The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-06-24

IuIOpe duu tnelT return to tNeir iOrlncr
homes were attended by consequences IN
Europe far greater than would aavc been
/ the conquest OF all the East and tn rescue
of the relics OF all the saints. In the hrst
! place they had bronet the power ol tho
Saracens by successive impacts upon hem,
| ~ prolonged conflict with them.
They had fought fire with fire. Religious
| lauaticisni was matched against religious
| hnaticism, and 1t inflicted such uIn,sh.
| ment upon the rapacous aud crup, Nu>su''
man that he has never been abe 10 rally
! from 1t. Although he reached the shores
| Ot Europe later on. he was C$hMlsted win
| the struggle. and has continued IN y state
| of langushing impotency ever sin"c. In
! the second place the Crusade haI 4
/ marked and lasting effect upon the Cru
/ salers themselves and IN spite ot ttcr
! suffering and losses the galn was greater
| than the loss. Tor It brought them INTO dl-
rect and immediate contact with the
! East. at that time the cultivated and re-
! fined rortion OF the word. Co1stratinn.
| pie and Antioch, the two great stprchuuscs
vi ancient art and learning, ana the GER.
tres of the wealth and culture OF TIE East.
had become familiar TO them. AnttDch
WIS for time m their hands. The sp'cn.
did buildings. fine fabrics, beautiful STAT
Ucs. costly gems were revelation TO he
! Crusaders, and scrvLu as object lessons.
while the elegant cehlements sp!en lid
leornin. Of the East were not without their
effect upon the coarse. nude and unframed
llrhaJilns OF the West. Those who sur.
viycd the conflict returned with new ideas
ot the character OF the world in which thoy
lived. Of the ncaning Of civilization. OF I he
possibilities OF huwauitv, and OF the dc.
fec's Of Europe. They had been 10 school
and had Travelled. Their view of lie hal
been brO1dened and their minds enriched
br contact with superior conditions ot ne.
au1 great mental and moral revolution
lad been wrought in thcm.
liut the Crusadcs had ais, m immediate
and lasting effect mon Eurona itsc,f Tor
hv cn,istinG in the Crusadcs the serf bought
his freedom from tho soil. Tho debtor waS
freed from his creditor. lie that won't oft
save came hack free man with gold
coin in his pocket and soTo new ideas OF
the world in his head. Scrflow. vii'ain1gc
ard saTe,v were practically abolished IN
Europe. The cities also had been able, hv
immense sums Of money paid to the herpJ-
itary princes, who held iordship over them.
TO buy their freedom and secure charters
for themselves which made them indep"rG-
ent in the contro, oi petty rulers and hv
the lOnr absence Of the nOb,cs in the East.
the middle c,Gs.os had learned to admins.
ter their own affairs, and 50 the ba"khon"
OF tho ieudal system was broken and the
nerod oi freedom and enlightenment cane
IN, Modern udustria!sm was ln1uEurateG.
New ideas sprang M and q redistribution
OF wealth and privileges took place. to-
gethev with . new sense Of their own place
IN the word and new wants and ambi.
tions in the common peopc. The imme-
date results 20 Europe OF the CrUs1dcS
were irca 'cu,abc. 4 new spirit OF human.
ity and OF enterprise, OF hone and OF am
b!-lOn had sprung ur. and the death war
rant WAS signed OF the ancient regime ot
ignorance. superstition and terror which
had reigned for a thousand years.
The second great movement that hast.
cned the final conflict for religious liberty
was the Renaissance or revival of learning
in Europe which followed upon the taking
Of Constantinople by the Turks in l451.
That was a momentous event for Western
Europe. 1t sent hundreds OF Greek schol-
ars and literatti to find reingc in the West.
The learning and the MSS. which they
brought with them created great stir.
Schools. academies and universities sprang
mp everywhere. and the church ceased to
be the sole custodian OF knowledge. 1t
was as n part Of that movement that the
University OF Wittenberg was established
bv the Elector of Savonv. to which one
Martin Luther came in lJOS as preacher
and professor OF Theology. A spirit of in
quirv was wakened. investiga tlons were
instituted, and historical and scientific
studies were taken UP in real earnest. The
cold and lifcless Journalism that had char
actcrized tine logic OF the school men dis.
appeared. Tho study OF the Greek and Ro.
man classics became passion. Princes
and potentates We'd with each other in Sc.
curing eminent scholars and elegant liter.
atti to adorn their courts. and the rich
and the great became the profllse patrons
of learning, and SHARED no pairs and no
expense in collecting MSS. and creating
libraries and schools Of learning. The
minds Of men already liberated from their
i
nuickencd and enlightened by the new
learning which soon spread among all
classes OF the people
II addition to these great movements
and perhaps as a consequence OF them was
the spirit OF adventure which now broke
out simultaneously in Italy and Spain,
France and England. Germany and llol.
land. INSPIRED by Columbus, native of
Genoa. Italy, hundreds OF adventurers
in search OF new lands. or new passages to
the East. New continents were discovered
and the globe was circumnavgated. In.
vention also was cuickened. printing by
movable types and the manufacture of
paper from rags had but recently been in.
vented. The mariners compass came into
general use in navigation. The telescope
was invented and the heavens explored Tor
new worlds. as the seas for new lands.
The whole period was one OF unprecedent'
ed mental activity and ferment. Coperni.
Gus. by his new system OF ASTRONOMY. and
KeDler, bv his laws. we've soon revolution.
i1inQ astronomy. All OF these lhings had
their effects upon the minds OF men. The
discovery of the size and ne of he earth
of its relation to other bodies in space: OF
the immense distances in the heavens and
the vast systems OF worlds in space: the
changes OF mems ideas as to the centre of
the universe and the revelation that it was
not the earth but that the earth was only
an insignificant member Of a system whose
centre was the sun: all served to teach
men the uncertainty and instability OF
things thev had been accustomed to regard
as established hevond the peradventure of
doubt, and led them TO expect and pre.
pared them TO receive changes in other
spheres of THOUGHT and realms OF life, A
spirit of skepticism became general and in.
vaded even the church, and everything
seemed to converge upon and conspire to.
ward single point, until nothing could
withstand the conjunction of forces which
worked tn free the human mind from bond-
age and the human spirit from thralldom.
Beginning with the struggle for religious
liberty, it ran on to compass the liberty of
the whole man aud was destined not to
stop until he was every whit free. 1t has
already secured for us the liberty of con.
science, the right OF private judgment, po-
litical and personal freedom. But the end
is not vet, and what it shall be no man
In Hut nd