The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-12-30

the Antarctic coast In America discov-
cry has been followed so soon by Settle
ment that the memory has quickly disap-
peared, and even the remarkable journey
OF Lewis and Clarke up the Missouri into
Oregon is almost forgotten. The same is
true of Australia. whose interior deserts
have been crossed by daring explorers un-
der terrible hardships. and Of a good part
OF Asia. The opening up of Africa. how
ever. IS hardly second in Importance to
the decentralization OF the Cape OF Good
Hope. Fifty years ago barely the rim OF
the dark continent was known. Now,
thanks to Burton and Spoke and Living
stone and Stanley. every one of its great
riddles has been solved, the sources Of the
Nile, the water system OF the Congo and
the Niger and the Zambesi: the dwarfs.
and the Mountains OF the Moon. 1t has
been crossed from south 10 north and from
west to east across it's greatest breadth,
while the crossing from the Congo 10 the
Zanzibar coast has become common
place journey The powers OF Europe
have divided the territory among them
selves and are pushing in with railroad
and telegraph. There are no more great
geographical discoveries possible on land:
but science has turned it's attention TO the
bottom OF the sea- and the sounding lead
is eharting the ocean beds,
Exploring the Dim Past of History.
New methods and points of view have
entered into every branch OF learning
The discovery Of SanSkrit led TO the COM
parfson Of languages with each other and
the establishment OF their relationship
The principle OF comparison was extended
to the past as well, and the historical
method Of investigation has spread TO
science also. In collecting and establish
ing facts the aid Of experimental science
has been called in. The aid Of the physi-
ologist. for instance, has been needed by
the philulogist TO urravei the problem OF
human speech, while the philosopher has
called upon him 20 explain the workings
OF the human brain. Humber aids have
not been scorned. With pick and shovel
the aFcheelogist has brought to light the
ancient civilization of Egypt and the I'M
plements of primitive man; he has dug
out the flium Of Priam and laid bare the
Roman forum and read from the clay
tablets the forgotten language Of the
Assyrians. In no age has the pursuit OF
learning been 50 general; In no age have
the means for its attainment. books,
libraries. museums, teaching institutions,
been so plentiful.
The Century In Literature, Music
md Art.
In the domain Of letters the nine
teenth century has well held its own
with its predecessors IL may not show
Goethe, the poet. can hardly he included
In II, but no past century in any literature
can match the list that ranges from Scott
10 Tennyson, from Victor Hugo 70 Re-
nan, from Helne TO Mommsen. Its phi
losophy extends from Hegei 10 Herbert
Spencer. In music 1t had the greatest OF
all masters, Beethoven, Mendeissohn,
Chopin. and Wagner. In art alone, cred
liable as its productions have been. has
1t failed to approach the great works of
the past
II has been century OF such
astonishing achievements that II Ia per-
haps natural TO believe that there will
he no other equal TO II, and in more than
ons branch of science men hold the opin-
ton that the fundamental problems have
been solved and that the future can de-
veiop only along the lines marked out In
the nineteenth century. Past history,
however, shows no limits TO the capacities
for development OF the human race and
the historian of the twentieth century
may have fully as wonderful tale 10
tell. GEORGE TORR.