The Signs of the Times (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from The Signs of the Times<br><br>In taking up a series of subjects like this which I propose under the general title "Signs of the Times," I have something far more important in mind than merely to amuse you by the treatment of topics that may be uppermost in the popular mind; something more important than merely criticising my neighbors, finding fault with or commending them; something more important than the giving of lectures. It seems to me that the one great thing which thoughtful, earnest men to-day need is to understand the age in which they live and of which they are a part. The influence we can exert may be comparatively little, and to us, in the modest estimate which we set upon ourselves, may seem so insignificant as to make us feel that it is hardly worth while to trouble ourselves as to the direction in which this influence is cast; yet, if you think a moment, you will see that the tendency of the age, the great trend of influence that means either decay or progress, is simply the resultant of these individual influences of ours. And which way the age shall move is a mere question, so far as we are concerned, of the majority influence, - as to whether more people shall be intelligently interested in having the world go in the right direction than in the wrong. It is, then, of vast importance that we comprehend, so far as may be, the age in which we live, and understand the forces and the movements around us.<br><br>About the Publisher<br><br>Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com<br><br>This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.