"Whatsoever the general mass of men contrived to do, or to attain, all things that we see
standing accomplished in the world are properly the outer material result, the practical
realization and embodiment of thoughts that dwelt in the great men sent into the world." -

CARLYLE

THE events of today affect the events of to-morrow, and the undulations of the influences of the past work forever onward into the future. The act intended and accomplished generates other purposes, and affects, in multiplex modes, the course and issue of other events. Time, the arch-experimenter, is continually varying the conditions of outward phenomena and inward thought, so that the collective phenomena of what we call history are undergoing ceaseless change. To progress, we must remove the obstacles in our way, Ignorance sees no difficulties; partial knowledge, sees them, and recoils before them; complete knowledge sees past them, and removes them. Progress is due to thought-thought latent, for a time, in some pre-eminent mind, but gradually attaining realization. The thinking soul is the central motive force, the mainspring of progress. Thought is life, and history is its flower and fruit. In all the great crises of history, we find the affluent inspiration of a new idea pouring invigorative energy into life-unseen spiritual thought becoming operant in changing the credence of the world, and determining the outward and actual on-goings of the period. We are apt to underrate the influence of thinkers, of the good men who have left us; yet their influence is great in the formation of our character. The power of example, probably; never ceases during life. Even old age is not wholly uninfluenced by society; and a change of companions acts upon the