Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1901-01-03
ABILENE WEEKLY REFLECTOR ABILENE KANSAS JANUARY 1W PAGES
The Twentieth csntury's Yereeast.

e"~AsASsN SSAsesJ 4~sS
DR.. Lyman Abbott in the Outlook
has this forecast Of the goth CEN
tury's achievements, an admirably
written prophecy:
ut is impossible to forecast the
probable advances in science, wheth-
er practical or theoretical, nor is it
easy even to indicate what fields re-
main for it to conquer. OF this We
may be sure: the principle Of evolu.
ton which it has established, which
Is the basis Of moral as well as
scientific progress, will not be lost
70 the world.
sin education we have to adjust
our school system to the rapidly
gro wing sphere Of knowledge, SO that
1t will deal with oil subjects without
being superficial in any, and will
train the moral faculties without Civ
ing to the training denominational
or dogmatic character.
''ln theology the church has to
complete that process Of reconstruc-
ton already begun, in order to har-
monte the philosophy Of religion
with that which is now the accepted
postulate Of all other philosophy
the doctrine Of evolution-and so to
readjust its religious teaching to the
conception Of divine immanence as to
revivify that reverence and love
which are possible only toward a per-
sonal God. We have to carry on
still further the ethical development
Of the past, so as at once to root
ethical conceptions in eternal law
and to show their application to all
the relations Of life.
I'm politics the rights Of men are
theoretically recognized in England
and America, and measurably in all
western Europe, as the basis Of
government, but the rights and duties
OF nations toward each other have vet
to be defined, by gradual develop.
ment and application Of international
law and a solution OF the problem.
what ore, the duties which the civil.
lied nations owe to those that are
uncivilized or semi.civilized?
Brotherhood is as yet an academic
opinion or an ethical sentiment; the
work Of the reiormer, whether in
thought or in action, is to formulate
It's principles, to learn what are the
obligations Of man to
nis brother man, and to apply them
10 the solution OF current social
problems.
ITO create an American school OF
music, which now has little except
TsTols songs wthtf II -tsanctivs,1
gives scope for the musical genius Of
he future; to develop an American
'rt. which is still too commonly
initiative, will call for the best work
4 the artists.
The fact that most Of our litera.
ure first appears in newspapers and
PERIODICALS does more to extend its
REGULATION than to raise its quality II
he creation Of libraries, public and
rivate, and the creation OF leisure for
ontinuous reading are the most /
Immediate needs for the development
higher type Of literature.
america has the capacity to
reate; it has to develop higher
opacity to enjoy. In brief, II its
lief characteristic is freedom, the
rst duty Of the twentieth century is
learn how to use that freedom in v
'ligion, politics, society, art, litera- I
ire, so as to maintain the highest t
10. The work which lies before the t
yentieth century is as great as that c
hich the nineteenth century has L
'complished." d