The times., 1901-04-14
The History Of the Nineteenth Cen
tury.

article on Religious Progress in The
Times of this morning closes a series
of papers on the history Of the nine
teenth century which is in its way
unique. In these papers, seventeen in
number the progress made during the
century. in science, in religion. in lit
erat ture. in warfare, in all departments
of human thought. has been discussed.
each subject by a different writer, and
the entire collection of papers forms
a complete history of the progress Of
the world for the last hundred years, a
period which has been in some respects
the most remarkable in history. The
Times acquired the privilege OF publish
ing these papers in Washington, and
the series, which began in its issue
Of December 90, is now complete.
The first paper. on Evolution" by Al
fred Russell Wallace, may be said to
have struck the keynote Of the history
since upon the progress which has been
made in that line of thought commonly
referred to as evolution-upon the for
mutation of the Darwinian theory and
the general awakening of scientific re-
search consequent upon it-depended To
a very great extent the general prog
ress which has been made In other lines
OF work. There is no one who has been
more closely identified with this great
movement or is better qualified TO
speak of il than Mr.. Wallace. As he
points out in his article, evolution is
something more than the mere theory
of the descent of man from a simian
ancestor. The theory involved in its
acceptance a radical change in the
method Of thought current at the time
when Darwin first gave it to the world.
1t meant. in a word the substitution
OF logic and proof for empiricism and
tradition. 1t meant a revolution in
science as mighty as that involved in
the denial of the divine right Of kings
By political innovators.
The second article by Prof. William
Ramsay. is on the subject of chemistry,
end proves quite conclusively at the
very beginning of it that before the ad-
vent of logical methods Of reasoning
in this SCIENCE comparatively recent
happening-the was much irration-
ality and lack Of common sense even in
the study OF a science which might
seem 10 be quite matter OF fact and
free from the influence of superstition.
Prof. Ramsay briefly mentions the idea
entertained by our ancestors that air
VAS a sen1i-spiritual thing. and their
ignorance Of the nature and attributes
Of gases in general. and then points
out the fact that only during the past
century has the compound nature of
various substances once supposed TO be
simple been discovered. The great work
of decomposing earths into alkalies.
acids. gases: the development Of the
basic idea that instead Of innumerabIe
simple substances we have in the uni
verse only infinitely varied and in
Vulnerable combinations Of few sim
pie elements-this tremendous enlight-
enment OF the scientific world has all
been accomplished within hundred
years. As the biologist finds that all
living things are merely forms Of prot !
oplasm. the chemist sees that ali sub /
stances. animate and inanimate, are ]
combinations Of simple elements There |
are no Two sciences which seem to the |
casual eye SO diverse as chemistry and 1
biology, the science of the inanimate /
and the science Of life: but the nine /
teenth century has proved their kin /
ship.
The next paper. on "Archaeology,7
deals with science which was not /
known atan before the yearISO0 This, as /
the author, Prof. w. NJ. Flinders Petrie. |
takes pains to point out, is a branch /
of learning absolutely dependent upon
the understanding Of the laws Of evo- /
luton. In fact, this science is yet in f.
its infancy, and though the discov- /
cries made in Egypt, Syria, Italy,
Greece, 8Iesopotanlia, India, and this
country are briefly recapitulated, it may
plainly be seen that the working out
of this unwritten, broken, mysterious
record Of the life Of the human race
is likely in course Of time TO become
much more complete Than it is at pres
ent. When il comes TO astronomy. on
the contrary, Sir Norman Loclryer. the
writer Of the fourth paper, has to deal
with a subject that was studied some
eight thousand years ago; and yet he
declares that during the century that
has passed away a perfectly new
oNAN4.NN Va dSAADiAoliik has arisen he
points out the progress which has been
due to what ne calls the annexation Of
physics and chemistry 10 the study Of
astronomy, and here again we have a
proof Of the mysterious, half If-uncon-
scious movement which the human
race has been making toward unity
during the last hundred years. The
sciences. before the beginning of the /
last century, were not united; now they
are recognized as related branches Of
the great tree Of thought The most
valuable services which allied sciences
have rendered 10 astronomy are Of |
course. those due 10 the spectroscope | {
and the camera. The improvement in ]
telescopes Is due partly TO Increased |
knowledge of the laws Of physics and i
partly 10 progress in chemistry Other {
progress which has been made in this
science is in the line Of mathematical {
and this Is nothing new. The {
discovery of Uranus and Neptune was
due 10 mathematical calculation. but {
In the knowledge Of fixed stars. and of
stellar evolution, the processes Of spec I
lrIm analysis have been aI-important {
The subject Of philosophy is dis g
'ussed by Edward Caird: and possibly {
his science shows the peculiar infiu- h
ences OF nineteenth century thought i
more than any other. The eighteenth | r
century was distinguished for ifs ,y,a.f | 4