The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1905-02-04
PRESENT Tendency Of SOCIETY
Thoughtful Discourse the Evolution of societyFom 1nd
vidualism to Socialism Competition
to cooperation.
Delivered Before the Steam Engineers Union by Rev. j.
Sheenberger, Pastor Of the First
Christian Church.

The Steam Engineers union listened
meeting by Rev. J.. K. Schellenberger
Of the First Christian church, on the
'Tendencies of Society" The ADDRESS
Is given below in fgll and we su at'1dH
by our readers. It is a gem IN
ject so much differently than we are
used to dwell upon it in these columns
we are sure that it will bring out con-
siderable after discussion. The adj
dress Is as follows:
In order for the astronomer to meas
ure the distance to the stars and COM
must get base for his triangle. For
some purposes he gets base OF sur
ficient length between points on the
same continent. For other purposes
Of a diameter Of the earth, thus get
ting the longest base the earth within
herself can afford. But for the long
est measurements he takes his Obser-
getting the diameter of our orbit for a
base-a line stretching away into mill
ions of miles.
The tendencies Of society cannot be
determined by the measure Of a dec
is scarcely long enough. A millennium
is better. An age is better still. Many
a man has thought to measure the
progress of the world and determine
it's direction by his own individual ex-
bly, and inevitably affected by the con-
dition of his liver at the time the OBJ
servation is taken. If his liver is
active and digestion good, his conclu-
they are the opposite.
Things are not as they, were when
I was boy" is the pet phrase of the ,e.
getting either better or worse in ac-
cordance with his past experience.
1t is not my purpose to try to dis
cover the tendency of society by a
study of the last decade, but by get
compute angles. In other words, l
shall compare the past with the pres
ent and if possible deduct a conclu-
sion concerning the future.
Rapid Advancement through Centuries.
One hundred years ago the world, in
beyond the days. of Jesus and Caesar.
More advancement was made In the
first fifty years of the nineteenth CEN
fury than in all the ages preceding
quarter Of the nineteenth century the
progress was greater than in the first
half. And the progress of the last
decade has been equal to the first sew
enty-five years." said Mr.. Gladstone in
the evening of his life.
The nineteenth century has been a
century Of discovery and invention:
The printing press came to the world
in the seventeenth. Excepting these
the apparatus Of the world has been
invented since 1900.
The railways, steam navigation, tel
egraphy, the telephone, matches, gas
lighting, electric lights and railways
come to us in the nineteenth century.
These gifts society has not allowed
to lie unused, but as soon as she founc
them she endeavored 20 appropriate
New Inventions Create New Necessi.
The new invention created a new
| necessity. The new necessity in turr
called for a new invention, and the
coming, until in the midst of the accel
there no end?"
Only the miserable pessimist viii
6lessing S But the Ms'e blessing ee eeen ha5
wrought a wondrous change in soci
ETY.. Let us take an observation ant
see where we are.
Before the days Of steam navigation
every nation was virtually a nation
. unto itself, necessarily severed from
i others. Each nation produced it's ow1
raw material, did it's own manufacture
ing. and was largely the consumer Of
Before the railroad came each vii
lage, town, and city was a world with
In itself Until the days of Peter thu
unacquainted with herself. Each dis
trict held it's own clan, and was il
| itself its own world. When the Cru
saders were organized, Europe bega1
self and with Southern civilization
| and came home poorer and wiser. two
centuries of unsuccessful fighting tool
away Europes clannish, churlish, boor
more complex, but more useful. Thos'
days, as we'll as our own, were days O
combines. Petty kings feared eacl
other and united because they wer
vantage ground, united ali the Yves
and placed himself on the throne o
the. West. Europe's former privac;
and, simplicity were gone. They ha
only be appreciated when we think o
John Wiclyfre, John Huss, William
Farrell, and finally Luther. Those wer
days when it seemed the log book wa
lost all records gone, chart and com
pass thrown into the sea, while tn
ship drifted any way, every way
Through it all, Europe became a ne1
Europe and better Europe.
The World In Its Travel.
So with the coming of steam naviga
ton and the railroads. The worl
with herself anew. Once more he
privacies were broken into Morriso
went to China, Judson to India, PER-
ITO Japan. The Saxon went every
where and back again, and to-day b
is at home in any corner of the eartl
The railroads have tied our states tt
gether so that we can go to bed
Duluth and get up in Chicago; unit
the Californian markets his orange
and raisins in New York city. TIL
electric car has tied the city to il
suburbs. until distance of a few mile
is reduced to nothing. The Telegram
has become a gigantic nervous systel
flashing news from head to foot {
continents. It has tied nations tc
gether until national secrets are few
Our Associated Press has it's indomita
BILE, omnivorous, omnipresent, wonder
fully inventive, miraculously resource
full news gatherer In every nook an
corner of the globe. He gathers hi
news from the world and lays it dow
neatly condensed, and easily to b
read, on your breakfast table ever
morning. The telephone steals int
our home and takes away another {
our privacies. The intimacy grow
Every man deems it his privilege
come into your home without intro
duction and greet you with a lust
"Hellor'
If travel and social intercours
changed the media oval world from tn