The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1901-01-01

of readers nave ALREADY Deen
bored by long winded essays on the
greatness of the nineteenth century
and the possibilities of the twentieth,
but we hope that such persons will
pardon us for submitting a few OBJ
servations of own regarding the sub
iect so much in vogue at this time.
And if so, we give Our promise not
to so offend again until the begin
ming of the twenty-frst century.
Whatever you have heard of the
greatness of the century now for
ever past, it is not likely that you
have heard its prominence exag-
gerated. In progress along all
lines of invention and discovery, in
educational matters, in the spread
of Christian civilization, it towers
above all the other centuries since
time began.
We firmly believe that the world
is growing better that Gods works
are all right, and that man and
mans works grow better as surely
as the years roll on. This may not
be evident in comparing to-day
with yesterday, or even this New
Years day with last New Years
day, but the dullest can see 1T in a
comparison of conditions today with
conditions on the first day of the
nineteenth century. You don't
have to look for evidences of it in
books by learned professors or theO-
logians, but in your own everyday
life are all the proofs needed.
Two blocks west of our Office
stands a handsome depot 1t sug-
gests the greatest of the century's
inventions-the railroad, which has
made the whole world neighbOrs.
To-day you may be in Raleigh to-
morrow you mag be in New York.
Today you may look on the wuves
of the restless Atlantic within little
more than half Il week you may be
carried to the very edge of the Paci-
ic. The greater part of the c0un-
try crossed in such IA trip was, a
century ago, a wilderness where only
the savage Indian rOamed. And
the fastest means of transportation
then known was the stage coach.
Here in front of our Office runs a
street car line. A hundred years
ago who dreamed that man would
ever harness the element that illum-
ines the heavens in d thunder storm
and use it for taking him from place
to place?
An electric light is just in front of
our window. Had some man on
January 1, 1901 predicted such an
invention, he would have been called
a visionary, IA dreamer.
The telegraph now ''puts a girdle
about the earth in forty minutes
when ID hundred years ago, the
courier on horseback was the fastest
LLlCllIJu VI Cd11 y us LC"S.
The uneducated man has become
the exception rather than the rule.
Where one child had the opportu-
nifty of securing an education in 1891,
ten thousand now have such such
privileges.
YOnder waves a United States
flag. In 1901 it was the emblem of u
newly born republic, d loose confed-
GRAFTON of thinly populated States
along the Atlantic seabOard. To
day our country stretches from
ocean to ocean, and from the Lakes
to the Gulf. eve say nothing Of
our "iSland empire" for we are not
sure that it, or our methods OF ac-
quiring it, reflects very great credit
upon US Then government ''of,
by, and for the people" Was an ex-
periment-an unprOmising expert
ment, the classes thought; the
masses were not yet thinking seri-
ously about such matters. Few
dared question the divine right of
But steadily and surely has grown
the doctrine of E'the fatherhOOd of
God and the brotherhood of man"
MonarchS have been d~ethrOned, saw
age nations civilized, the shackles of
slavery broken. The "goOd tldings
OF great joy first proclaimed nine
teen centuries ago are being told
unto all nations.
But it is useless to carry the COM
parison further. Take this thought
with 20 into the new century: The
world is getting better, men are get