Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1893-07-20

taught men the methods whereby to bring
back life from the very gates OF death, and
whose names are luminous landmarks that
mark the progress of the triumphant march
of the medical science?
Where are the poets who knew nature
and the soul of man, and sang of them in
strains Of which the songs of to-day seem
faint and empty echoes?
Where are the great statesmen who were
Tho pillars of their peoples hope?'
Where are the wondrous orators whose
words, like Englaud's drum boat throbbed
around the world, and whose memories sug-
gest the legend in the Talmud of 1.-The
| Angel lsrafol, whose heart-strings were u
lutte, and who had the sweetest voice of oil
Gods creGturesY'
1t is common tendency of mankind to-
day, notwithstanding tho progress OF the
world along all paths of intellectual effort
to value the old days above the new, as
holding condtio that were better and
drawer and wiser. The old order changes,
but men cling with passionate devotion to
its memory.
Is it true indeed that we have fallen upon
| such evil times that all the worlds great
men are gone?
l think the theory Is an utterly false one !;
and 1t is entirely to the changed conditions
of our age, and not to the absence OF great
intellectS that we owe an idea at once so err
roneous and so pervading.
l take it, gentlemen, that an age which
has witnessed the invention and introduce
ton to common use of the steam car and the
steam ship, the telegraph and the telephone,
the electric forces whereby vast bodies are
moved with the utmost readiness and the
thoughts and actions of men are communi-
Gated instanter around tho world take
1T that such an age cannot be far behind In
intellectual capacity, even 'the spacious
tine Of great Elizabeth" or that remoter
period wien the eloquence of Demos themes
''shook the arsenal and ulmned over
Greece"
How then may account for the absence
OF great regulations as compared with those
of former nges and the prevalent popular
idea that thero is no commanding genius
in the world like those of the great ones
gomez
1t is because the influence of the publ C
press has brought men up to that general
level Of intellectual ability where it il we'll
nigh Impossible for any mans genius to
make splendor in the world because of the
universal light that is beating all around it.
For example, the m IN whose names Illus
trate the worlds history as great orators in
the days before the newspaper press had at =
tanned Its vast circulation and consequent in
iluencs were men who, educated, ambitious
and of great natural gifts, lowered noun
tain high above the average audience to
which they spoke. They ware fuil-handed
sewers who scattered broadcast the seed of
their eloquence and learning oftentines
upon virgin and untitled soil. To-day the
orator sows on faliow fields
The audiences which lis en- to addresses
from modern speakers are, for the most
part, MS superior lin mental equipmenu to
those which hung enrapturcd upon the
words of Webster, or of Clay as are the
regulations of those immortal Americans
to that of the average stump speaker of our
time. And state'msn as those men were
we may we'll question if they would have
written such splendid names on history's
pages If the theatre of their lives had been
the closing years of the 10Th century
In the old days the majority of men who
assembled to listen to the languag, at tho
public forum, did so with opinions mora or
less imperfect and uniformed. They went for
information. Public speaking was public
instruction. They went to hear from the
great leaders, by what course Of action
they could best promote the welfare OF their
country and the Happiness OF their homes
how best Tie prosperity of the psople woul /
be advanced and the sincerity OF the gov
ernment g. ablshed, and how wisely they
might exercise the function OF Intelligent
and patriotic citizens endowed with the
privilege of the suffrage.
To-day, the citizen who seeks enlchten-
mont upon these themes, turns not to the
public forum for oral dissertations but 70
the columns Of his newspaper where he
finds coilated the news of tie world, and in
VIII ose editorials he follows the reflections of
| trained and superior Intoilects. believe il
| 10 be true that the opinions of vast
ma jority of men are moulded and gov
erned to large extent 10y those of the
newspaper he most constantly reads,
And thus the influence Of the orator, ms
such, has passsd away. His sun has set.
There are star, in the twilight skies, but
the noontide splendour OF oratory as the
world knew it once will never shine upon
humanity again.
And as with the orator, 80 with the states
man, so with tho great physician.
Those majestic names in your pro-
fession, Gentleman, which are its I'M
mortal beacon lights amid the
shadows ct disease and death-names
which mark the heights of medical advance
ment and stand az immortal eXemplars for
your guidance -those names viii never b.
equalled in reputation and glory in all the
years to come. The day of the supers,ni-
nent doctor Of medicine as of the supersnl-
nent lawyer and orator and statesmen have
! passed to come no more. | beg That Won
Will not misunderstood me. Far be it from
mo TO discourage you, my ccuntrymen. who
| have chosen this great and noble science as
| your life work. IL is field where honor
and distinction, and often fortune, await
the combination of talent and of toll And
| | believe that thore are medical men living
! in our generation who are the equals in
genius aud in learning of the most immortal
names that have glorh.d that scierc,. Bat
the general advance along all lines o, in
! formation and experience has lesseped the
distance between them and tho great body
of practitioners; and the newspaper press
has helped in many Instances so far as repu-
| tations are concerned to obliterate the dis
tinction between medical genius and medic
al audacity; and May quack is pulled
and advertised into position Of false
eminence where thousands throng his con-
suitng rooms, while often times the man of
| nd lsoU ,in