The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1899-12-29
THE OLD YEAR AND THE NEW.

- uOU inc ldSl year VI tne century,
but when New Years Day dawns
next Monday morning we shall have
entered upon the last year of the
most wonderful century of progress
which the world has ever known.
We do we'll therefore at this time to
let our thoughts go back not only over
che past year, but over the many years
of the nineteenth century which is
now only twelve months from its
close. 1t is hard to realize that it is
but one hundred years ago since the
Father of his Country passed away
near the close of the last century.
And what mighty nation has grown
up on this continent since Washing
tons death We then numbered
5000, 000 We now have population
of rs, 900, 900 and the rate of increase
is so rapid (about az per cent. each
year) that it is almost startling to
think what our nation must become in
NAObhCA
And yet remarkable as has been the
growth of population the increase of
national wealth has been so much
more rapid that during the past forty
years our wealth per head has
more than doubled In other words
while in 1860 the average wealth of
each individual was 1914, in 1890 (the
last census year, it was 81, 036, and it
is probably much greater at the pres
eugt time.
Mr.. Gladstone is quoted as saying
= that all the wealth which could be
! handed down to posterity, produced
during the first eighteen hundred
years of the Christian era, was equaled
by the production of the first fifty
years Of the nineteenth century, and
that as much more was produced
during the next twenty years. - And
accepting this as reasonable estimate
it has been computed by so high an
authority as DR.. Josiah Strong, that
for the enrichment of the world there
has been more than three times as
much wealth produced during this
one century as during the eighteen
centuries preceding,
Truly the year upon which we are
about to enter will be the last in a
hundred years of marvellous material
prosperity throughout the civilized
world. Our own country leads the
and it boundless resources of the
field. the forest and the mine. But
Europe too has made wonderful pro-
gress the arts and sciences have been
used not only to give pleasure to the
few but to give comfort to the many,
and the greatest minds of all the
countries of Christendom have been
employed in ministering to the ad
vancement of civilization among all
sorts and conditions of men.
The serious question which con
fronts us is this; has the moral and
religious progress been at all equal to
the commercial and material growth
OF the nineteenth century? Civiliza-
tion has certainly advanced, but
what of the advance of Christianity?
Has it been gaining in power and in
fIuence throughout our land and
throughout the world?
The last census showed that we
have over $4,000 prisoners in the
various prisons of the country, and
of these about half were native born
appalling fact The great majority
of arrests may be traced directly or
indirectly to drunkenness as the
cause, and the liquor traffic organ
ized, capitalized, and possessing vast
commercial and political power
still dictates legislation and extends
its dread influence over the cities
and towns of our land.
Corrupt municipal governments,
the awful peril of Mormonism, the
epen defiance of the law, as seen in
tue OOubuSlA AJASlihSS, tliSlO ulS
among the grave perils of the future
which should lead us to pause and
seek the blessing of the God of our
fathers as we embark upon new year
laden with its vast possibilities OF
evil as we'll as good. But even when
we have considered these things and
made due allowance for them we can
not but Thank God and take cour.
age. Religion is more widely diffus-
ed than ever before. Heather nations
are coming to the light of the gospel,
and the century which is soon to close
has been marked above all other
things as a century of foreign mis-.
sions. Even the horrors of war are
mitigated by the tender ministries OF
Christian sympathy and the first dawr
Of peaceful arbitration as universal
method of settling international dis.
putes may be regarded as the bright
est jewel among the treasures Of the
past year.
Truly, we may sing with the great
poet laureate.
"Not in vain the distance beacons,
forward, forward lei us range.
Let the great world spin forever
down the ringing grooves Of
change. I"
Changes are sure to come. Some