Show r f 1 Communications cat ons i f O O THE EFFECTS O OF F GUNPOWDER ON CIVILIZATION A TION I There have been three great inventions which have tended to lessen the warlike spirit of nations the results of which have been serviceable to the interests of peace viz the invention of gunpowder the first and greatest of all secondly the invention respecting the application of steam to the purpose of traveling and tl thirdly the invention of political economy economy econ econ- omy a branch of knowledge with which the wisest wisest of the ancients had not the slightest acquaintance but which possesses possesses possesses pos pos- an importance it would be difficult to exaggerate and is moreover remarkable ble as being the only immediately connected connected connected con con- art of government that has ever yet jet been raised to a science The invention of gunpowder though a warlike contrivance h has in its results been Peen serviceable to the interests of peace This important invention is said to have been made in the thirteenth century but did id not come into general use till the latter part of the fourteenth or beginning of the fifteenth century Scarcely had hadit it come into use when it worked a great change in the schemes schem s and practice of I war Before this time it was the duty of every citizen to be a faithful promoter of religion and be prepared to to enter the mil military service for the protection of his own country or the attacking of others Standing armies were entirely unknown unknown un un- known but in their place there existed a rude barbarous militia militia- always ready for f Battle pattIe and always unwilling to engage in those peaceful pursuits which were then i I i t y i. i j j J i I j universally y d despised ps d. d Nearly N ar y every man being a soldier the whole world as as 1 it it were com comprised ris d on one one great army army i in which all other professions were were me merged ge In Iri I general everything of im importance ortance was was was' neglected It If His is true there were m many riy priests and many soldiers from whom we might expect many sermons and many battles But on the other hand there were neither trade commerce nor manufactures manufactures tures and the usef useful l arts were entirely unknown The highest ranks of society were n not t tonly only without the ordinary comforts but without the commonest decencies of civilized civilized civilized civil civil- life But so soon as gunpowder came into use there was laid the foundation foundation foundation foun foun- dation of a great change According to the old system a man hadon had on only y to possess what he ge generally inherited inherited inherited from his father either a bow or a sword word and he was ready equipped for forwar war According to the new system new means of war were required and the equipments equipments equip equip- p- p ments became so costly that it was entirely entirely entirely en en- beyond the power of the great majority ma ma- majority of men to procure them It was fou found d advisable to train up men for the sole p purpose of war thus the first step was taken taken toward the organization of standing armies There were other causes no d doubt which tended in the same direction but the use of gunpowder was the most effectual because by increasing increasing increasing ing the difficulties and expense of war a separate military profession was made made made-in- in- in Thus the action of military spi spirit it was curtailed thereby leaving an of unemployed energy which soon found its way into into peaceful pursuits Apparently new life was infused into the people and it soon eoon began egan to control the lust of conquest st which though natural natural natu natu- ral al to a barbarous people e is the great greate e enemy enemy- my of knowledge 4 i f jd il j C vI i rn Jt J I I. I t i it jit 4 f 1 11 t 1 d Powder Powder- was first used as a me means ns of I war in the battle of Crecy 1346 to frighten the horses of the French But the French only laughed at the ingenious toys which the English called cannon In the course of the next century those thos English toys revolutionized warfare and made the ste steel clad clad l-clad knight little more than a tradition m and a name No longer was the ii iron clad knight equal to two two- score yeomen while in battle no longer could he sit within his castles castle's walls and andset andset andset set the king at defiance Thus the use vise of gunpowder hastened the downfall of feudalism by rendering the foot soldier equal to the knight in armor It made men of the same height The walls that bid defiance to the bow and the spear could offer little protection against the balls thrown fry iy the force of saltpetre Not till after the invention of firearms did the lower classes manage to w wrest st those special privileges such as freedom of speech freedom of thought and freedom o of action from their feudal lords Freedom Freedom Freedom Free Free- dom of speech freedom of thought and freedom of action have done more ore and are and are doing more directly toward civilizing the world than anything else 1 I W W. G. G BAI BAIRD D. D |