Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-10-29
PROPHETS OF YESTERDAY.
Things Of the Present Were Not Hid
den to Great Souls.

Literary antiquarians are finding al
kinds Of prophecies covering events Of
today. and some Of them are enough
to awaken the spirit Of marvel in view
OF the remote contingency as to the
day of fulfillment. For example. what
could have put 1t into the head OF
George Sand seventy-two years age
that American forces would ever oc-
cupy French soil? Mr.. ]. s. y: Davis
sends to the New York Times this lit
erary find
George Sand. in her novel Maui
pratt written in 1916, put into the
mouth Of Bernard Mauprat. in about
the middle Of the fifteenth chapter. the
following words:
"'In his (Marcasse's) dreams he
used to see an army of victorious
Americans disembarking from num-
berless ships. and bringing the olive
branch Of peace and the horn of plen-
ty to the French nation etc.
"Mauprat in his old age Is telling
the story Of his life and was here CIV
ing an account Of himself and friends,
their doings and thinkings, while in
America with Lafayette fighting for
American freedom.
1T would be hard to find a more lit
eral fulillment Of any written express
sion"
Tennyson's "Locksley Hall" places
it's author as a safer guesser in view of
the declared determination Of science to
conquer the physical universe; but the
Catholic Citizen (Milwaukee) thinks
his vision Of seventy years ago an "al-
most uncanny forecast" not only of
"the present world-upheaval, but even
the instruments of warfare developed
in its course, and the result to follow
Armageddon." 1t quotes this passage:
For I dipped into the future. as far as human
eye could see,
Saw the vision Of the world. and all the won
,-l. dar that would b:
Saw the heavens all with commerce. argosies
Of magic sails,
Pilots Of the purple, twilight. dropping down
with costly bales:
Heard the heavens fill with shouting. and there
raind O ghastly dew
From the nations airy nayies graphing In the
central blue:
Far along the worldwide whisper of the south
wind rushing warm.
With the standards of the peoples plunging
through the thunderstorm
Till the war-drum throbb'd no longer. and the
battle-fags were furl'd
In the parliament Of man. the Federation of
the World.
The cue being given. another deliver.
writer to the New York Sun, finds
that in 1S49 Victor Hugo, addressing
the Peace Congress In Paris. foreshad-
owed the United States Of Europe"
Mr.. Isaac Markens comments before
quoting the French poet that "Germa-
ny's subsequent role in the history OF
nations. more especially the theft OF
Alsace Lorraine in 1871 and her Dra-
CONAN policy Of the past four years,
leaves no doubt Of Hugo's attitude
with respect to Germany's representa-
ton in the proposed confederation,
were he living today" Hugo then
said:
"A day will come when you, France
you. Russia. you, Italy, you, England
you, Germany, all you nations Of the
Continent. shall. without losing your
distinctive qualities and your glorious
individualities, blend in a higher unity
and form a European fraternity. even
as Normandy, Brittany, Bergundy, Lor-
raine, Alsace. all the French provinces
blended into France.
"A day will come when war will
seem as impossible between Paris and
London, between Petersburg and Ber.
lin, as between Rouen and Amiens. be
tween Boston and Philadelphia.
"A day will come when bullets and
bombs shall be replaced by ballots, BY
the universal suffrage Of the people
by the sacred arbitrament Of great
sovereign senate, which shall be to Eu.
rope what the Parliament Is to Eng
land, what the diet is to Germany
what the legislative assembly is tc
France.
"A day will come when a cannon
shall be exhibited in our museums as
an instrument of torture is now. and
men shall marvel that such things
could be.
"A day will come when we shall see
those immense groups, the United
States Of America and the United States
Of Europe, in face Of each other. ex-
tending hand to hand over the ocean
exchanging their products, their COM
merce. their industry. their art; their
genius clearing the colonizing deserts
and ameliorating creation under the
eye Of the Creator.
And to you appeal. French. Eng.
lish, Germans, Russians, slavs. Euro
peans Americans. what have we to dc