Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-01-08
DIR GREAT COUNTRY.

thn various ofaut ieSSptiohS' tHht VI
W. uou w. 5. Groesbeck, at Cincinnati,
was the most sensible, eloquent and
,rntbful. We publish it in full, as n
"sm " in its line, and full of useful in
ormation for young and old, and rec
ommend its preservation by the boys
and girls who read the Sun. The
satisfies are valuable:
The first toast was Omitted States
= America" which wss responded
~ by W. 5. Groesbeck, as follows:
Ir Chairman and Gentlemen We
are at banquet, and | suppose you
wopld allow me, to boast little in
.nesking of the United States of
imerica. But / shall try to avoid
bossting, believing, as | do, that a
.imple statement of facts will be our
highest praise.
In the Statesman's Year Book of
1879 published in London, and ac-
credited throughout Europe, and in
reliable publications of the Librarian
If our Congress, and others | could
name. nav be found copious political
and financial statistics of all the civil
lied nations of the world.
What of the United States of
America.
What of her magnitude? Her ter
ritory is as large as the combined ter
ritory of Russia-in-Europe, Norway,
Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Belgium,
Germany, Austria, Hungary, Switzer-
land, Italy, Spain, Portugal, France,
Great Britain and Ireland. What a
magnificent possession for great peo-
pIe. Fronting on the two great
oceans. and central between Europe
and Asia, what an opportunity for
commerce with both Standing apart
and withdrawn from the necessity of
entangling alliances with other States,
how safe, independent, and command
Ing her position.
What of her resources? You have
been reading in our journals, from day
to day, of our great harvests of wheat,
corn and cotton and other staples. If
We keep on, what will they be when
our population shall be dense As that
OF Europe? 1t is enough to say that
the land of the United States is fertile
as that of Europe, and under full cul-
tivation will yield as much rs that of
all the countries | have named, while
underneath our soil the vast store
houses of coal, iron, gold and silver,
far surprising theirs. In word, in
extent of territory and in material re-
sources on the earth and under the
earth, the United States of America
may be regarded as about equal to
the whole Of Europe.
What Of her present condition :?
Our national debt is, say S2,200,000,-
900. That of the nations | have
named, is more than eight times as
large. We are reducing ours, it may
be, rapidly enough. am not aware
that this is the case with any nation in
Europe. Their debts are rather in
creasing. The great payment by
France to Germany did not reduce her
debt it was only a change of cred
itors. The debt of France, according
to the Almanach De Gotha, is more
than $4,000, 100000.
The standing armies of these coun-
tries occupying as much territory as
We do, number nearly three millions
Of men. They spend their lives in
watching the people, whose substance
they devour, and in fighting the bat.
ties of dynastic rivalries and ambition.
Our standing army numbers q 900
men. Let US hope it may never be
large, that We may shun wars, and
ever be able to rely for safety and
order in our midst, upon an impartial,
popular and constitutional admins
tration Of the Government.
There are in the United States, in
round numbers, $4,000 miles of rail
roads in the whole of Europe, "a, 900.
! might 60 on with such comparisons.
Allow me in this connection, to refer
to to one subject-popular education.
The statistics Of education in Europe
are incomplete and unsatisfactory. |
will refer briefly to our own. The
United States has already donated
for agricultural colleges, S,09S,000
acres of land; for literary colleges,
l,265,OO0 acres, and for schools. 6S,-
O'3,OO0 acres. But the education of
our people is in the care of the States.
What have the States done ! will
give you but single year. From the
report Of the Commissioners it appears
that in 1877 there we're enrolled in the
public schools $4,000 pupils, and
expended for their education sS1 ,000,-
VOO. Let me give you, as find it in
table under date of 1877, the pro-
Portion of people in the leading ma
lions unable to read or write. In
Russia it is 81 per cent, in Spain so
per cent, in Italy 73, in Austria 40,
In ENGLAND 30 -. Es.uoa Oh a., fko