Year: 1870

The history of mankind as far as


we know it, up to the present age, has


been but the Introductory chapter OF


the great volume of the nineteenth
century and to- the wonderful future


that is just opening. The old saying


that history repeats itself is no longer
! true, except in limited sense, for the


extraordinary discoveries in science


and the social, political and material


developments of the present time are


unlike any that have occurred before.
/ In truth, this is new age, so new and
! surprising, and so far in advance of
any preceding one that those who be-
| lieve in a millennium have no diff


Guilty in fixing this as the period for
| the regeneration of the world and for
the coming of that new heaven and


earth foretold in the Apocalypse.


But we shall not go into the mysteries


of prophecy or into speculations about
| theological or spiritual matters; We
shall treat of facts only and the de-
ductions to be drawn from them.


Those who love to contemplate
things of antiquity or to study and
dwell on ancient history often profess
to find a superior civilization in the
past. They go back to Egypt, to
Greece and to Rome, and attempt to
show that we are not only not in ad-
vance of these countries when they
bad reached the highest point of their
civilization, but that we are behind
them. This, however, is q narrow
and short-sighted view of the matter,
and shows that these lovers of antiq-
uity do not comprehend the mighty
agencies and wonderful progress of
modern civilization.


The most ancient of all civilizations
recorded in history or on monumental
structures is that of Egypt, and no
doubt this is the oldest, for nothing


has been discovered to show that any


nation before the Egyptians had at
tanned that knowledge and the arts of
life which constitute civilization as
now understood. The Hebrews were
only pastoral tribes before they went
to Egypt. The Chinese, though they


boast of a civilization dating back be-
fore the Egyptians, have no right to
claim that, and though they have a
peculiar civilization of their own they
are not yet civilized people in the
European and highest sense of the
4
the arts of building, sculpture agri-
culture and even in literature. The
Pyramids and her vast and gorgeous
temples attest this. These structures
show, too, some knowledge of science
as well as a good deal of art. Still,
massive and enduring as these are,
they are comparatively rude and lack
the highest character of art. They
show also that the mass of the people
were ignorant slaves, and that state of
things was incompatible with high
civilization. The same remarks apply
to the great Babylonian and AssyIian
empires. Their civilization was much
of the same character. The Jews
were in advance of all the people of
ancient times in the superiority of
their religion and in their code of civil
and moral laws, but from their exclu-
siveness, their peculiar theOcratic sys-
tenn and narrow views, they never
attained great proficiency in science
and art. The Greeks reached the
highest point of civilization in ancient
times. Their superb structures and
exquisite. sculpture have never been
surpassed, and have remained the
models of beauty and skill for all
succeeding ages. 1t was in Greece,
too, that the democratic and republi-
can principles of government arose
and received their development. Not
only were the arts of peace and war
known there; not only had literature,
philosophy, poetry and elOquence
reached the highest point, but sci
ence, which distinguishes in such a
remarkable manner the present age,
began to be unfolded there. Rome,
that mighty Power of the past, took
the various phases of preceding civil
izatiOn and moulded and adapted
them to her own peculiar circum-
stances. Rome became great also in
art, particularly in the art of war,
and greater than any former nation in
craftsmanship. in ner admirable laws,
and in government. The literature
of Rome, too, like that of Greece,
will exist forever, to show the civiliz-
alton attained in those times. From
the period when Rome declined the
world passed through long night of
intellectual darkness and stagnation.
1t was not until England began to
emerge from feudal and religious des-
pOtism, till the free commercial cities
of Italy sprang into existence, and
till commerce began its civilizing in
fiuence, that the light of the past re-
vived and that a new light began to
shed its power over Europe. We
might notice the progress made from
that period, the discoveries in science,
the intellectual giants-such as New
ton, Shakespeare and ethers that illu-
minated the world-the spread of
navigation and commercial enterprise
to all parts of the globe, with the dis
covery of America; but these would
not come within the limits of an edi-
torial article, and every reader of his
tory is familiar with the facts.


All the events and progress to which
We have adverted seem to point to I
these latter days, and appear to have
been ordained by Providence as pre- |
paratory to this new age-to the won
derful developments of the nineteenth |
century. The civilization of Greece |
or Rome-aud that was the highest of
ancient times-cannot be compared |
with ours of the present day. The /
most intellectual people of former
times never dreamed of the magnetic 4
telegraph, of that steam power which /
now Pircumnayi0ates the globe and /