The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1895-08-03

world appears to be In a condition Of
intellectual inactivity. or at least with
out those great mental struggles which
characterized the recent past We arc
numerously following fads. exercising
the mind on trifes, reading and writ
ing trash. and interested Ia few gen.
eral problems. The long peace OF tho
world has enervated men, especially as
there have been no great problems of
peace even. The preceding century
closed In storm, the American and
French revolutions having excited the
energies OF the world. The present
century promises TO close In calm
that breeds malaria The last genera
ton, active over the anti-slavery con-
fiict and civil war, prolonged its ex-
element through the German wars
against Austria and France. The pres
emit generation Is relatively without
interest; people have nothing specially
great TO think about. When IL was a
question of saving the country or set
Ting great moral problems, mems
thoughts were great and their active
ness on corresponding scale. The
world was undertaking gigantic tasks,
and brains were In demand. The ora
tor, the poet. the statesman were busy
In their greatest creations. The intel
lect OF the people was feverish- With
universal discussion and discussion OF
weighty problems, the times produced
men liks Beecher. Lincoln and Bis
marck. Whittier wrote his "In War
Time the sanitary commission was
created, the development of philosophy
launched and Italy united. The world
wax doing something and mankin Il
was conspicuous for working as q
whole or in great groups.
OF late, however, there is a wide
spread feeling that we have nothing to
do; and the people, like idlers, are de-
vising spccious tasks for themselves,
mostly means Of recreation. We are in
a period OF dilettanteism. 1t is the ago
of bric-a- brac In art, OF ceremonies and
entertainments in religion, and OF
dress in society. Scholars gossip in
clubs, instead of debate In lyceums,
and college students are known chiefly
as football players. No new philoso-
piers have been conceived in this age,
no great poems have appeared or re-
marxable adventures. 1t Is an age OF
mediocrity. in which many come for
ward in every department, but none
are conspicuous. The whole world
has been recently convulsed over n
wedding A superficial book on Boz
hcmianism has made the greatest sue
est in politics is an easy way TO pay
debts. Socialism Is as deep as the pub
lie can see into government Claptrap
interests men. and public officials and
capitalists instead OF statesmen.
Is all this an evidence of decadencc,
or is Il inseparable from long career
of peace? When the great questions
are settled must the people turn to the
small? If anything important inter
ested us we might go to war, whereas
peace is maintained now by having
nothing TO fight for. Such languid
feeling as the present could hardly be
reused to war. We are not interested
enough TO dispute seriously, much less
fight. We are making some progress,
indeed, in the refinements of life, and
perhaps advancing in n slow way by
catching up with great projects con-
ceived when men were more vigorous
But when an age Is refining IL Is usu-
ally doing little else. The people are
polishing what they forged in the last
generation. This is period of rhet-
oric, when men try to say nicely, in-
stead of think greatly 1t gives fewer
thoughts to the world than it restates.
| i5y correcting and identifying the
more vigorous productions of other
periods, IL does its characteristic work.
Life Is not as serious as 1t was thirty
years ago, when men lived for some
thing. The question then was how Ia
do, whereas IL is now how TO live. In
stead of acting, men are behaving; and
the animosities of life arc our chief in
terest Trying chiefly TO get rid of the
attractions OF society, we arc learning
TO use what we have. rather than get
ting anything for humanity. We
are in period of adjustment, and ex
ercised over what to do with ourselves
The present problem Is mainly to keeI
men good, or rather to keep then
proper. Social life is about the highcsl
problem we are considering. Mer
need to be recalled to the vigorous
The struggles OF life must be entered
to produce strong people. There is
need of some of the old Puritan ear
nestncss. Life should be more serious
and lived on larger scale. The pleas
ures take too prominent a place, as in
the beginning of the eighteenth cen
fury. The ablest minds are largely
engaged in amusing the people. Th'
drama Is the chief department tina
prospers; and the greatest thing nov
seen is an opera or pageant We are
celebrating great deeds instead of do
ing them. III we are TO be much In thu
near future we must look around 70
greater undertakings. There is enough
to be done TO make heroes Though
no new worlds can be discovered o.
races freed, there are lines of enter
prise waiting TO be pursued. Africa !
yet TO be settled and reduced to civ
ilization; new basis is to be found 70
social life; religion is 10 be conforme'
10 science, and perhaps n new Instaur
alto, greater than Bacon's, Is TO be ap
piled to interpret the world. Tn
nineteenth century need not 60 out II
i. I..~t.llt.<~ .~tf-rlftuaw " TnIa