Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1899-04-07

telephone. the telegraph, the thirteen
Inch gun. the railroad. the automobile
lnd the ocean greyhound. Nor was II
blessed with the microbc scare or
ihe yellow Journalism. To that ex-
H' ' asa as ssrn sss in pu. dss sasac
Is now a tendency TO ovcresii-
mate the value TO civilization Of all
thie modern Inventions. and confo-
qutntly TO look back with pity upon
M people who knew nothing Of them.
aac IL Indebted TO the dark ages for
a hnultiiude Of improvements without
which the modern civilization would
have been Impossible. Paper was In
vsnted as early as the tenth century.
TIE art o. printing Is traced back TO
petl0d mucn earlier than Gutenberg
scHpts OF the dark" ages snow PEN
mSnfhlp never surpassed since. Nu-
Nitrous Institutes u learning were ea-
.fJiiahcd IN that "bcniRhted" age.
fSrcmoa, among which may be mem
uoned the univcrsities o. oxford.
tambfidge founded In sls In tho
tdark" Arca music was placed upon a
Scientific basis by the invocation Of the
iamut The mariners compass revO-
lutisnizcd navigation ana led the old
toiid 20 the shores Of the new. The
o. the twelfth century. The Idea OF a
irail service was rugEestcd by the uni
v.rnity Of Paris and italian universities
detabhahlnR cOuflers throughout Eu-
fppc. Spectaeiea were Invented IN tho
thirecnth century. ounpowder was
fnade IN the fourteenth century and
Cre,y sad roiciierS. Coal was dlscov-
erred In England In 1907. our arlthmeti- /
cal numbers. Of Arabian origin. were
introduced In Europe about s9i A. u.
Glass became utilized for windows ne
fariy as the fourth century. Botany
And the medical qualities of plants
wifc eagerly studied In the early ages.
Hlk culture was introduced Into Flu.
rons IN the twelfth century and afchi-
ic,lurc attained perfection unrivalci
10 Ibis day.
Sor should II be FORGOTTEN that the
"dNrk" age was the nge OF chivairy.
WITHOUT which woman would not have
Oltaiueh the elevated station In society
BE now occupies. The dark" agc was
Ic age Of such famous women ~ Joan
n Arc. Queen Margaret OF Sweden.
Anna Cornena and others.
The Efforts NJ spreading light by
faeans OF literature were almost super
lsman. Small armies Of mon and wo-
books aud Documents that the nuincf- |
ota libraries might be supplied. one
u these libraries. that at the Vatican
nlitone, "a TO this day a yeritablr lit |
efAry treasure house. while Others nave
petlrhed. a. for instancs that nj Alex |
aitiria. which was destroyed In thf year
90 fcholars were constantly on the
aitrt trnverrink Europe. collecting |
hdrku and multiplying copies " them. |
M was an accepted maxim even Ia |
ubac days, that "lsnorancs 10 tho /
ypih.r % vice. and accordingly INN
" trouble was taken TO spread knowi-
'edge an far AZ tho limited means at
hand would permit. 10 acknowledge
THIS ~ debt We owe to truth.
II l. impossible TO ignore the fact tina,
tho impression about the darkness" OF |
the middle age has been created pur-
p0sely. Protestant writer's have been
In the habit Of viewing that period
through their own glasses dlmmrd by
prejudice. and one has repeated the or
rofn ~ another. neEi"ctlng 10 look at
the facts, or diatnrtlng them according
10 their own Imagination. To such
Writers u seemed necessary 10 portray
tho are before the reformation IN ~
darn colofr AZ possible, In order that the
work Of the refofmerh should appear all
The more rlorioua. They were hrtnhtci
by tho low motives that 10 this day linz
pei certain speakers and writers to be-
iittle the work OF the Pioneers Of Utah.
and TO place the part and present Of
int. state In the worst light rlander
and malice can produce. Hut n We
knowledge. We can afford 20 view the
past. even the dark" ares, without
prejudice. and " We do we viii discover
that our own Advancement owes much
10 the labor and conscientious struggle
~ the past. a nation that has rrndu.
atsd with honor IN iife'n school Ia not
apt 10 remember iis struggle in the pre-.
phrhtory departments with the rudi.
mcntA - knowledge. as a period Of
"darknean': rather the contrary.