The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1901-01-17
Twentieth Century.
INTERESTING TALKS ABOUT THE PAST AND
FUTURE.
Addresses Delivered at the Watch.
Protestant Church - Achievements
of the Nineteenth Century and
0Iimpses Into the Future Before Us.

of the Nineteenth Century and
0Iimpses Into the Future Before Us.
The following addresses delivered
at the Watchnight Service at the
Methodist Protestant church. were
intended for publication last week but
| were not handed in soon enough.
The first speaker was MIR. I. T. Hicks,
his subject being
SOME THINGS BEFORE THE CENTURY.
He said:
People have learned to think of the
closing century as the most wonderful in
achievement; and they base its claims
chiefly on the statement that during the
century time and space have been an
initiated But in considering the
achievements of the nineteenth century
we should remember the words of Tenny
| son, who is Justly regarded as its great
est literary man. that we are 1.-The heirs
of all the ages in the foremost files OF
time 1t is true that many and great
things have been accomplished and many
inventions wrought out in the last cen
fury; among them l will mention matches
and cigarettes and other combustibles,
but, upon consideration, most OF the CEN
tury's achievements will be found to be
only the application of principles known
and understood long before. The mighty
locomotive and all the other achieve
ments of the power OF steam owe their
origin to the discovery by Watt of the
power that lifted the kettle top while
boiling water to make him some coffee.
In my judgment the very greatest thing
that ever did occur on earth, except the
incarnation and crucifxion of our Savior,
was the discovery of the art of printing.
This was nearly five hundred years ago.
This art preservative of all arts carries
the humblest and the poorest into the
homes and hearts and minds of the great
est and makes the knowledge of the
wisest men of all time the common
property of us all. 1t quickens the intel
lect. and the mind contact creates such
genius that this country alone produces
the necessaries OF life for fifteen times as
many people as were here a hundred
years ago, and now exports annually
more than a hundred times as much as
was then produced in the whole country.
We laud and magnify the power of steam,
| and deservedly, but did it ever occur to
you what use could be made of steam
without her handmaidens. the wheel and
| axle?-Or the lever, the principle of sue
These SO common things We're discovered
thousands of years ago. Three millions
| of people in New York have fresh water
| i'll abundance because of the principle Of
the incline plane, the simple arrangement
being made Tor water to run down pipe
from a mountain lake. Great as are our
! achievements we should not forget the
subjugation OF the horse to the uses of
| man. the melting of sand into glass, the
| myriads of uses of iron, the building of
houses, the laws of trade and commerce
| by which the poorest may, by a little eff
fort, have for his breakfast the best pro-
ducts Of the world. We had, too, before
| this century. full personal instructions
from God to us in His word, the Bible,
| which, though for a long time chained
| and kept in the hands of priests only,
! was liberated hundreds of years ago by
| the reformation of Luther and made the
| common property of all. We had the
| church and Savior long, long ago. We
had the greatest achievements of the
| human mind in the works of Shakespeare
| who expressed most beautifully about
every thought ever yet conceived by man.
| We had Milton and Dante and Virgil and
Homer. OF whom it was said:
Seven dss splendid cities contend for Homer
Through which the living Homer begged
| In the long ago the pure Gospel was
preached, subject ever old and ever
new. Truly did the poet say I'VE are the
heirs of all the ages God has endowed
each one of us with a part of Himself.
He established this world and every part
of it He filled with law and rules and set
us to find them out. Little by little, and
sometimes at a bound, we find them out
and comprehend them; and each age has
the benefit of the accumulatiOns of all
past ages. Gradually His thoughts and
purposes unfold themselves to us until we
shall become as gods. These reflections
give us cause for rejoicing, and a spirit of
bright hope for the future.
| In the days of the century to begin in
the next 40 minutes we shall see still
greater achievements | expect to see
among other things a system OF perfect
roads erected in all civilized countries,
the entire cessation of the use of liquor as
q beverage, for which we shOuld earnestly
pray and strive; aerial navigation is sure
to come, much more difficult things have
| been accomplished; q comprehension of
the laws of nature and the power to com
| press the air in such manner as to ma Ike
heavy bodies float in it. is deemed by
| scientists certain; personal comforts Will
increase; means of keeping cool in sum
mer and warm in winter will be found
We shall have in the new century a clear
| diagnosis and ready cure OF many dis
| eases now SO often fatal such a. pneu-
monia. typhoid and yellow fever, con
sumption and other ma lades that have
so long cen the dr. cad Of our race Edu-
cation will gradually increase until ignor-
ance Will flee away. and whereas now in
| many instances one takes snuff and a
thousand snt eye. in the coming century
every one will think for himself and from
the brain attributes that will occur good
to all will result. OF course there will
always be some who will never attain
unto the sunlight of liberty and Joy
Just as in our late war there was a man
near here who never had ten dollars
though money became SO plentiful that we
carried it to market in basket and
brought back our purchases in our vest