The University daily. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 18??-????, 1895-06-10


our eyes are opened to the fact that
the world of mind and soul has been
on a gradual advance.
But what OF to-day? We can only
Judge BY the diate past IL ma
terial progress, every day almost holds
something il store To surprise an as
tonished people
The wonders and possibilities Of
that mysterious force, electricity keep
on growing and widening When #
was found a message could be sent
across ascontinent in the tWinkling Of
ali eye, people said truly this is Won
,derful When they could talk with
friends in a distant city and hear the
very tone Of voice prod the won
der seemed greater, but not until the
White City was built, not until the
wonders Of the electrical building at
Chicago were unveiled did the people
know the advancement in the electro
cal field. We cannot compute the re-
suits Of this force il the social world.
The chemical factor in human pro-
gress shows the great strides science
ii making. AS d science, it was un-
known a few centuries ago and not as
an exact science until probably one
hundred and twenty Ave years ago,
Although chemistry is but one sof
many, let us trace a faW of its effects.
Formerly many phenomena were as
signed to the supernatural which are
now but simple occurrences Of law
from chemists point of view. AS
knowledge increases the supernatural
fees to other realms and things
thought unexplainable become mere
matters of fact exciting no comment.
In the line of agriculture what a
change! Before chemistry was deyel-
oped agriculture made no claim to be
scientific. Only tWenty-six years ago
did Liebig's work on & Vegetable NJ
TRITON" reduce it to science. To
day, we can feed a plant to produce
stock, beans, root, Or seeds as we may
Edesire. To-day, Wecan feed cattle for
milk or flesh. To-day, authorizations
of human food no longer escape. detec-
tion. When the crucible and retort
are applied, fraud fees. Substances
formerly unused have become substf-
tutes for chief food produced. Cakes
| OF saw dust are not unknown. Cost
has been reduced to a minimum; wit
ness a feast held in Washington a few
weeks ago, costing few cents plate.
| What the future holds in store can
only be surmised.
Surgical operations no longer fright
en- humanity since painhas been over
come and Inflammation conquered,
lsContagion no longer depepulates en-
| tire states and terrorizes nations. The
Baeteriologist has discovered the
germs and the means for their de
| struction. All professions have felt
more or less the weight of the chemi-
cal factor. In fact, some one has said,
"All things are possible with God and
chemists. /"
i Many Of those things which in this
day we consider the necessities of soci-
| al life, did not. exist butsa compare
lively short time ago. Railroads,
steamships, telegraphs, telephones,
and almost all the mechanical devices
entering. into our everyday. business
life, were then unknown. Advance
ment has been the order in every ave-
nue. Of material action. Now what OF
the reader of the mind ? Have we
anything to rival the great ideas OF
past periods? / answer, things so
many and so various, comparison be
comes q mockery. Here it is that
changes are SO gradual, we are not
aware of them. They are part OF
our everyday lives and as such are &C
cepted as matter of course, yet our
inititutions are almost a complete
change from those of three hundred
years ago. One Of these innovations
is the idea of human brotherhood and
the obligations carried with it. That
men and women of all nations, races,
classes and conditions are the children
Of one father and hence of one house
hold is an idea accepted but a few
years ago. Now we. think it barbar-
Gus to act contrary to family laws In
this great family; so generally has the
idea been accepted Another evolu-
ton of modern society is the idea Of
individual liberty. Liberty formerly
considered only nation and race and
the fndiqidual was lost sight OF intthe
rush for supremacy between kings and
enperors. The Declaration OF INDIE
pendenee declared all men to be ere
4. : - q : - I'D aE4s - ~ 1872