Litchfield enquirer., 1848-02-03
A Glance at the Future.

A Glance at the Future.
 THE progress of this country is the mod, ern wonder amoag the nations. In the year
 l716, our forefaihers announced their inde> pendence to the world. Then the popula~ ton Amounted to three CT four millions ot souls. Less than a.century-nay, only sev> entytone years have s,nce gone by, and our population cannot be less than twenty cone millions! The. estimate is, that in the year 1940s or less than a century from the press ent time. we shall have 27O,0OO, 900 as the probable number of living souls that will inhabit the valley of North America. The thonght is startling one. It seems inns possible that such an increase can take place within so shor, period. And yet it is not a whit more wonderful than the fact while in l79O, our population, as officially asreT> tained, was less than four millions, it should in lS4O,' just 6fty years, or less than a century thereafter, have reached over IT, 000D0O. If its future increase shall ae at the rate of thirty>three and a third per cent for each coming period of ten years, we shall, ia l94O, have a population of up- wards of 3OO,OOO,OOO! If we measure the future by the past, such will be the result. The reader can readily calculate for him. self We repeat. the thought is exciting. startling. The child that is born to>day, will, should he live hundred years. wiz ness events, changes, and results, almost in- credible to the widest imagination. We talk of our mi l ht, our power, our millions of finhabitants-and yet we shall seem but as pigmies ia a national point of view to those who come after us. We, after all, may be regarded merely as pioneers and founders of a great nation. The mission is a mighty one, and full of moral responsi- bility. The world looks on with wonder and with awe. The old monarchists, here ,sfore incr ed ulous, are beginning to realise the fact that an intelligen! and patriotic people are indeed capable of self-govern- nsent. The Union which, according to the ,psephecies of the envious and the croakins. wss to have lasted only few years, still exis,s. and thank Heaven, knit together more firmly than ever. We have much to be grateful for. Providence has lavished blessings upon us with boun'iful hand Abundance crowns the labors of the hus' bandman-industry finds abundant employ ment and fair remuneration for it's toi', and pesiilensc and famine are strangers in the land. But while we remember these things and appreciate them, let us also en" deavor to show that we deserve our good fortune. To be republican in name is noth- hing. We must be so in deed as we'll as in word. To be a christian nominally, and yet to violate the spirit of christianity, is to abuse our privileges and our blessings. We should live no, only for the present but for the futute-not only for ourselves but for
 postelity. Our progress thus far has net only been onward, but at a pace truly ex' traordinary. And yet we are merely in our infancy as a nation. We have not reached the bound of our first century. The future orens wide and wouderful before us. We see in the distance new State and towns and villages, and population of many mil lions swarmiag like busy human hive' the virgin soil that has ye: to receive the impress of the first spade. Our statesmen our phila nthropists, our philosophers should look a. these things calmly and govern themselves accordingly. The destiny oi the Republic may be made truly glorious but te effect result so desirable, truth. jus
 ,ice, virtue, and religion should guide and influence, not only the conduct of our rulers' but of the millions.