The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1897-11-18

stepping stones and you change the
history of the whole world, hence the
act of one single individual in ages past
is the spark that leads to mine of
wealth, in social life or destroys the
distractions to human progress.
"Take away from any generation or
individual that which has been inher-
tied from the past and the wise world
becomes foolish, the learned ignorant,
the skilful, clumsey, and the wealthy
poor" says historian. "Chaldea,
Egypt, Greece, Rome, Israel" says the
same writer, "are living forces in the
civilization of today; and the nations
or forces which aided or modified their
development, live because they live"
War is not cause but result. The
ideas upon which any of the historic
periods set forth above are based had
their origin long prior to their result
and conflict. And continuity of
purpose makes the progress of these
ideas; that purpose the uplifting of
humanity. War as we have before
set forth is also the medium for trans
mitting the social ideas of one race or
nation to another, but this is effected
as we see, not so much by the act of
war, of itself, but by the diffusion of
those ideas which such war stands for
Saratoga is not remembered because
of its having effected the birth of the
American nation, but because it dis
seminated the ideas of personal right
to representation, share in the gov
ernment and the imposing of an equit-
able taxation.
So, also, there is an intimate connec-
tion between each and every event of
great moment to humanity; they are
the links in the chain of circumstances,
any one of which left out would effec-
tually have prevented the tendency of
human ideas to direct the force pro-
ducing the succeeding link in the
chain. Some one has said that 'cir-
cumstances make the man." another
has said that "man makes the circum-
stances" Both are true. Man first
sets in motion those ideas, the forces
note their direction, and by placing
themselves in the van, are carried to
those high planes of social life from
which new ideas are lOosed, to be
again repeated. War is not a cause,
we have said, but result of gather
ing of ideas; their union toward one
common end. But constant reten-
tion of the same idea produces a reac-
ton, evolves new idea diametrically
opposed to the original. Yet as we
look back over the records of war we
find that every successive wave of
martial strife sends forward those
forces by which humanity in turn is
brought forward.
War, also, shows us the enormous
influence that the single individual of
the past may exert upon the thousands
or the millions Of the future. 1t was
an accident that placed Xenophone in
command of the retreat of the 10000
Greek mercenaries after the death OF
Cyrus; and it was the simple chronicle
of this successful adventure that i'm
planted the desire of Persian conquest
in the breast of Alexander and
brought him forward as conqueror.
Who could, at TOulon, have fOrseen
the influence that was to unmake
Europe. Who could, in 1871 B. c.,
have seen in the child Mesu, the liber-
ator of Israel, and the force that would
move millions yet to come? Who
could have forseen, in that pioneers s
hut in Hardin county, KY, the great
emancipator, Lincoln?
All through the ages we find
recorded these influences which mark
the wonderful vivifying power that a
germinal idea may have on future
ages. Not alone does war stand as
typical result of the moving after
force of this germinal idea, but it also
stands as yardstick to civilizations
advancement, since it makes the pas
sage from lower to higher humanizing
conditions, and also indicates the con-
tinuity of human progress of social