The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1893-10-19
ERA or TRANSITION.
SIGNS THAT SIGNIFY THE APPROACH
OF A NEW SOCIAL ORDER.

OF A NEW SOCIAL ORDER.
Rev. Thomas Dixon, Jr., Continues His Sc
ries Of Sermons on the Coming Revolu-
tion--Marvelous Progress of the Nine
teenth Century and It's Consequences.
NEW York, Oct. 15.-Rev. Thomas
Dixon, Jr., continued the series of SER
mons on the coming revolution at Asso-
citation hall this morning. The subject
of today's sermon was the period of
transition OF the characteristics Of the
times which signify the approach of
new social order. He discussed as such
signs the rapidity of material progress
in tho elimination of time and space, the
marvellous development of mechanical
forces, the discoveries Of science as we'll
as the growth of cities, the intensifca-
ton Of life, and the rise of the common
people to political power, and the uni
vergality of education. He declares these
to be the elements which constitute the
basis of necessity Of O new social regime.
The text was chosen from Matthew xvi,
3. "Ye know how to discern the face Of
the heaven, but ye cannot discern the
signs of the times"
History seems naturally to divide it
self into periods. These periods of his
tory have characteristics which distin-
guish them from the centuries which
precede and the centuries which fol-
low the era of the crusades as clearly
and distinctly marked in medieval his
tory. The period Of the French revolu-
ton in like manner has its special char
acteristics and is clearly defined in the
history of the world. So in ancient
times there were centuries of develop
ment which are distinctly marked.
There are, upon the other hand, the cri-
ses of transition between the great his
toric centuries Of development. These
periods of transition are the seedtime,
while the great centuries of revolution
and construction are the harvest times
in history.
A PERIOD or PREPARATION.
The nineteenth century is peculiarly q
century Of transition. 1t is q period of
preparation. 1t has been one Of ire
mendous development, and yet it is the
development Of promise rather than
the fulfllment of that which has gone
before. The most marvellous develop
ment of the nineteenth century is the
prophecy it gives of the twentieth. With
all our wonderful achievements there is
nothing so wonderful as the universal
hope inspired in the human breast that
we will do something better in the near
future.
The import Of action in period Of
transition is of inestimable Importance
What is impressed upon the character ol
this age will constitute the elements oi
strength or of weakness in the new
century that is to be born. That which
is now shaping the forces that shall
dominate the life of the twentieth cen
tury must partake OF permanence, In
many respects it will be decisive.
There are certain elements in our cur
rent life which reveal to us the fact thai
the century before us must be constituted
| in its social, economic and political life
upon new basis. This must be So
First--Because of the rapidity Of ma
terial progress during the past genera
ton and the speed of that progress il
this generation. The elimination O.
time and space has been one of the mos
remarkable developments of our perioC
of invention, and the period of tn,
worlds invention is the latter part O
the nineteenth century.
| In the eighteenth century the worlt
was divided into isolated continents an(
isolated nations. There was little inter
course, and what there was came through
the slow travel by sail on water ant
l stagecoach ON land. The facilities fo
gathering news and distributing the his
tory of different nations among one an
other were of the most meager kind.
All this has been changed in the latte
part of the nineteenth century. Th
world has literally been made a grea
whispering gallery, and every natioi
gives its quota to the days story. Their
is no longer isolation of any sort. Eng
land and America are today in close
contact than was Massachusetts ant
New York in the eighteenth century. /
is possible for q man to leave Americ'
L III Ouo WO6h anu v lSlb Iuo uctbu ClNulLd
tions of the east in the next. 1t is posi-
BILE for a man at his breakfast table t.
know all the important events that hap
pened the day before in every nation O
the world. We cross the ocean in les
than six days. We go round the worl,
in two months, and we come in contae
with the current of the life of all people
and all nations.
OUR CIVILIZATION A SYMPOSIUM.
Our civilization is symposium. tn
very delicacies of our table are the prod
uct of the whole earth. What we eat
what we wear, what we place in ou
homes, are the product joint of the Of
fort Of the world.
The problem OF time and space ha
within few years been practically an
initiated. The use of steam and eleC
tricity has brought the world thus Il
Hose contact. But the speed with whicl
we are making progress even in annihi
lating time and space is 80 great that i
Is possible within the next generation
that the rate Of travel will be increase,
from four to FIVE fold at least. 1t ma,
be possible for the children of the mex
4 generation to have their suburban home
500 miles from the place Of their dali
business. Such an achievement woul
mean the development OF the city unit
1t shall literally cover the whole earth.