Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1893-01-05

wars; byzantine empire, Saracenlc noSG,
crusaders of the first, the second, third
and the Observation-Disclosures of men; Dark Ages
in somber epaulets and brighter ages
with shields of silver and helmets Of gold;
Italy, Spain, France, Russia, Germany,
England and America, past and present
dynasties feudal domains, despotisms,
monarcheS, republics, ages on ages, ages
on ages passing today in chronological
review, until one has no more power to
look upon the advancing columns now
brilliant, now squalid, now garlanded with
peace, now crimson with slaughter, now
horrid with ghastliness, now radiant with
love and joy.
THE WORLD GETTING BETTER.
This chronological study affords among
many practical thoughts especially two
the one encouraging to the lust degree and
the other startling. The encouraging
thought is that the main drift of the cen
turies has been toward hetterment, with
only here and there stout reversal. Gre
clan civilization was vast improvement
on Egyptian civilization, and Roman civil
lization vast improvement on Grecian civ
ilization, and Christian civilization is Il
vast improvement OF Roman civilization.
What WAS the boosted age of Pericles com
pared with the age of Longfellow and Ten
nyson? What was Queen Elizabeth us a
specimen of moral womanhood compared
with Queen Victoria? What were the cruel
warriors of olden times compared with the
most distinguished warriors of the last half
century, all OF them as much distinguished
for kindness and good morals as for PROV
ess-the two military leaders of our civil
war on northern and southern side COM
municant members of Christian churches
and their home life as pure ~ their public
life?
Nothing impresses ME in this chronology
ical review more than the fact that the
regiments of years are better and better
regiments us the troops move on. | thank
God that you and were not born any soon
er than we were born. How could we have
endured the disaster of being born in the
Eighteenth or Seventeenth or Sixteenth
century, Glad am | that we are in the
regiment now passing the reviewing stand
and that our children will pass the stand
in still better regiment. God did not
build this world for II slaughter house or a
den of infamy.
A good deal of cleaning house will be nee
essary before this world becomes us clean
and sweet as it ought to be- but the brooms
and the scrubbing brushes, and the uphol-
sterers and plumbers are already busy, and
when the world gets fixed up as it will be
if Adam and Eve ever visit it, us expect
they will, they will say to each other, We'll
this beats paradise when we lived there
and the pears and the plums are better thar
! we plucked from the first trees, and tho
wardrobes are more complete, and the eli
mate is better" Since settled in my owl
mind the fact that God was stronger thai
the devil have never lost faith in the EN-
paradisation of the planet. With the excep
tion of retrogression in the Dark Age
the movement of the world has been ol
/! and on, and up and up, and l have two ju
bilant hosannas-one for the closing yea
and the other for the new year.
NOW is YOUR ONLY CERTAIN TINE.
! But the other thought coming out of thi
subject is that Biblical chronology, and in
deed all chronology, is urging the world t.
more punctuality and immediateness
What an unsatisfactory and indefnit
thing it must have been for two busines
men in the time of Ahaz to make an ar
pointment, saying I'VE will settle tha
business matter tomorrow when tn
shadow on the dial of Ahaz reaches tn
tenth step from the top" or, II will NEE
you in the street called Straight in Dana:
Gus in the time of the new moon" or whe
, asked in a courtroom what time an occul
renee took place should answer, ut wa
! during the time Of the latter rain," or, -
was at the time of the third growing of tn
| hasn u..s1 ~