Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1876-12-14

WltnlR that period than during the pre-.
vious decade. Foreigners have gained in
still larger proportion, having acquir-
ed more information about America In
the present year than the sum total OF
what they had before. Part OF this
new acknowledgement to most of its re-
cipients-cane from seeing what
America had to show at the Centennial
Exhibition; part came through the nu-
merOus reviews of the country's pro-
gress which have been presented dur
ing the year. Many of these reviews.
have FAR more than q passing value.
One of the best of its kind is the address
OF Edward ID. Mansfield, LII. D. (late
Com Statistics fer Ohio),
delivered at the Centennial Exhibition
Aug. 8. 1t sketches succinctly the pro-
gress of the State of Ohio. There are
less than 100 years of this brief history,
1877 being the date when the North
Western Territory was organized, and
the next year being marked with
Ohio's first settlement, by a colony
from New England at the mouth, OF
the MusKingum River. OF that colony
Washington said: "I know many of
the settlers personally, and there never
were men better calculated to promote
the welfare of such a community. y
He added that If he were young man,
no region at the West would be more
attractive to him than that which the
colony had selected. A remarkable
Characteristic of all the early settlers Of
Ohio was that there were no uneducated
people among them. They were of the
class that build school-houses and
churches, that make good laws and
obey them.
The rapid growth of Ohio was some
thing marvellous. Kentucky offered an
equally fertile soil, but Ohio was free
from the blight ofslavery, TAG, 900 acres
OF her land were reserved for the main,
tenance of schools and colleges, and by
the ordinance of 1887 the titles of lands
to settlers were made exceptionally
secure. Between 1910 and 1880 the
population of Ohio increased twenty
fold; during the next twenty years ii
more than doubled; in the present year
it is estimated at three miiiions-a
number of inhabitants greater than the
! whole United States possessed when
independence was declared. Some of
the natural advantages which made
Ohio SO attractive to its settlers are
summed up in Dr., Mansfield's. address.
On the whole surface of this State OF
40, 600 square miles there are no noun
tains, no marshy wastes, no barren
sands; it is all arabic land, intersected
with 600 miles of rivers, by means oil
which the ocean may be reached either
at the Gull of Mexico or at the Gulf ol
st. Lawrence. A citizen of Ohio has
within: Manageable reach of his own
State ~, 900 miles of river and lake
coast, all within the United States.
Beneath the fertile soil it is ascertained
that 10000 square miles of coal and A.
600 square miles of iron are awaiting
the labors of the miner. Ohio could
alone supply for many centuries the
worlds needs of iron and coal, and
from the products OF her fields, her fac
tories, and her mines would be easily
capable of sustaining q resident popula
ti0u of ten millions. We can best rea-
liZe the singular fertility of OhiO's soil
by comparing its grain product per
square mile with that of European
countries. The amount of grain raised
! in France Is stated as 0S0 bushels to
the square mile; in Austris, about .
third more; in Great Britain, trif1e
over twice as much; in Ohio, $3.50
bushels TO the square mile, 1. e.,
three and half times the proportion
of France. This ratio is alss higher
than that of Illinois, although the total
amount of grain raised in the latter
State exceeds any other in the Union.
Ii comparison be made SO as to include
population, the results are still more
striking. The three European coun-
tries just named raise only a fifth as
many bushels of grain to each inhabi-
tant as does Ohio. By equally striking
exhibit can be made by similar cOm-
parisen of the numbers of domestic an
imais ia Ohio with those in other
States and i'm foreign countries. In
view of such facts il is not difficult to
explainythe circumstances that Ohio,
after feeding her ova inhabitants, ex-
ports direct and indirect products of her
soil amounting to S100, 600 ,0CD.
Perhaps, however, the most striking
of the statistics which DR.. Mansfield
presents relate to education. The taxa.
ton for school purposes in Ohio was, Ia
1874, 81, ,452, ,135. The proportion of H.
literate persons in less than in twenty
eight other States, among which Con-
necticut and Massachusetts are num-
bered. There are more colleges and
universities in Ohio than in all New
England, and greater number of col
iege teachers. The ratio of college
students to the population is also
among the highest. So far as statistics
can determine, Ohio has made greater
progress both in lower and higher edu-
cation than the older States. In re-
spect to religious advantages it may be
briefly mentioned that no State in the
Union has SO large number of
churches. Thus plentifully endowed
with the means of material, intellectu-
al, and moral wealth, Ohio is certain to
stand among the higest in the roll of
prosperous States, and may justly hope
for exemption from all great calamities
except such as affect the whole nation.