One touch of fire—all the rest is mystery."
—H. W. Longfellow.
"Every day brings a ship,
Every ship brings a word;
Well for those who have no fear,
Looking seaward well assured
That the word the vessel brings
Is the word they wish to hear."
—R. W. Emerson.
The nineteenth century is the grandest of all the centuries of time. It has done more for the education, the culture and the comfort of the world than all the ages that have gone before. Schools, seminaries and colleges have increased to an almost fabulous extent. With the increase in numbers there has been also an increase in efficiency and influence to such an extent that our institutions of education have become the glory of our land. In the eventful years of this century science has marched on with majestic strides, revealing to the earnest student the long-kept secrets of nature; while the spirit of invention has been busy through all the years making the path of life easier to walk, and redeeming our common life from much of its hardship and drudgery. The railway, the steamship, the telegraph and the telephone are hard at work bridging over space, and making minutes sufficient for tasks that not long ago required months to perform. The printing press is regarded by common consent as one of the greatest inventions the world has ever seen. It has been described not inaptly as the miracle of the fifteenth century. But within the last few years the typewriter has come to claim a share in its honors, and to take its place among the most wonderful contrivances of the age.