Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-06-28

ClaSSlCS Oh 6TeeCe anu rome.
No greater thing contributed to the
success Of Renaissance as a movement.
and nothing did more to make easier the
search for truth. than the invention of
the printing press in 1855. Like all me-
chanical devices which make for pro-
gress. It saved time and bridged geograph-
zeal distances, bringing outlying groups
into stronger intellectual and social COM
munion. The searcher after truth might
hereafter communicate his idea and his
belief not merely to those to whom the
spoken or the written word would serve,
but to a larger group Of those who had
the advantage Of n book and the ability
to read.
In 1892, Columbus discovered America,
and gave a new impetus to the search for
truth, because by this, men were able to
visualize the difference between the known
and the unknown. The discovery OF
America by Columbus broke the bondage
of the past, for 1t was given to men, even
those Of the simplest type OF mind, to
distinguish this difference. There was
parallel between the search for truth In
the unknown of science and the search
for new land in the unknown ocean.
From the time of the Copernicus. down
even to our modern day, the development
of science has been remarkable. 1t was
Ptolemac system and giving us modern
astronomy with the use of the inductive
method, laid the basis Of our great sci
ences and contributed by his remarkable
work a vast amount of the development
Of the others. 1t was Newton, in 1906. who
brought together astronomy and physics,
and annunciated once and for all the won
derful theory of gravitation. Useful as
this theory has been in the determination
of physical formula, 1t has been even
more useful in helping us to visualize
our concepts of scientific investigation.
Boyle in 1869 introduced analysis into
the science Of physics and chemistry. and
thus gave US a practical working basis,
for one Of the great fundamental scientific
procedures. and closely following him
came Priestly and Lavoisier, in 1T4 and
1779, laboring in the white hot political
period of the American Revolution, who
in a series of remarkable works advanced
pure and applied science and made for
ever possible respect and reverence for
truth in face of ignorant dogmatisnA
1t is a part of my thesis that the ad-
vances of free learning and the advance
Of free State are synchronous. that the
same wave of time which sees truth wear
ing down the walls of dogma in the INTEL
| lectual world sees it also wearing down
similar walls in the political world. Let
us look at the development Of the theory
of the State in the period just outlined
and in the years which preceded 1t.
In any remarkable development Of free
dom in the intellectual realm, because Of
the eagerness in the search for truth, po-
litical changes are inevitable. From the
Roman concepts of law and organization
was built up remarkable human insti-
tution-the Holy Roman Empire-which
only could be destroyed by force of an
even more remarkable institution-the
Papacy. For years the actions of men
were determined by autocraces or by
a small group, whose power lay in a COM
pact dogma bolstered up by an emotion
al feeling. Gradually, under the stimulus
| of the Renaissance, the mind of man
more and more questioned the dOgmatic
authority over intellectual thought, and
in the Reformation, this doubt took active
form. The backbone of dogmatism was
broken by the new learning and free
nationalism evident for some time began
to assume the proportions which it has
to-day. 1t was the constant struggle for
truth-for freedom in both political and
intellectual spheres-whch defined the
principles for which we to-day are fight
ing. 1t was by no accident that in the
year 162O-that year in which Lord Bacon
brought out his wonderful epoch making
book, the "Novem Organum." a cosmic
PHILOSOPHY and work which sketched def
initely and concisely the inductive meth
cd OF work from the known to the I'M
Iknown-that there landed in Massachus-
etts group of men who however, act
ed upon individually by the tyranny of
dogmatism within. at least acknowledged
as political truth the desire and the
necessity for the expression of truth.
was time when the French scientific
movement had given a scientific twist to
mems political thinking. The liberalism
of the French philosophers. who had
been brought to believe that science was
the acme Of human existence, wrote in
unmistakable terms the right Of peo-
pie to rule themselves in matters of the
mind.
In 1884, the year that Cavendish began
his constructive work as a chemist, the
treaty of peace with Great Britain was
largued and the United States became q
nation. while four years later the consti-
tuition Of the United States. a great hu.
man document, was given to the world as
an undisputed evidence. not only that
the people have the right to govern them.
selves, but also have the ability to do sc
even In the face of the most dire circum.
stances. The history OF the United
states. even in spite Of some dark spots
has evinced beyond a doubt that a de-
mocracy is practicable. and the sacrifict
OF the world at this time is made to SUD-
port this truth.
The period of 1S0O-1S65. in our own coun
try particularly. was one In which W,
may clearly discern the struggle between
the search for truth and dogma. Ths
great West was rapidly opening UP, read,
to receive the constant stream Of immi
grafton from the East, made up Of thos,
pioneer spirits who were with what re
manned Of New England dogmatism. TIL,
era of the political rule OF the lawyers
rather than that Of the ministers, cor
responded with the same general period
The dogmatc rule of New England Cal
vinism had been broken forever. 1t wa.
period OF general intellectual awaken
ing, when the great mass Of people liber
ated from the bondage OF what ignoranc,
brings, when scientific concepts are alb
. sent turned. and in America listened I,
AgassiZ. Just as the people Of England
at later time listened to Huxley. an,
to Ruskin, and still later to William
, Morris.
With that impulse towards intellectual
freedom there appears again simultane
, ously the impulse towards greater free
dom in the State.
The question Of slavery--a political a
well as an intellectual problem-arose I,
trouble the minds of men. There wer
[ the emotional abolitionists on one hand
! the men of Garrison type, ready to lin
} flame and to be infiamed, basing thei
| al 20 ho-