Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1901-01-23
rzB Old CENTURY
AND TEE NE W

"Ls Reese mart, vivs 10 rsi." The
18th Century Of the Christian era,
with il achisvsueats and IL failures
is sooonplishnsnt Of rosd and Of
III, has Pssssd 10 it, inal aocsunt
and the Genius Of History to-day
writes the FIRST lines in the book by
which its SUCCESSOR shall Be judged.
For the centuries, though they b
but arbitrary divisions Of Tine that
IN il csasslsss march hslts not for
any contrivsncs Of man, yet hsve
about them kind of persona, quail
~ Just ~ man, though be do
many things in his life, il rendered
chiefly by some one thing that he
has dons-by . grand deed, Q great
picture, . noble posm-so each CEN
tury amid ia infinity Of events will
be found 70 offer some psrticulsr
contribution TO the progress Of the
race which shall ever thereafter
ohsrsctsrizs and distinguish it.
Thus the 18th century was the CEN
tury OF Geographical Discovery, the
addition Of the Western continsnt to
the map Of the world being ia trans
cendsnt fact The invention Of the
art OF printing il the other Great of
that century most important in its
consequence The 10th century
vas the century Of Religious Trans
formation. The Protestant Rsfor-
nation set on foot by Luther, Huss.
Twingls, Erasmus, was it, stsrnArly
significant Development The ohisf
contribution Of the 18th century 70
subsequent progress was nathsusti-
cal and litsrsry. In the former
science, which il the basis Of all
other science, the invention Of An
alyic Geomstsry BY Des Cartss aud
OF the in6nitisinal calculus BY LIB
nitz and Newton were the most i'm
portsnt aohievmsnts sincs the dsys
Of Euclid. In literature it vitnsss-
cd the supreme and culminntinR ex-
prsssionon Of power in the final pre-
ducts Of the gsnias Of Shakespeare.
The 18th century was the century
ct Political Regeneration, marked by
tbs birth Of . rational systsn Of pop
ulsr govsrnmsnt a. q consequences Of
the American Reyolution ard the,
sumultuous but temporary over
threw Of n0narchial rule in tks
French Revolution.
We have not space 70 review in de-
tail the work Of the century iust
past In almost svsry domain Of.
human activity its Ofsripg has been.
rsspsctAbls and noteworthy; in one
especially it has been prs-sninsnt.
The 18th century wAs thu century of
Practical Invention; Of the spplica-
ton OF scisnos 10 the daily and
familiar needs Of the race. In the
held Of literature it has set manv
names among the grsatest of all
Tina, none, however, above the nas-
tsrs OF the earlier days. In Germany,
Goethe, and In France, Victor Hugo
and BaizAc, may possibly be awarded
the very hrst rank IN thsir respect
I've itsratsres. In England, Bryon,
Scott, Wordsworth, ThAcksry, Dick.
ems, MacsuIsy, Tsnnyson aud
Browning, in America, Poe and
Emerson are among the great few
who have written what will never
die. But none can claim Q higher
seat in the OligArchy Of genius than
those wherein are securely seated
their earlier sxsmplsrs-Homsr, Vir-
gii, Dante, Milton, Shakespeare. In
painting, Aillst, Bourgsra, Missonn-
Ter, Rosa Bomber, Turner, Miliss.
Leighton, Landsssr, Mumksosy, have
enriched the world With noble ex-l
amPlss of the pictorial art, yet they
must yield in the estimation Of crit
ios TO Raphasl, Leonardo, DaVinci.
Aichslangslo, Gudi Rsni, Rubsns,
ksmbrant and Titan. In music,
Chopin, Schubert, Sohumsnn, Ru-
bernstein, Wagner, List, Sir Arthur
Sullivan, Psdsrewiski, have set to |
meAsurs enhancing hArmoniss, but
the strains Of Bssthoysn and Mozart
remain unexcslisd, if not unap-
preached. The names Of Gladssons
and Bismark, ss masters Of State
craft, will endure, and Napoleon and