Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-10
A NINE DAYS WONDER
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

A nineday wonder is an event
that occasions general gossip, specu
lation and amazement that it could
have occurred. for the period of time
indicated. Chaucer and Haywood first
discovered or reported it something
like five centuries ago. At least, they
were the first to comment upon the
disposition of humankind to marvel
for nine days over a happening out OF
the ordinary.
During the greater part Of the
centuries that have elapsed since their
time there were many nine days
wonders. Most of them were local in
character killing, a scandal, sin
ner turned pious, a feat of physical
skill or endurance, an unexpected wed
ding, a seemingly miraculous escape
from death, sudden riches to any one
in a community, a freak of lightning
a biological. phenomenon such as the
birth of triplets or two-headed calf.
and the like.
But many of them were of world
wide significance and Occasioned the
nine days of marveling in every To-
cality that learned of them. During
the first Of those centuries, for in
stance, there was the invention of
printing, with the appearance Of print
ed books that in beauty and crafts
manship have never been excelled
There was the development of the
idea that women as we'll as men
should be educated. There was the
miracle Maid Of Orleans, Joan of Arc
There was peace for the first time in
hundred years between England and
France. There were marvelS in med
icine and surgery. There was the
voyage of Columbus and his discovery
of new world. There was Copper.
nicus.
There was the invention of the wheel
barlow, which has been facetiously
characterized as the greatest of all
inventions because it taught Irish
men to walk on their hind legs!
Down Through the Centuries.
Down through the succeeding cen
turie., there has been the same long
list of nine days wonders of local ol
community character, ever-recurrins
and always accorded the traditional
tribute. And there has been an even
longer list of wonders that set the
world agog.
More and greater marVels in medi
cine and surgery-too many to be
enum n tied. Wonders of invention
the steam engine, the railroad, tho
steamboat. the telegraph, cable, tele
| phone, wireless and radio, electricity
the utilization Of natural gas and the
discovery of artificial gas. plumbing
and the bathtub, the sewing machine
the typewriter, ships Of iron and steel
| rubber and it's myriad uses, innumer
able weapons Of war, machines thai
do everything except think, Dhotog
| raphy, motion pictures, and the trans
mission Of photographs by telegraph
or telephone, the toothbrush and tbs
safety razor, new foods, new drinks
the steel pen and the fountain pen
the making of paper from wood pulp
modern printing presses, newspapers
and magazines, the linotype, adding
and computing machines, chemical
dyes, the monograph. the automobile
the submarine, the airplane, and what
not. 1t Is a never-ending list, because
each century, each year, each day, has
added to it, and tomorrow Is ever
pregnant
Innovations in human relationships
and in government, the birth of mod
srn democracy, the abolition of slavery
woman suffrage, bolshevism, Fascism
religious tolerance. new religions, con
slant, changes in the conventions and
standards of living.
And it has been within the present
century, as yet little more than A
quarter old, that such nine days won
ders have come to pass in greatest
number and most rapidly. In every
| field Of human activity and interest
scarce a day has gone by without al
event or development that is quite
or almost epochal in it's significance
and this period has witnessed q Worit
War, which never happened before
and one that was featured by refine
ments or Improvements in lifetakint
| such never had been dreamed OF
by barbarians or by civilized peoples
| During these 81 years, in fact, the
wonders have come so thick and fast
| the impossible has been achieved sc
| often, and so many queer or extraordi
! nary things have happened. that PEG
| nile in general have ceased to marvel.
| Men Have Ceased to Marvel.
They don't thrill any more. Moth
| ing surprises them. They have quit
marveling. They are grown blase. Ir
| short, there Is no longer any such
thing as a nine-day wonder. The un
| expected Is constantly expected, il
such a bull may be permitted.
| Man first took the air, and kept VI
| in it, in a heavier-than.air machine al
| Kittyhawk. N. c., in the dawn Of thi:
| century, and the world was at once
amazed, incredulous and speculative
| II had a lot to talk about and there
was a lot of talking done for nine
| days and more.
A youth hops off the earth in Cali