The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1906-01-25
Mr.. President, Honorable. ./udges, and

FeLl0zOS of tile Paerzlzn CarcLe.:
"HE Good Book tells us that in
the beginning God created man
in Ills own image-gave him
dominion over the earth-and
commanded him to subdue it. The
exact date of this interesting event is
not a matter of record; the place was
probably Ancient Asia, and we know
that far back of all recorded history
Central Asia was inhabited by race of
people, sufficient unto themselves. and
calling themselves Aryans, and that
they fostered a civilization which en-
braced the marriage relation, form of
religion, and "a scheme of government.
The first authentic history places the
scene of mans activities along the val
ley of the river Nile, and in the
basin between the Tigris and the
Euphrates rivers-or MesopOtamia, as
it is geographically known-and there,
about twenty y-seven hundred years be-
fore the birth of Him who was the
central figure in all history, two CEN
ters of civilization were in existence.
They were rivals and were connected
by roads for the passage of vast armies,
and the history of that period is little
more than record of the wars, and
counter-wars, INDUCED in by those fac
tions during the course of their strug-
giles for supremacy ever the adjacent
territory. part of which eventually
developed into the empires of Egypt,
Assyria and Babylonia, and with whose
histories we are not concerned other
than to note that, sometime prior to
the conquest of Egypt by the Persians,
(527 B. c. the seat of civilization had
been transferred to the peninsula of
Greece, where the history of Europe
began.
Greece, at that time, consisted of
number of small states, peopled by
various tribes, prominent among which
were the Spartans and the Athenians,
whose chief characteristics we're re-
fected in the rival cities of Sparta and
Athens. The Spartans were rough
and uncouth in their manners; they
were ambitious of war, and patriot
ism was their chief characteristic. The
Athenians, on the other hand, were
characterized by an innate sense of
refinement, and an inclination toward
intellectual pursuits. Now, recorded
history merely reflects what man has
accomplished, and the crises of times
past have determined, very materially,
the characteristics of the present; the
chain of events being so indissolubly
linked together that even minor events
or the most trivial happening may be
said to have Influenced some sub
sequent event of sufficient Importance
to sway the destinies of mankind
And notwithstanding this fact-which
1 shall ask you to keep in mind-the
limited time at my disposal will not en-.
able me to do more than merely tC
touch on a few of the many pivotal
events which, because of their inces.
SAINT Importance, not only arrest Oul
attention but arouse our interest, both
while we analyze the chain of causes
and effects by which they have helped
to make us what we are, and also
while we theorize on what we prob
ably should have been had any one ol
these events terminated in different
manner.
The first of these crises to which
shall direct your sttention-and ont
quite germane to the question at issue
grew out of the attempted conques
of Greece by the Persians, when tn
Athenians, representing the best ant
strongest element in Greece, were pu
to the necessity of defending the ma
tional independence. This resulted Il
the Battle of Marathon-(49O B. C) tn
first decisive battle of the world, an
recorded among the few battles o
which contrary result would hav
materially Influenced the subsequen
course of civilization, for when tn