"All that we possess has come to us by way of a long path. There is no
instantaneous liberty or wisdom or language or beauty or religion. Old
philosophies, old agriculture, old domestic arts, old sciences,
medicine, chemistry, astronomy, old modes of travel and commerce, old
forms of government and religion have all come in gracefully or
ungracefully and have said: 'Progress is king, and long live the king!'
Year after year the mind perceives education to expand, art sweeps
along from one to ten, music adds to its early richness, love passes
outwardly from self towards the race, friendships become laden with
more pleasure, truths change into sentiments, sentiments blossom into
deeds, nature paints its flowers and leaves with richer tints,
literature becomes the more perfect picture of a more perfect
intellect, the doctrines of religion become broader and sweeter in
their philosophy."--_David Swing_.




CHAPTER VI.

THE TIME ELEMENT IN INDIVIDUAL CHARACTER AND SOCIAL GROWTH.

For all lovers of their kind, nothing is so hard to bear as the
slowness of the upward progress of society. It is not simply that the
rise of the common people is accompanied with heavy wastes and losses,
it is that the upward movement is along lines so vast as to make
society's growth seem tardy, delayed, or even reversed. Doubtless the
drift of the ages is upward, but this progress becomes apparent only
when age is compared with age and century with century. It is not easy
for some Bruno or Wickliffe, sowing the good seed of liberty and