A century so opulent in accumulated falsities ...

as never century before was! Which had no longer the consciousness of being false, so false had it grown; and was so steeped in falsity, and impregnated with it to the very bone, that--in fact the measure of the thing was full, and a French Revolution had to end it....

A very fit termination, as I thankfully feel, for such a century....
For there was need once more of a Divine Revelation to the torpid, frivolous children of men, if they were not to sink altogether into the ape condition .-- Frederick the Great, Book I, Chap.

I.
Compared with the eighteenth century the present time is as the dawn after darkness, or as the spring after winter.

The world is stirring with new life, thrilling with new ideals and hopes.