The Chattanooga news. [volume] (Chattanooga, Tenn.) 1891-1939, 1919-07-12
LITTLE STORIES
OF THE NATIONS
Times Astonishing Changes in
the Groupings of the
Earth's Peoples.
(By Albert Barrett Sayres.
The Three Greatest Events Of tn
Eighteenth Century.


Eighteenth Century.
The period we have been considering
that which ended with the beginning
| of the nineteenth century--held many
| important changes In the life OF the
| world far beyond the borders of Europe.
| Some OF them were so momentous we
| should give them the emphasis of a
second consideration as things the like
| of which were never known before.
The greatest events of the eighteenth
| century were the rise OF Russia in east
ern Europe, the foundation of the Eng
| lish dominion of India and the estab-
| lishment of the United States OF
| America.
| Russia, as we have seen, swept aside
| the shackles of the Moguls and began
| to grow. She pushed Turkey southwark,
| pushed Sweden back into its old con-
| fines. and then with the help of Prus
STA and Austria Hungary utterly wiped
| Poland from the map as an independ-
ent nation. Beginning with one little
| port on a sea frozen over many months
| in the year. Russia acquired harbors
| that gave her outlets to the seven seas,
Through her success the Slavonic
race and the eastern church again rose
into special importance. In a measure,
| through the adoption by it's rulers of
| the title Of car and the exercise of
wide influence, Russia brought into i'm
portance again the old dream of the
tdelti II tlllpllts
AS we know, Portugal was the nation
that showed the way to new lands and
| to colonization. For a time it seemed
that Spain would be the great colo
nizing power OF the world: then France
stepped into first place. But all this
time England was growing, and later,
with swift leaps swept into the fore
front. From the day England first
firmly grasped control of India the
English took their place as the leading
people of the earth in colonization and
in distant dominion.
Between colonization and dominion
there Is a great difference. Colonization
means the building up OF a country
through immigration. Dominion means
the exercise of controlling power over
peoples who already live in the country
dominated. Both as Colonizers and as
dominion rulers the English took the
lead in the eighteenth century and have
held il ever since. The British empire
in India is the greatest example of dis
tant dominion, as distinguished from
colonization. the world has ever known
evidenced by any European power.
Just at the end of this period with
which we are dealing the vast continent
OF Australia opened another field for
English colonization. Left with the
great expanse OF Canada on this CONT
nent and with other colonies in every
sea, England in the eighteenth century
became the colony holding and dominion
exercising power we know today.
By this time France was altogether
driven out OF the world of distant do
minion, and Spain. Portugal and Hol-
land-the other colonizing powers-were
hard put to it to keep what they al
ready possessed
On the continent a new German power
had arisen--Prussia Italy. as we know
1t, did not exist 1t was merely bat
tlefied for the other powers, a land in
which the younger branches of ruling
families could be provided for. Yet the
house Of Savoy was gaining new terri
tory with nearly every new treaty Of
peace.
The wrestling from England of the
colonies that became the United States
of America was at first a serious blow
to Great Britain. Consider what Great
Britain would be If this country still
were part of it. Like each of the
other great changes of this period. the
ESTABLISHING Mt OF the United States was
the real beginning of/a new state of
things
1t is not pride in race that leads
US to say that Of all the changes of
the eighteenth century, the greatest in
effect was the establishment of this ma
ton OF which you and | are citizens.