The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1874-04-03
A CENTURY AGO.

4 i
pears 1t was, of course, just So old
a century ago, and yet IVA luoks
very odd and Indifferent to US. 1t
was, however, rough year in Amer
lean politics, and wondrous era
was just about to open upon the world.
How many men Of subsequent, note
were then living in obscurity Tom
Paine was an humble exciseman in
England Washington was chiefly
known as an apulent planter and
land surveyor; Nathaniel Greene,
who was to be one of his efficient CO.
operators in the war of indepen>
dence, was working at blacksmith
forge in Rhode Island Alexander
Hamilton was studying law, an am
bilious youth of seventeen, while
Aaron Burr had left college and was
sojourning with old Father Bethany
as he was called He was then un
der the power of serious thought,
which he soon cast away, and i: new
er returned. Father Bellamy was
noted divine, whose name still lives
in church history, George Ill. was
a young man of thirty-thlee, and
had been even then compelled to
submit to the stern invective of Ju-
MUS and the bold republicanism of
John Wilkes-preparations for the
more painful humiliation of acknowl-
edging the independence of his thir-
teen colonies. Walter Scott was a
lame, uncouth boy, whose head was
soon to be filled with traditions and
border ballads. Napoleon was one
of thriving family in humble life,
and was, in five years, to enter the
school of Brienae. An
Irish lad, then hardly in his brooches,
was subsequently the famous Wei
lington. 'What terrible men these
boys become ? one inevitably ex.
claims. Voltaire and Rousseau were
the chief writer's in Europe, and the
latter was soon to be lifted by death
to almost literary apo,heosis. -
Gibbon, then in his thirty seventh
year, was working on the first part
of bis Decline and Fall, and had
become q member Of the House of
Commons. Hume was approaching
his end. In navigation, Captain
Cook had just sailed around the
globe, and his dead body was soon to
find grave in the Sandwich Islands,
murdered much as General Candy
was BY Captain Jack. The Great
Republic of the United States was
then merely a patriotic dream, cher
ished most of all by John Adams
and few kindred spirits. The uni
ted population of Philadelphia, New
York, Albany. Boston, Newport and
was not more than 10000,
and the wealth of Cincinnati is equal
to that of the entire colonies at that
time, in which, indeed there was not
a bank, The only American Of for
eign note was Benjamin Franklin,
who had reached distinction as a
man of science. He was then living
in London as agent of the colony of
Massachusetts, Bay, and continually
startling the government by his
adroit diplomacy. Whitcfeld, the
greatest preacher the world has seen
since the apostolic time, was just
closing his glorious career. 10 Con-
tinental Europe, Frederick the Great
had recently elevated Prussia from
a duchy to a kingdom, while Louis
the XVI was about to ascend the
throne from which he was removed
by the guillotine. Such are some Of
the outlines of the year l774, which
as all know, was the opening of
era. The world has pro
crossed somewhat since then, but
what further developments may not
be before us7