Los Angeles herald., 1891-04-17
THE CLOSING DECADE OF THE NINE
TENTH CENTURY.

THE CLoSlNu DECADE OF THE NlNE-
TENTH CENTURY.
1t is really astonishing the number of
American journalists who deem them
selves capable of discussing all phases of
European politics. 1t is probably an
intuitive gift. At least our exchanges
are fairly weighted down with authori-
tative outgivings concerning the coming
war in Europe. Evidently there is not
the same certainty in the cabinets OF
Europe as to the outcome of such a war !;
because, if there had been, it would
have been a fact accomplished long ago.
Some observant person has pointed out
a circumstance, which is confirmed by
the reading of the average student, that
the last years of every century are signal
lied by very remarkable events. Thus,
the end of the fifteenth century was made
memorable by the fall of Constantine
pie and the dynasty of the Paleologi, as
we'll as by the discovery of the art of
printing, and of America. The end OF
the sixteenth century, in the restricted
prism of English constitutional and lit
erary history, was signalized by the
era of Shakespeare and the de-
truction of the Armada. The end
of the seventeenth century was
quite epochal. 1t was accentua-
ted by the disappearance OF the
Stuart regime, the victories of Marlbor-
ough and the advent of the Hanoverian
dynasty in England. There are few
people dull enough not to recall the
closing events of the eighteenth century.
There was, first, the American revolu-
ton, with its immortal Declaration of
independence and, second, the French
revolution, with its Drummond lights
refracted with awful vividness from the
crags of despotism.
OF course, it is absurd 70 suppose that
the march of events shall go backward
in an age characterized by such vital
forces as that in which we live.
In what shape, then, will the potent
forces which have been SO long latent
manifest themselves?
1t is curious circumstance that the
explosive republican forces of Europe
have been repressed for the last forty
years. 1t is scarcely reasonable to
think that they have been extin-
guished because they have not
been ebullient. The probability is
extreme that they have been
gathering, like fre-damp in a mine,
waiting for ignition. They are liable to
explode at any moment. Probably the
first movement will be dynastic wars,
premeditated with view to
postponing the inevitable. There may
be the clash OF arms on the Vistula, the
Rhine and in the Balkans before the
final upheaval shall be recorded. But
that the last decade of the nineteenth
century will be notable for sensational
events of the first magnitude no man
need doubt. The eighteenth century,
with all the accumulated forces of steam
and electricity, and electric thought, is
sure to present closing decade of ex
ceptional interest and of sensational
incidents.
Whatever shape these developments
may take, we may be assured that they
will be in the line OF advancing human
ity. When the eighteenth century
closed its roll of partial emancipation of
mankind, and unspeakable atrocities as
respects human rights, there were one
hundred and thirteen statutes under
which denizen of the kingdoms of
Great Britain and Ireland might be
hung.
Now, even in monarchical England,
man can only be hung for treason and
murder, and the former crime has almost
become an unreality.
If the opening years of the eighteenth
century were signalizedi in such happy
way, what may we not hope for those
of the twentieth century? They will
surely be prismatic with every rainbow
hue of gladness to humanity struggling
in it's excelsior march to better things.
We may not attain-mankind will prob
ably never attain-the ecstatic develop
ment pictured by Tennyson when he
was young and sanguine and kindly,
and alert humanity stirred quickly in
his veins, and when ne wrote
The war drums throbbed no longer, the battle
flags were furled,
In the parliament of man, the federation of the
world,
but we may be assured that, following
upon the clashing of arms in the closing
years of the nineteenth century, there
will be great and glad benefactions to
mankind as result OF the perhaps in
evitable and antecedent travail and tur-