OCR Text |
Show 1S70 Tl. ''The eternal years roll on;" and the events of another have become history. his-tory. The year just closed might well be called a memorable one; still it may not be more so than others to come in a not distant future. The manifest destiny of progress has been etartlingly delineated during it. The changes that have swept over the earth tell a tale so plain that the least observant cau comprehend it. Everything indicates indi-cates a wondrous era approaching. Men live faster; events crowd upon events; the world seems hurrying onward on-ward with accelerated speed to a time when long-rooted institutions will be leveled, ideas venerated for their age will be exploded, traditions fashioned by the hand of centuries will be over thrown, and mankind will seem a new race of beings. The People are learning learn-ing to think. Education, reflection, deep thought and advanced ideas are not confined to a favored few. The People begin to feel their power; but like boys kept in leading strings until manhood, and suddenly breaking loose from restraint and control, they have yet to learn how to wisely wield that power. When they fully cast off the traditional tradi-tional fetters of the past, there may be a brief night of chaos out of which will be fashioned a brighter day for humanity than it has yet seen. The four most prominent events of the year just closed, because probably pregnant with the greatest consequences, consequen-ces, which the future annalist wUl be called cal-led to record, are the Ecumenical Council, Coun-cil, the Franco-Prussian war, the unification uni-fication of Italy, and the resuscitation of the German empire. The first came to a sudden close, if it can be said to have yet really closed: but not uutd it had proclaimed to the world the dogma of papal infallibility. The second still drags along, fattening ambition am-bition with the miseries and woes of seventy millions of people. The last-named last-named two are but the beginning of an epoch in European history, that will work startling changes before many more years have passed. Other events have been too numerous to be even hinted at in a short article, whon a huge tome would scarcely contain a bare mention of the facts concerning them. Xor has science and art stood still. They have kept pace with the age; and greats works have progressed compatible com-patible with the spirit of enterprise that has stirred every nation. While there has been much to mourn over during the year eighteen hundred and seventy, there has also been much to strengthen hope and give encouragement encourage-ment in looking for the bright future that is as evidently coming, as the day-otar betokens approaching dawn and the rising of the sun in his effulgence efful-gence and majesty. What of the year begun ? There is no hazard in predicting for it also an eventful course. It opens pregnaDt with big events. A strengthening of the great contending forces of the age is in progress, and eighteen hundred and seventy-one will see that strength growing, and the conflict between dying dy-ing traditions and imperfectly developed develop-ed knowledge continued with increased vigor. Nor is the struggle to be purely an ethical and polemieal one. Physical Physi-cal forces hare to contend in deadly content, just as tiie devastating storms, iu their elemental conflict, clear the atmosphere to produce bright skies aud glorious tunsuine. And the year just opened may witness more than an average share, for the politic;;! horizon hori-zon in different parts of the world, is lowering and threatening. But such things must be accepted in the present political life of nations, until mankind can learn that the very worst way of .-.ettling any difficulty, is by a resort to brute force or the exercise of physical power, even when backed by all the assistance that art, skill aud intelligence intelli-gence can give. At home, iu the United States, we are on the eve of changes. The two great political parties of the country coun-try ire comparatively disorganized. One pushes a policy which the bulk of the people believe to bo radically revolu-:iry revolu-:iry and would defeat the objects uinicd The other 1ms been clinging to dead isvi';s, that the majority of the people tvi'.'h buried and forever hidden. From these a party may f-pring up that will fbapc the future nf the nation. na-tion. In Ltah change is marked and distinctive. dis-tinctive. No longer i.-olated from the world, it can reach out to the tail and w-v.l and leel there is a band of iron uniting it to both. Aud if the efforts of its enemies, ar :u:u:i-s ai they arc linin-l, wmld .r to cxuvino infill-1 1 |