The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1901-01-04
A Hundred Years Ago

the centuries or quarter-centuries laid
down by the chronologists. "Our
clock strikes when there is a change
from hour to hour, but no hammer in
the horologue of Time peals through
the universe when there is a change
! from era to era" The century that
died with the last stroke of twelve last
night, whose coming was greeted by
the calls Well" of the obsolescent
nightwatch, was born in the midst of
/ an epoch of wars and revolutions.
Armies were marching and counter
marching over Europe: the seas were
patrolled by fleets. and the roar o.
their guns in the Mediterranean the
Baltic and the Caribbean was onl,
momentarily stilled. Coalitions were
forming and dissolving and the map
of Europe was like a kaleidoscope, so
rapidly were boundaries changing and
grand-duches, duchies, principalities,
bishoprics and republics disappearing
and reappearing, uniting and separat-
ing. Eleven years before, the first
whispers of the tempest that was to
deluge France and Europe in Blood
, and fire had been heard at Versailles.
"The Terror" the Directory and the
Consulate had followed each other in
| quick succession and the empire was
| already something more than an idea.
Napoleon had just swept over North
ern Italy for the second time and the
| power of Austria had been broken at
Marengo by the lucky arrival of
Desaix and at Hohenlinden by Moreau.
| The frontier of France had been push
ed to the Rhine and down into Pied
mont. Some phantom republics Of
Italy, the fruits of the first Italian
campaign, were about to reappear to
hide under name the despotic power
of Bonaparte. Negotiations were on
foot for the peace of Luneville, in
which Prussia was played off against
Austria, while Napoleon made him
self the dictator of the congeries of
German states, and ruled, under a
mockery of republican forms, the
Batavian, Helvetian, Cisalpine and
Genoese Republics. France was prac-
tically master of the continent and
England of the sea, for the Egyptian
project had ended in failure and
France was practically stripped of her
colonies.
In Russia the half-crazy Paul was
eXasperating with his whims and fan
tastes the mobiles who were to end his
tria Francis /. was on the throne
and Frederick William II. in Prussia.
Western Germany was still a confus
ed conglomeration of petty states to
whose people the idea of United Ger
many was incomprehensible and the
national spirit practically non-eXist-
Schiller, Kant, Fichte, Hegel and
others, then alive, in making a dis
tinctly national literature and appeal
ing by precept and example to the
national pride. In England the
younger Pitt, as prime minister under
George H., had just brought about
to 60 into effect with the new century.
In Southwest Europe, Turkey stretch
ed as far as Hungary and held in
solution Greece and the Balkan states,
which the infusion Of the national idea
was to precipate. In the Scandan-
avian peninsulas Norway was united
with Denmark under Christian VII,
and Sweden was under the sway of
Gustavius Adolphus.
Africa, except for the piratical Bar
barry states and Egypt on the north. a
few short, narrow strips along the
west coast and the Boer settlements
at the Cape, was the Dark Continent
half century. Even the ''unchanging
East was different. In India Eng
land was still struggling for dominion
against French intrigues and native
malcontents. Japan was wrapped in
sleep. The Philippines were Spain s,
and Australia was practically nothing
more than convict colony. AS for
the islands OF the Pacific, many re-
mained to be discovered and most
of them were not even parceled out.
In this hemisphere from the Straits
of Magellan to the present Canadian
boundary, all Of South and Central
America and all that part of the
United States lying west Of the Miss
issippi, together with East and West
Florida, Cuba, Haiti and Porto Rico,
belonged to Spain. Oregon and
Washington were American by right
Of the discovery Of Capt. Gary, who
eight years before had sailed up the
Columbia river. Alaskawas Russian,
and except for slight changes by the
| rectigcation Of the bo ndary. Canada
was what it is to-day in extent, though