The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-01-02

Looking backward upon the year just
ended, it is saddening TO note how many
of the leaders of thought and of men are
in the grave with 1896 During the twelve
months death reaped rich harvest. cut
ting down our own Lawton and Crisp
along with others of eminence in this
country and abroad. Art, letters, law
government, philanthropy, the church, all
suffered well nigh irreparable losses
through the grim destroyer. Millais, du-
Maurier, DeGrimm and Leighton laid
down their brushes and pencils in 1896
Paul Verlaine, Gail Hamilton, Kate Field
and Harriet Beecher Stowe reached the
'finis" of life chapter Lyman Trumbull,
Jules Simon, Alexander r. Lawton,
Charles f. Crisp. the Shah of Persia, Leon
Say, B. II. Bristow, and William E Rus
sell were among those prominent in law
and government whose lives became "clos-
ed Incidents" Baron Hirsch and Enoch
Pratt of the philanthropists passed into
the great beyond. Bishop Haygood, Bish-
op Ryan, Archbishop of Canterbury Ben
son and Bishop A. c. Coke were among
lid NAuA NliAiAtu 10 50 ~ NiAtAA AIWeiA L ne
curtain was rung down forever on Frank
Mayo, Alexander Salvini and the great
Hermann. These are a few of the great
names on the death record for the year,
which later may or may not include the
name of the Cuban general Maceo.
The years history has been blurred and
blotehed with blood in Cuba and the Phil
ippines, and in the Soudan, and Abyssinia,
and the Transvaal. In the first named I'M
fortunate country a war Of determination
has been going on, with cruelty and out
RACES. In the second named pretty much
the same sort of campaign is being waged.
During the year in the course of the war
in the Philippines occurred that horror
which has become known as the "Blac6
Hole of Manila" In the Abyssinian cam
paign, the Italians were defeated by the
natives. In the Soudan, 1t was one of the
ever recurring fights between John Bull
and his vassals The story of the Trans
vaal affair is well known.
In our own country, we had a devasta-
ting cyclone at st. Louis and in the Mis-
souri, valley, with loss Of several hum
dred lives; a hurricane Of exceptional vio-
lence and considerable loss of life in Geor-
ga and Florida; a failure of crops in
Northern Louisiana.
At the same time. the dead year has left
us as an inheritance some gifts that are
of greatest value. Prof Roentgen of Ger
many discovered the marvellous x-ray,
which has become so familiar to the read
ing and investigating public. The ray
has been taken hold Of and studied until
1t would seem It had been known for ages.
instead of only few months. 1t is OPEN
ing new avenues of investigation to sclen-
lists, and into which they are Fastening.
Edison Tesla, Bell and the other electric
ans have perfected marvellous apparatus
for the conserving and utilizing of cleo
trical energy. The power of Niagara
falls has been transmitted over long dis
| tances and set to work turning wheels.
| The animated picture producing machine
has been brought to high state of per-
fiction Prof. Nansen has returned from
the frozen north bringing scientific infor-
nation of great value.
The closing days OF the old year saw a
| clearing of the political atmosphere and a