Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1905-03-30
WHAT THE MAN OF FIFTY HAS
SEEN
(From the Boston Transcript

The man of 80 gifted with good powers
OF memory can recall historic events of
the first Importance to IA number rarely
eoualled in any other half-century of
modern times. We are often told that
this is Il matter-of-fact era a prosaic
period. that many of us arc apt TO believe
it. Yet. il We look at what has happened
and the consequences still operative we
ought to be able at "A glance to perceive
that those who imply that the history Of
the last five decades is to be written only
in ledgers are themselves either blinded
or. what Is much the same thing are &C.
cupying. unconsciously. not coign of
advantage. but a corner for a viewpoint.
Let the man of so. born in 1855. come
out into the OPEN and look with his own
eyes and ne will perceive that the an
nails of the years he has lived are replete
with striking incidents. the general trend
of which has been towards the develop
mcnt or confirmation of the principle
Of national unity. Since ne was born the
Kingdom OF Italy has been established
in 1Si9-iSG0. He was but four years old
when at Solferno and Magenta the end
of Austrian Influence in Italy was writ
ten in blood and fire. The balance of
again in consequence of the establish
ment Of Italian unity worked out by the
expulsion of those Bourbon princes who
fingered for a time on their thrones after
he Hapsburgs had been expelled.
| When n man of 80 was six our civil war
began. in reality a struggle for unity in
which the downfall of slavery was in
volved. At II he could read the dis.
tch hrt nj Of t,t r
sia over Austria. Sndowa settled the
que stion which power should dominate
Germany. or rather which should be
man unity had been taken. Italy kept
company with Prussia and by conse-
quence of the latter's victory acquired
\enetia, thus leaving only Rome lack
! ing to the completion Of Italian unity.
The intelligent boy of Ii is close reader
of news of national activities. and he
of 1870 mad stirring reading in the story
Of united Gcrmany's triumph over
France. the fall of Napoleon III. the
succession of the French republic, and
the establishment of the German en-
pre- under the house Of Hohenzollern.
Once more the balance of power in
Europe was rcadjustcd to meet the es-
tablishment of Il national unity which
has since been dominant in its continent
tai politics. In 1871 came the war between
Russia and Turkey. The Turkish EN-
prc was still further pruned down and
in the process was developed the estab-
lsnment or safety of Balkan states
whose aspirations of nationality were
crowned with success in more or less
measure. Five years later Great Britain
has begun that occupation of Egypt
which has re ndercd that country in all
but name a British possession and made
British influence in the Mediterranean
paramount. Herein the aspirations of
national unity were rudcly crushed be-
cause they promaturely put forth their
challenge.
The man OF So was 40 when our war
with Span. which was to make us a
colonial power, began. and all the time
he was growing from youth to middle age
great map-changing operations were on
Russian was steadily pushing eastward
launching Khiva and Bokhara, advancing