Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1900-12-28
"THE WORLD ONE HUNDRED
YEARS AGO TODAY"
copyrighted. 1900. by r. e. Hughes.
Louisville.)

Louisvlle.)
Supported by perhaps the most brill
liant staff of writers American periodi-
cal literature has yet been able to
show. the publication of the Portfolio
was commenced in Philadelphia by
Dennie, who may be considered as
having been the first American profess
sional man of letters. Prior TO this.
beginning with Benjamin Franklin's
great magazine, in 17if, in which was
printed and published the first miscel-
lany in America, frequent attempts
had been made in Boston. New York
and Philadelphia to found periodicals
which could command permanent
clientele, but all ran out n brief exist
ence before the end of the century.
Among them was Thomas Paincs
Pennsylvania Magazine, which came
TO an untimely end upon the COM
mencement of the Revolutionary war.
The Portfolio was carried on twenty
seven years, the first American serial
that could boast of so long an exist
ence.
The close of the year found Hegel,
the author of n philosophy which was
the foremost intellectual phenomenon
of the time, asking Scheling for letters
of Introduction TO Bamberg, where
with Cheap living and good beer" he
hoped to prepare himself for the intel
lectual excitement of Jena, the upshot
of which was that month later Hegel
arrived 81 uJaiaaS+ Ail-Giid- haA- :ilread 5-
come to the brilliant epoch at this
place, when the romantic poets, Ticck.
Novalis and Schlegels. made it the
headquarters of their fantastic mysu
cism, and Fichte turned the results of
Kant into the banner of revolutionary
ideas. Schelling was the main philo-
sophical lion of the time. and in some
quarters HeSel was spoken of as n new
champion summoned from Swabia by
SchelinS to help him in his struggle
With the more prosaic continuators of
Kant.
Sir William Fairbairn, who later dis
tinguished himself as an English me-
chanical engineer was only eleven
years old, but had mastered the rules
of arithmetic. His fame is chiefly due
to improvements which virtually
amounted to q revolution of the whole
system of mill construction. and to a
system of water wheel construction
whose hydraulic power was never sur
passed.
Isaac Hawkins patented while living
in Philadelphia the first portable grand
piano. 1t was an upright instrument,
the original of the modern cottage
piano. AL the same time idStlnP I'M
provements in grand pianofortes were
made in Paris by Sebastian Erard,
celebrated manufacturer of musical in
struments.
George Grote, the historian of Greece,
eminent also as philosopher, a poll
tician and a laborer in the advance
ment Of universal education. entered Il
grammar school at Sevenoaks, in Kent,
in his sixth year. having been ground
ed in the elements of Latin prior TO
this by his mother.
Comte de Saint Simon the founder
of French Socialism, began at the age
of forty varied course of study and
experiment. which fitted him for che
movement he was destined to inaugu-
rate.
Ballari, district in the Madras
presidency, was coded to the British by
the MAN of Haidarabad. 10 whose
share 1t fell at the close of the war
with Tipu, Sultan eight years before.
Manzoni. founder of the romantic
school in Italian literature, wrote his
first two sonnets at the age of fifteen.
Sir Charles James Napier. the &C
knowledged hero of family of Eng
fish heroes. obtained a commission as
Lieutenant i'm Manninghorns Rifles.