The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-07-13
DIR. OANFIELD's ADDRESS.
Buohtel College commencement.

Church, Chicago, gave the annual adj
dress at Buchtel College, Akron, o.,
this year. Following is an abstract
of the address, the topic of which was
"Some Circumstances Especially Fa-
vorable to the Education of Youth
To-day"
1t is with a peculiar satisfaction
that 1 visit this distinguished institu-
ton of learning for the second time.
The advantage of youth is well
worn theme, as old as the first dawn
ing of impaired knowledge in the in
fancy of the world and familiar to the
contempt alton of every succeeding
generation. Although it is a subject
on which philosophers and orators
have largely discoursed, yet SO far
from being exhausted, it probably
never presented itself to the human
mind under SO many new and import
ant aspects as at the present day.
The first circumstance as being
especially favorable to the educated
youth Of to-day is the fact that the
civilized world is now entering a new
and enlarged cycle of intellectual, So
cial and political experience.
We are on the eve of momentous
social changes and such changes are
always favorable to youthful ambi-
ton. In order to get the general an
alogy to bear upon this particular
point the speaker affirmed that his
tory and science suggest on the whole
a strong probability that cyclical al
formations, rather than continuous
evolutions, are the providential meth
DDS of progress. Each cycle of
growth and advancement being an
improvement on its predecessor, but
each being doomed to perish when
it's work is done. Neither in abstract
mathematics nor in concrete expert
ence has perfect straight line been
drawn. Everything in existence cir
culates. Even prices and panics, like
cyclones and storms move in pointed
orbits which may in some measure be
calculated, as shown by an Ohio far
mer many years ago, in little book
called Benner's Prophecies. The
same thing is true of suns and sys-
TENS. Planets undergo long periods
of preparation for their inhabitants
and then become denuded and bar
rem like the moon. Continents emerge
from the sea and are clothed with
vegetation for ages and then gradu-
ally are submerged again to fit them
for new period of advancing life.
The oldest civilization of which his
tory tells was probably preceded by
others earlier still. The mound build
ers of Ohio doubtless disappeared
long before the Indians took posses
sion of this country. European anti
quarians find under Swiss lakes and
Danish boys, as in English caverns
and French gravel pits, the remains
of an orderly industry whose domes-
tic utensils and artistic designs de-
light the eyes of modern taste. So
far, then, from testifying to continuous
evolution in direct lines, both ontol
ogy and archaeology bear witness to
repeated evolution and alterations of
culture and barbarity. Which was
first? This is like the unsolved ques
ton of which was first, the hen or the
eggs That barbarism preceded civ
ilization is no more self-evident than
its opposite.
The doctrine of the fall of man is
quite as historic as that of his ascent.
Perhaps both are correct. There may
have been repeated periods of each
experience and 30 we sometimes say
in parodoxical language that "Adam
fell upward" 1t is certainly signifi
cant that we nowhere find in history
or tradition evidence of spontaneous
civilization. Tradition uniformly tes-
titles to the introduction of ethnic
civilization from without and above,
usually deifying ancestral heroes who
first lead the way to practical i'm
provements.
Prometheus and Cadmus are types
of traditional founders everywhere.
Gigantic and superior beings advanc-
ing along the horizon or across the
sea to bless and elevate expectant
aborigines. Bishop Berkeley sang,
WESTWARD the course of empire takes
its way" and yet tits true, and ever
more it will be true that, "Time's no.
blest offspring is the last" This
point was further elucidated by ref
erence to the vital epochs of the
world, and especially the dawning
consciousness of rights and duties in
the minds of the people which we
witness in these days.