Of prophecy had been realized.
The transition from an old condition into
one so radically new would have OBJ
tanned universal recognition. 1t lis trite
saying that the world moves. But il
has never moved 30 fast as in the last
half Of the nineteenth century.
Many are ready TO affirm that IL Is nos
possible that there can be any such prog
ress in another century along all the lines
Of discovery and invention as has been
witnessed during the present century.
There Is no tenable ground for such the
ory. The world Is probably now on the
borders Of as important discoveries as
have been recorded IN any Of the modern
ages. There were never before such a
oumber Of scholars, scientific men, and
Others working on lines Of original in
vestigation. Some new fact is added to
the worlds stock Of knowledge almost
every week. There are no visible signs
at arrested development.
TIE transition from an old condition to
one radically new may be 50 gentle and
come with 50 little observation that il
win fail Of universal recognition. Julia
Ward Howe certainly had soms reason
for The suggestion that possibly we may
now Be living IN the millennial period
without recognizing the fact. For the
distinguishing evidence Of that was 70 be
the rapid advancement which the world
was making along all the lines Of human
progress. Il was not 10 be q period OF
nest. but one Of intense activity.
II during the next century the same
ratio Of progress were to be maintained
and the sum Of important discoveries
should be equally as great, the condition
of the world at the close Of another CEN
tury would be greatly in advance Of the
present. Even then, because the transi-
ton would have been 10 gentle, there
might be no general recognition Of a mill
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