The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1906-06-28

nineteenth century than during any
preceding period of thousand years is
laboring under an egregious misconcep-
ton.
1t must be borne in mind that an
enormous expenditure Of activity ana
genius are invariably involved in the
evolution of the primary elements OF
every kind of knowledge "All begin
nings are difficult" But after the
primary elements of any art or any
science have been evolved after the way
has been blazed after the field has been
cleared-a multiplicity Of great and far
reaching achievements becomes well
nigh inevitable.
All thinkers still marvel at the
wondrous achievements of the ancient
Chaldaeans, Babylonians, Assyrians, and
Egyptians in numerous lines of activity.
From them the ancient Greeks borrow
ed the primary elements Of their arts
and culture. In ancient Greece all things
conspired toward the development of a
wondrous civilization within the space
of few centuries. The commercial
achievements of the Phoenicians and
Carthaginians, too, were such as to call
forth the unstinted admiration of the
greatest living historians
After Greek civilization had reached
its elimination, Greek arts and Greek
culture were transferred to Rome; and
the Roman Empire, after the Punic
wars, became the great stage on which
were enacted those activities which
providentially cleared the way for the
gradual evolution of existing European
nations and the adoption and diffusion
of a grander and nohler civilization than
the world had ever witnessed before.
While the nineteenth century witness
ed great multiplicity of marvellous
achievements, the inhabitants OF the
civilized world during that century
achieved no more than the generations
of the preceding century had a right to
expect OF them.
A famous old physician, on being told
that his son, young physician, surpass,
ed him in medical learning said, He
the son would be fool if he didn't;
for | have told him everything ! know,
and should consider him a nincompoop
if he had not found out something by
his own activity" Just 80 the eighteenth
century, when il expired, bequeathed all
the possessions it had inherited from all
preceding centuries, to the nineteenth
century, whose generations did not have
to expend much energy and genius upon
the work Of evolving primary elements
in any line of activity.
They were at the very outset equipped
with the primary elements Of many new
arts and sciences They found the way
blazed in every direction. They found
the deck cleared for action. They found
themselves supplied with libraries con
tanning the thought Of all civilized ma
tions of all preceding centuries They
found themselves equipped with II
splendid vehicle of thought-a fully.
evolved, finished and polished language
with everything pertaining thereto.
They found thousand and one arts in
. furnishing state Of development They
found that preceding generations had
largely succeeded in subduing the earth
All the great orders Of architecture had
been evolved centuries ago. Religious
and legal institutions were hoary with
age. All known types Of government
had been fully developed, "A govern.
ment OF the people, by the people, and
for the people had been established in
the Western World Literary genius
had reached its elimination in many
nations The printing press had been
in operation for centuries Numerous
great centsrs Of learning were flourish.
ing. Ships had been plying the main
for centuries The exact sciences had
reached a considerable degree Of per
lection. Great progress had been made
in all departments Of Physics. In the
realms Of geography, cartOgraphy, navi.
cation, and astronomy, also great pro.
gress had been made, Thousands Of
such articles ar constitute the necessities
Of life had been, and were being, manu-
featured or made, with great success.
Hundreds Of new lines of endeavor had
been, or were being mapped out,
Indeed, the way had been well nigh
cleared for thousand new activities.
Great progress had been made in the
realms of anatomy, physiology, botany
and photography. And, finally, "a
thousand and one Injuries, or con
veniences, of life had been introduced
If, with such splendid equipment
and under SO many suspicious and pro
pitious circumstances, the generations
Of the nineteenth century had achieved
much less than they did achieve, they
would have proven themselves unworthy
Of the great heritage that came to them.
This article is reply TO series of
statements made in baccalaureate
sermon the writer listened to last Sun
day night