SCIENTIFIC PROPHECY. 17 



To the former part of this a^e belong the wea{)on8 found in the 

 Tiefenau, near Jjerne, plainly indicating that it was the field of a bat- 

 tle fought sOnie OUO years u. c. Of great interest, also, is the ancient 

 city of graves near Hallstadt, where the Burgomaster Rauisauer and 

 others found over 900 graves and an immense quantity of iron and 

 bronze weapons. But, interesting as such discoveries are, they lie too 

 far outside the special topic of our treatise to be further discussed. 



If a name, descriptive of the age in which we live, be sought for, 

 " the Age of Paper " is perhaps as good as any that can be discussed. 

 If we name it not from its present but its near future characteristic, 

 we may perhaps best adopt that suggested by an eminent geologist 

 "the Age of Steel." 



Even this hurried retrospect of the various prehistoric ages makes 

 prominent the fact that in Europe, if not over all the earth, humanity 

 has progressed, with various temporary baitings, from beginnings very 

 rude and, in some respects, almost animal-like that it is only after the 

 lapse of many millenniums it has attained its present high physical and 

 spiritual development. 



In the progress of these studies we have perhaps become the 

 poorer by more than one fair dream's evanishing. We have not found 

 we could not find either the lovely paradise of our first parents, 

 uor the much-sung, much-blessed golden age. 



But one thing, at least, such investigations secure to us thje con- 

 viction, namely, of the limitless perfectibility implanted by the Crea- 

 tor in the very germs and essence of all his creatures, and preemi- 

 nently in man. 



And this conviction it is that opens to the eye and hope the pre- 

 cious, the inspiring prospect of an ever richer, fairer development for 

 races vet to come. 







SCIENTIFIC PROPHECY. 



PHOPHECY is the prediction of an event the declaration of some- 

 tliing to come. When future events either in the history of the 

 world or in the life of man have been foretold from no known data 

 and from no law, the prophecy must have been divine, for none but God 

 can know the future of man. When such events in the history of Na- 

 ture and in the life of matter have been predicted from known data 

 and from established laws, the prophecy is human and scientific. 

 Every science in its growth passes through three stages: First, we 

 have the stage of observation, when facts are collected and registered 

 by many minds in many places. Next, we have the stage of general- 



TOL. TH. 2 



