The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-01-02

Delivered Monday Evening In Music
teenth Century-Review of the Age.
An enjoyable occasion was that of
the celebration held Monday night in
Music Hall by the Admiral Foote Post,
at which the veterans of the civil war
watched the ushering in of the new
century William S. Wells was the
speaker of the evening, and delivered
an interesting paper, entitled "a Short
Review of the Nineteenth Century
Mr.. Wells spoke in part as follows:
"You will recall that for severa
years, on our last meeting night in De-
cember, have either voluntarily or by
invitation briefly referred to those
events that had been most conspicuous
to the world during the twelve months
then ending, closing my remarks with
a heartfelt wish for a happy New Year
to all, and hopes that we might live to
exchange these seasonable greetings at
the end Of another year.
''But at the same time we We're fully
aware that in the course of nature. to
some of our number these seasonable
wishes would not be exchanged again.
The present year has quickly passed,
and our hope and prayers have been
answered to all of our number, except
twenty-seven have passed away. 1t is
a mortality larger than the average of
men of our ages, due to impairment OF
vitality frotm our service.
"The year just closing has as all
years do, brought developments unfore-
seen at it's beginning. But first, we
can congratulate our own country
which has prospered beyond all prece-
dent; our commerce has extended over
the whole world in unparalleled vol
ume. our power and influence in the
cause of freedom and enlightenment
have extended over distant sea and
lands.
"There never was time in the histo-
nv Of our nation when the reasons for
Thanksgiving We're so numerous and
weighty as at present. The political
contest closed in November was an
event of most vital Importance, and
was watched with the keenest interest
throughout the world, for it was to de-
country as to its future policy and re-
lations with other nations. With much
regret we are aware that the sacrifice
Of life in the Philippine Islands still
continues, but the end as sought for the
benefit Of those people seems to be near
at hand The war in South Africa is
now drawing to close, and being of
such vital Importance to England and
her colonies, and consequent relations
to the world, has been watched with
keenest interest and varying sympa-
HES. The uprising in China has been
one of the unfortunate occurrences to
Christianity in the century, but will in
the end be productive of good when we
come to realize the errors that have
been made in the mode of missionary
work 1t will revolutionize the future
.yssode of foreign labors. But thanks to
American good sound sense and diplo-
macy which has restrained the re-
vengeful spirit manifested in some
other nations, and deplorable bloodshed
and possibly worlds war has been
averted."
In regard to the developments of the
past century Mr.. Wells said that it
would be impossible to review them
even by name in the short space of
time allotted to him. He touched upon
the immense strides made in the sci
ences and useful arts, education, geog-
raphy, political science, biography and
religion, and sketched discussively the
movement of the Renaissance which
relieved the world Of the gloom of the
dark ages and brought it UP to the |
plane of the achievements and mira
cles of the nineteenth century. He |
then described the wonders which this |
age has shown, congrautlating the vet |
Grams present that they had lived to |
see the dawn of a new era. He conclu- |
ded with the following impressive |
words:
"Comrades, we have lived in the
most eventful and progressive period of
The worlds history. There never was
q better time TO live than now, and
from our foresight of the future we |
would like to live to see those develop
ments and surprises that will surely
come, but there is no use of lamenting
over the iinpossibility of long doing so.
The century has been wonderful and
the amazing part of it in the last thir-
Ly-six years especially the last twenty
i've years What was it that occurred
only thirty-six years ago to mark this
particular period? 1t was that won
1erful event in which our Comrade
Imbler participated and which our eff
orts and sacrifices brought to con-
,Iusion after four years. bloody war
or humanity, which finally ended at
Appomattox on April 8, 1865, with the
Of Lee. 1t was the one
,reatest event of the century.
ssWen may we be content that we
ave lived when we did. Well may we
iftssfD our hearts in heartfelt thankful
,ass that our lives have been spared
n see the glory of our country and the i
world made possible by our efforts on +
and and sea in the days Of 1861 to 1865. r
r we have individual regrets from err !
nrs made or wilful transgressions COM q
nitted. we have the consolation at least i
# being the means by which the world @
generally is better that we have lived, /
nd we leave a record vouchsafed to t
nly a. few men in a century, and a leg q
cv to those of a new century that, if b
yell guarded, will cause future genera v
ions to hold our memory in reverence f
oore than 1t is to-day, and our souls, t
Ike that of old John Brown, will still /,
o marching on down through the c
ges to illuminate the pathway and G