Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1896-04-23
WARS BEGIN THE CENTURIES.
Nearly All Great Conflicts Have Com.
menced with Such Epoohs.


If the present excited dispute be-
rute between the British and the Ger
man governments should finally cul-
inmate In war there would be no
great reason for surprise; for 1t gener.
ally happens that each century begins
or ends In a war of some worldwide
Importance This has been shown so
often In history since the mediaeyal
epoch that one might almost take for
granted the existence OF some law
which decreed that about the end OF
each century a great war should be
waged While, of course, there is no
such law, there does seem to be in his
tory a tendency to epoch making
events in science in politics, in art. in
music or even In religious movements
about once every 100 years. The chill
dren Of great men 40 not seem to ac-
eomplish much; but the grandchildren
or grandchildren repeat the
deeds OF their ancestors. Admitting
the existence OF atavism, the occurrence
OF great events century apart does
not seem to be entirely the work OF
tickle chance.
AT all events, there can be few
things more firmly established III past
history than the fact that when n CEN
fury closes or new century opens
there will be noted an important war.
Away back in the middle ages this
fact was TO have been noted. The elev- .
enth century, as viii be noted at once,
closed with the capture of Jerusalem,
In the first crusade, which began in
1895, The second crusade accom-
plished q less fortunate result, Jeru-
salem was lost In 1857, and although
once again the chlvalry Of Europe, In
Guiding Richard of England, went to
fight the Turks as tho twelfth century
closed, even the capture OF CONSTANT
nople in 1908 did not make the cru
sades of that time a success.
The close OF the thirteenth century
was also marked by a desperate con-
tlict between christian and painim
forces; but the crusades were ended
for all time by the capture of Acre;
and before another century had passed
the nations that had undertaken tho
erusades together were fighting among
themselves. The fourteenth century
closed with the wars in England and
the accession OF Henry W., and early
in the fifteenth century the bitter war
between France and England broke
out. The discovery OF Columbus took
the fancy or the fighting men, who
hurried to the new countries on ad-
venturous expeditions; but the Cam.
bray league war against Venice closed
the century, and early In the next CEN
fury, or about 1913, the well.known
battle Of the field Of the spurs" at
Guinegate and the bloodier battle of
Flodden field took place.
Toward the close OF the sixteenth
century 1t seemed as II all the world
were fighting About twelve years be-
fore the century closed the Spanish
armada came 10 grief, A few years
later, In France, the fight between
Henry OF Navarro and the league was
being most bitterly waged, In the mem
DRY OF the st, Bartholomew massacre.
In far off Croatia $4,000 christians
were being slaughtered by the Turks.
The religious wars of Europe were
most flercely waged at this time and
early In the seventeenth century the
wars Of Germany were begun, TO bring
such soldiers as Tilly, Gustavus Adolf
plus and Wallenstein into prominence.
On the high seas the gentlemen ad-
venturers" and buccaneers started
upon their careers, which later degen-
Grated into downright piracy.
1t was about a century later that the
pirates reached the height OF their ca
reer, and only few years after the
capture OF Panama and Carthagena
the buccaneer corfederacy was broken
up and the pirates were hunted down.
Il was near the close OF the seventeenth
century also that the Polish king, So
bieski, saved Vienna and stayed tho
Turkish advance into Europe. The
campaigns OF Marlborough against the
great French king and those OF Peter
the Great against the Swedish were
among the great military events OF
the age. About century later came
the war Of the American revolution,
the ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF Poland, the
French revolution and general scene
OF militarism which at last brought to
the front one central figure, Napoleon,
whose meteoric career was practically
begun with that Of the nineteenth
century Boston Advertiser.
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