The Hawaiian gazette., 1876-12-13

aud kerosene, to say nothing oil the tobacco that
the whole world is smoking. No nation has been
made the poorer by her growth and greatness.
She has been to the hurt OF none. Her light has
ecIipsed none. but made them shlre the more.
England herself is greater aud grander aud richer
as nation to-day than she would have been. had
! theUnited States continued weak enough TO he
| her defendant.
We knew not how to tell the story Of Ameri-
cas- progress and growth The words grow tdte
on our lips and we have almost lost the means Of
measuring them. We fail to realize how swift
We have run, or how far We have gone, because
everybody else bus been running with US. Ships
sailing side by side, 10 themselves, scarcely seem
Ia move. If the rest Of the world had stood still.
then we could easily see bow far America had
advanced. but the civilized nations generally
have been on the swift march, and are almost
UNNECESSARILY ahead Of where they we're hun
dred years ago. IiyouIhfli America at her ma
jority had even CONS up US nation to where
the old uutions were ut her birth, it would have
been q marvellous progress. But those old
nations have accelerated their speed aud multi
piled their greatness many times since then, and
it is to the head oil their advancing columns that
America has come. To-day III power IN lnhu-
ence. in resources in the real elements of
national strength and greatness, sue stands 10 the
I u
This is the more surprising if we remember her
weakness poverty and doubt when she assumed
nationality. II was with great paugs and thrJes
that the republic brought even to the birth (;
aud when born she was weak loose jointed child,
over the lie OF which tue most patriotic mid
wives stood 10 doubt. Uncertainties and suffer-
ings and desperate conflict marked her beginning.
She had few Industries, was debt burdened, aud
poverty stricken. Necessity alone united the
colonies that had been settled under very dltfer.
ent auspices. They had to feel their way tOwarl
true union, aud solid basis Of self government.
They had no precedent to follow, and it was not
until the federal constitution was frameG aud
signed eleven years after the declaration Of indie
pendence, that even Fraokn ceased to doubt
whether Americas sun still the horizon. was
rising or setting sun But irOm such strug-
CLING and uncertain beginning how marvellous
aud rapid has been the growth.
As Que of the grand achievements Of the cen
tury We can note Americas mastery Of her own
broad domain. At irsG the wilderness was not
among the least of her difficulties. 1t was some
thing for her to battle with aud conquer. The
wIlds that stretched away to the west were then
almost US formidable as those of Africa now ap
pear. The rivers we're barriers, the mountains
were hard to cross, the vast miles Of forests
were to be lelled. tue savage was in the woods
Pioneering was full oil hardships and perils. The
colonies had occupied aud peUpled but narrow
strip on the Atlantic shore. When independence
was gained the nation scarcely had foothod be-
yond the Aleganies A few years before. when
Washington marched his few troops from Vir-
giuia To Fort Du Quesne or Pltts6urg it was
heroic and fearful struggle with rivers, forests
mountains and savages. But look now over the
broad continent IRON ocean to ocean, and see
Lot. III .a
rivers in the way, no more mountain to be
dreaded, no more forests to be fought as foes
The whole land is conquered. Three hundred
thousand square miles OF It are in farms. The
rivers and streams are too few for the commerce
aud factories. Forests are ia such demand that
they command price; aud men go hunting
TO find more mountains in which there is gold.
The whole breath oil the continent is richly min
isteriDg 10 the nations prosperity wealth aud
power. Augustus Cesar had his triumph in
Rome, because 10 long campaigns be at length
marched bis warlike legons to the British sea, a
few hundred miles, aud years after AgrieoIa got
himself a name by discovering that Britain was
island. America 10 about as short time has
march her peaceful legons of farmers and ar
tisians and tradesmen, and school teachers from
ocean to ocean. As mile stones of her march
over all the breadth and length of the vast con.
lueult cue udo cCb up BltdL ClllcSs duu SUE is
ready on every side to make new territory sue
cumb and bloom under her mighty industry. She
has multiplied by three the number Other states
all the added ones being much larger than most
Of the original thirteen. She has multiplied her
population over thirteen times, many times
US she had states to begin with. To cover an
area so vast, in so short time. with u solid
strong great nationality is q result as amazing
as it is unparalleled.
How greatly also has the life of the people been
enriched and filled with blessings. How slow
and Hnenterprising and narrow in its range would
life hundred years ago seem to US. We would
feel as if we could hardly crowd ourselves back
into it. Most Of us would have to wear the
home spun, and home made suit Our dinner
would have to be cooked in the open fire place
or brick oven. The iron cook stove would not
be found 10 the kitchen for it was not. For FIRE
itself we would have to use the finder or run
to a neighbours for shovel of Goals. No
friction match would be at hand. No hyd-
rant would be in the house-not even d pump
would be in the well. In place of kerosene and
the beautiful lamp, or the gas jet, the tallow
candle would be the best that We could do for
light. We would miss thousands of handy little
articles, aud our homes also would be bare of
much that is attractive IN them now. Few
ornaments would be seen. The magazine and
periodical would not abound on our tables, bring
ing US into sympathy with the wide world Of
letters We could cit down once q week aud
read the local news in one OF The thirty
little dingy newspapers that were then printed in
our country. The great daily sheets, loaded, by
lightning with news from everywhere, and flying
from mammoth steam presses many times faster
than the seconds hy from the band of time,
would not I've waiting at everyone's door before
he was up 10 the morning A few solid roughly
printed and coarsely bound books would be
within our reach, instead OF the present almost
endless variety Of artistcally aud elegantly made
volumes in fiction science literature and religion
If we wanted to go from New York to PhiIa-
delphia we could take the Numbering wagon
advertised in New York paper at the time as
the Lightning Express, to 60 through 10 two
days, instead Of, as now, the lhronged haifhour
train OF parlor cars that flies the distance 10 q
couple OF hours. Or If We wished to go to Albany
we could spend n wearisome week on q little |
sloop. instead Of loungug and resting four hours
in an Aladin's floating palace There would be
no magnificent Steamships running with the |
regularity OF time ITSELF in which we. with the |
Of others. could make pleasure trips |
across the ocean and around the world 1.-THE |
crazy desire should seize Us to look upon the |
Father Of Waters or the tabled rocky noun. |
tains, we could make our will, strike out into |