Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1901-01-26
STORY OF THE CENTURY
AN OUTLINE IN eRlsF Ce IT'S CLC.
RlOUS TRIUMPkS.

| Aitrcd tNSSel wallace calls II 'th
| Wonderful Century" Hall Cainr cai.
1t "the Peoples Century, Camili
| flammaron calls it "thr Era of As
| Economical Discovery" because of th,
| spectroscopr, which has brought with
| in the range of human vision lOOOOo.
900 new wcr,iS. SIR Norman LocH
yer calls it "lhc Scientific Century.
Other eminent authorities have yari
ousiy characterized it as the Century
OF Discovery and Exploration. thi
Century of MrchGnioal Invention, IN,
Century OF Commercial Expansion, tx
Century OF Steam and Electricity ana
the Century of Social Progress art
Reform. In truth. II las beaa nl
these things, and more.
IL political revolutions ana socla
cNolutionS II has been Il titanic cen
fury. At its opening all the wo"il
excepting the United States WAS i'm.
pcrla!ly governed. At its close all
the Americas and France are demo,
cratically governed both IN fact an'
in name. and the British monarchy
has become 4 republic in all hut name
There Is In fact in 1000 10 absolute
ruler left among civ ilized men. If We
except the car of all the RuSSiHs
who remains to remind lis of Mi
polcor's prophecy that the world Will
some day BE- 'All CosSack or all re
publican" The extinction of slavery
and the African slave-tradc IS prrhnp,
the greatest single item in the account
OF the century's political and social
rcformAtionS. But the emancipation
of white labor from the twelve ami
fourteen hour day that was universal
in lSC0. and the establishment in It's
place of the day of ten, nine and cigh,
hours. the restriction of women's and
chlldren's labor. the general and
great rise in wages. and, above all
the creation in nearly every civilized
country of free ecommon-Srhool syS-
TEN. which hundred years ago cX.
isted in this country cnly, are steps
forward OF broader scope and value
than the disappearance Of African
slavery. The United States. with III"
majestic total Of 1I.OO0.OO0 pupils in
It's public and private schools. grapni,
cally described by the United state:
Commissioner OF Education, William
II. Harris. leads the march of popular
education in 1900 as it did in 1SOO.
hnf m ,1.bn1n ;., L..
step to the music of the school bell.
Great Britain since 1870 and all her
colonies have free common schools.
And all Europe saving Russia is in
the crucibe of universal cnlighten-
ment.
In the domain of science, as Sir
Norman Lockycr remarks, it is the
century that has "cntircly changed.
and for the better. the conditions OF
human life" 1t has given us tue
steam-engine. the steam railroad, tie
steamshipt the telegraph, the oceac
cable, the storm-signal service, the
geological map, the sewing machine.
the reaping and thrcshing machines,
the printing press, the typewriter,
stenosraphy. photography, the tele,
phone, the oil lamp, the gas jet, the are
light, the electric power house draw
ing Its herculean strength from wat
erfalls hundreds of miles away, the
Roentgen Y rays, the giant telescopes
and host of subsidiary applications
OF these notable inventions
Considered as a century of discovery
1t has given us the great blologic reve-
lation Of Darwin, shedding more light
OH the origin of life, human and ami
NAL. than all the previous centuries
combined. In medicine, as Professor
Mazzoni says, it has worked mira.
cles in the conquest of pain and the
reduction Of the perlls of Infection"
The name of Jenner, Pastcur, Lister
and Koch would alone make it cen
tury of marvellous memory. Unques
tionaLiy. as Sir William MacCor-
mac, the eminent British surgeon,
remarks, "the greatest boons con.
ferred Oh humanity during the hun
dred years now ending are the dis.
covery Of anaesthesia the introduction
Of antlseptic methods of wound trent
ment and the progress made in the
prevention and cure of disease by vac.
and inOculation.'
The common assumption that II |
has been mainly century of material |
growth and commercial extension MAY
be doubted. in view Of the enormous
strides that have been made since 1850
Il popular education, the Improvement
If labor conditions and the elevation
1f the masses to q plane OF comfort
'pie living unknown even to the well.
.o-do classes of the eighteenth century.
anu yet no estimate of 1t would he
ust that left out of account the huge
expansion it has witnessed in the
population, wealth and commerce of
III CIVILIZED nations. When the CEN
nry began, the annual value of the
commerce of the world. covering the
of commodities between
III Its people, is eXpertly estimated to
lave been $1,5OO,OOO,OOO. In 1900 Il
S fully S20,000,0OO,00O. During the
anne period the earth's population in.
reased from G40,0OO,OOO to about L.
oo,oooOoO. Thanks to steam power
III land and sea, overland telegrapbs
md submarine cables, while the nine
eenth century has seen an increase IN
he worlds population of 135 per ceEt.
has witnessed at the same time nm
Increase of 1893 per cent. in it's com
lerCe.
Until 1870 in England and until 1880
II the United States there were no
team railways. In the last -namnI
ear there were about 200 miles OF
aiiway III the whole world. To-day
here are about 450,OoO miles. In 1S,a
he first steamship crossed the ocear,
nd in 1920 the total steam tonno-n