Quasqueton guardian. (Quasqueton, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1856-1858, 1857-02-21

|
eigners and their mistrained children.
| Look at the facts, we again repeat. Pom
der them, and let every good man who
has a cent to give or prayer to offer for
this country, teel that on us, the citizens
of the republic, at this the middle of the
nineleenth century, devolves a moral ex-
gency such as, perhaps, no other land
ever saw--an exigency as full of sublim-
ity as ii is of urgency--as grand in its
opportunity as it is in its magnificent
peril
This immense prospective population
--certain though prospective-is to be
thrown out, by the Almighty hand OF
Providence, upon one of The grandest
arenas of the world. Here, on this large
continent, bounded in It's distant inde-
| pendence by the Atlantic and Pacific, the
great ropic gulf, and TIE Arctic---here,
away from the traditional governments,
and faiths, and other antiquated checks
Of the old world, ii is to play It's great
drama of destiny-of destiny which, as
we have shown, must, numerically al
least, be III seventytive years as poten-
tial as all present Europe, and how much
more potential in all moral, political and
commercial respects What an idea
would it be, that of all Europe consoli-
dated into one mighty unIrammeled com
monwealCh, in the highest civilization,
liberty, religious enlightenment, and in
dusnial development-and this mighty
revolution TO be completed in rs years
from to-day Who would credit tie
conception Yet our republic will, in
that time, more than realize the stupen-
GUS idea, if its unity and moral character
be not sacrificed.
Look at lis field. According to an Of
fetal report, he total area OF the United
/ Sta,es and territories in 1858 was 2, ,933-
153 square miles. This estimate is found
20 be even short of the truth various
official reports from the Land Office, and
the aggregate OF The CENSUS, show 1920
! 572 square miles.
! Il IS estimated from these facts, that
lae territorial exlenL- OF the republic is
neariv ten times as large ASH
b. i,ain and France unisedd, L. M rnan.a
Austria, Prussia, Spain, Portugal, Bel
gium, Holland, and Denmark combined !;
one and IA half times rs large rs the Rus
sian empire in Europe; one sixth less on
! iy than the area covered by the fifty nine
or sixty empires, states, or republics of
Europe OF equal extent with The Roman
empire, or that of Alexander, neither of
which is said 10 have exceeded three mil
lions OF square miles.
What theatre is lhis for the achieve
men,s of Civilization and religion Sure
| ly there should be 9 giants in these days"
To enact worthily the enterprise of such a
field And if circumstances make men,
are we not to hope that the conscious
ness of this unparalleled destiny will en-
large and enno oble the intellect, the philan-
thropy, and moral energy of the country
to a scale of corresponding magniicence
will bring forth sublime examples OF
public devotion, of talent, of moral hero
ism, aud of munifcence
Look at one other tact--a most inter-
f esting one-thc large proportion of our
japcnite population. Il is most impress
siye argument for the friends of educa-
ton, and especially of Sunday schools.
Where there is plenty of food, as there
must indefinitely be in this country, there
will always be plenty of children. l. is
J Il beniticent, a beautiful law !: but this re-
mark only en- passant. More than hall
} our present white population are yet in
/ what may be called the flower of youth.
We almost literally present an. example
of national adolescence-the freshness,
the ardor, the rissee, and thA sneaAriihil-
J ity of childhood and young manhood
, The white population in 1850 was 49,
553, Cos !; that portion which was under
| twenty years of age, ~, l3J, 73l /; under
one year, 537 SOL; between one and
. five, 2,358,79 fifteen and twenty,
| 2,123,l16 Total, lo,13o,731.
Pause here, educators, Sunday school
} teachers and patrons, all you upon whom
{ devolves the instruction of the young o
f the country, or who have the pecuniary
) means Of providing il; see you not thai
its destiny is in your hands? The pop
: ulation of to-day is TO surpass all the
: millions OF Europe in about scven,y-fi five
e years and you, yes precisely you, hold
Z within your power one-half OF the popu-
: lation Of .o-day, one halt of the p.esen
!, clemens oI the grand geometrical pro
! grcssion. Work out, then, with tire