The Greeley tribune., 1908-05-28
so NEW
Some observation by Satirlcus
First Paper


regular fu,daH "''''''''"
ana ,.. .s consisted of a single ora
,;n, ,.,..ouInE with the line, Are
va, nav Noung friends that you
,,,,.. -. nf light and know ledge.
M, considerably more than half
a Co., ,ru and in view OF the ad-
,,,no,,." sr,. I'M the arts and sciences.
IN inva,tinn and discovery, many
vouny ,.,nla of this age are apparent
| lv inclt,41 TO regard all previous times
os harl1-tr or semi civilized. Smart
and ,r;,a they certainly are in speech
and thcgehr: but considering that we
ara the heirs OF all the ages gone
before t IS on the contrary rather
surnr,s,rs how little that we really
know is actually new to mankind
in princlple. even If new in aplica'
ton. Our scientists know that the
larger share of modern discoveries
were suspected, conjectured and
many o. them even predicted centu-
ries befure we merely made use OF
them. iAll scholars know that really
new ideas are about as scarce as hens
teeth. land the most cursory OF gen
eral readers know that nearly all of
our supposedly original yarns. nine
out OF ten OF our current jokes and
hoaxes, and a great deal of what pass
es as smart modern slang antedate
the century of my schoolmate orator.
and the one before it. and many be-
yond. | think | could write two. or
possibly three articles on this subject
that would probably interest Tribune
readers: perhaps, | may: but mean
time l discover that | have inadvert-
emily Jus made use of a word OF very
humble. even vulgar origin. but
which al one time was so apt. so ex
pressive and appealed so to the un-
derstandngs OF all classes of society.
high and low, that it became a stand
ard form OF speech illustrating guam
titles In our language. and is used
even nov by majority of both edu-
Gated and uneducated people every
day of their lives. "A great deal"
or "a good deal" Just analyze the
phrase and reflect on II and then we
shall hardy need any one to inform us
that 1t originated in time when the
vice OF gambling AT cards permeated
all classes OF society. and was one of
the chief amusements. il not the most
serious business of life In court cir
cles
or course all grown people OF our
time. and even the larger share Of
grade school children understand the
theory OF sound and sound waves |
infer. however. that many passably
people suppose Mr.. Edi-
son, the inventor, really discovered
the principle besides making applica-
tion of II in his phonograph But
aside from any other data l may my
self have on the subject note that
something more than five hundred
years age Chaucer. commonly desig.
mated as he father OF English poetry.
although he was not hit the theory
in Book j Of his "Hous Of Fame"
where ht distinctly enunciates that:
''Suun is noght but air y-broken
And every speche that is spoken
Loud or privee, fcul or fair
In his substance is but air"
am no scientific cuss.' but try
to Keep tabs on the scientific pro
gress of the age in which I still ling.
er. and read little now and then.
in other than the pages of the best
selling novels of the day. And so. be
fore ascending to the more trivial
OF modern civilized life on
the lines | have above indicated.
may as well touch on two or three
more scientific discoveries and the
Theories which ante-dated them II is
probable that no man ever made a
deeper Impression on the age in which
he lived. wrought a greater change
in its scientific or religious thought
than he late Charles Darwin or
course We are all familiar with the
facts hat Lamark and one or two
others lad previously promulgated in
a speculative way the theory OF evo-
luton which Darwin in his time so
careinly demontrated In his investi.
cations and after years OF experimen.
tation promulgated in his works upon
the subject but few have noticed or
If they did. called attendtion to the
fact that something like two thous-
and Years ago one Quintus Horatious
Flaccus more than limited at the sup.
posedly modern theory of the evolu.
non OF man from lower order OF
animal ancestry in the following lines
TO be iound in his third satire:
When rude animals, they crawled
forth upon the first formed earth. the
mute and dirty herd fought with their
nails and fists for their acorns and
caves, afterwards with clubs. and fin
any with arms which experience had
Forged Till they found out words and
names by which they ascertained
their 'anguage and sensations: thence
forward they began to abstain from
war 10 fortify towns. and establish
laWs nat no person should be
'hiet' or robber or an adulterer."
Astronomy being the earliest OF the
sciences to be investigated by prlmi-
I'VE man 1t is not therefore strange
lha' more should have been known.
ana sooner, concerning the sun and
ilsht and heat than regarding the
ia"s Of sound. II Is nevertheless n
niue surprising to the causual read
er VINO only In general way notes
'he progress OF scientific research