Page:General History of Europe 1921.djvu/548

 4i o General History of Europe privileges of the Anglican Church, men were very free in the eight- eenth century in England to believe and to say what they wished. One desiring to publish a book or pamphlet did not have to obtain the permission of the government, as was required in France. The result was that there was a vast amount of discussion of religious, scientific, and political matters beyond anything that went on in any other European country. The books of the Eng- lish reformers had a great influence upon the French, as will become apparent in the following section. > III. MODERN SCIENCE INTRODUCES THE IDEA OF PROGRESS 713. Idea of the "Good Old Times." Before the eighteenth century men in general showed a great respect and veneration for the past. They believed that former times had been better than the present, because the evils of the past were little known, while the existing ones were only too apparent. They therefore always aspired to be as saintly, to write as good books, or to paint as beautiful pictures as the great men of old. That they might hope to excel their predecessors did not occur to them. Their ideals centered in the past, and improvement seemed to them to consist in reviving the "good old days." 714. New Idea of Progress. Thoughtful people, however, be- gan to be aware of the deficiencies and mistakes of the past and to dream of betterment and progress beyond the happiest times of which they had any record. They came to feel that the igno- rance and prejudices of their forefathers, and the bad laws and institutions which they had handed down to them, were the chief obstacles to reform. If only they could be free of these burdens they might create an environment which would be more suitable to their needs. 715. Influence of Scientific Discoveries. It was mainly to the patient men of science that the Western world owed its hope of future improvement. They have gradually robbed the past of its binding authority and by their discoveries pointed the way to