underlie the evolution of all forms of art. It is the purpose of
the present writing to hint at, rather than to trace, the four
stages of development in painting, music, and literature. To
follow the steps of progress in painting is somewhat more
difficult than to trace the evolution of sculpture or
architecture, on account of the perishable nature of the
materials. Music has unfolded with the unfolding of the human
mind, from the startling sounds of the savage,--exhibitions of
pure energy,--through efforts at fascination by the medium of
weird and unnatural combinations, and through attempts to
reproduce natural sounds, ever upward till it breathes the very
spirit of nature in a Haydn or a Beethoven.

We may follow the growth of the English drama through the same
process, from its dawning in the fantastic miracle plays with
their paraphernalia of heaven and hell, of gods, devils, angels,
and demons, to the creations' of "the thousand-souled
Shakespeare." In religion we see the same phases--from the worship
of life itself, of natural phenomena, through the panorama of
deities friendly and deities unfriendly, of gods many and of
devils many, until the human mind grasps the conception of Unity
in deity, and bows in worship before an Infinite Being of Love and
Providence.

In the history of government is written the same tale of
evolution, from manifestations of brute energy, seeking
gratification in subjugation for its own sake,--from the
government typified by the iron heel,--to the government which,
seeking the education and protection of all the people becomes a
school rather than a system of restraint.