Litchfield enquirer. [volume] (Litchfield, Conn.) 1829-current, 1880-09-02

ly. When the Reign of Terror had fairly SCI
in, no one can wonder that, when so many
persons were being guillotined on mere sus
picion, the ex-Queen should have been exc.
cuted on proof of treason.
Crowding?
The last Springfield Republican has a sug
gestive article on the somewhat abnorma
growth of American cities. The census re-
turns now in, show that full fifth of the pop
ulation of the older portion of the Union il
crowded into cities. Worse still, the practice
of shifting rural into an urban population il
increasing. Sparsely as our country is settled,
compared with Europe, the number of cities
and the proportion of population squeezed in
pto them is greater here than there. There are
90 cities in this country with populations Of
over 100. 900, each; in Great Britain there are
but II; in France and Austria, each but 9; in
Germany, 10. In Great Britain over two f1fths
of the population live in cities: in Germany,
France, and even pspulous little Belgium, but
one tenth. F.t.
How long this process is to go on, who can
say The rush of city population to the country
in the summer indicates the tendency there is
in man to prefer country to city at least dur.
ing the warm months. That feeling has led
in Great Britain to the formation, or rather to
the perpetuation, of landed arristocracy liv-
ing upon the land they own. Very slight in
dication Of any similar tendency has yet been
seen in this country. The men who own it,
till the land. The English tenant system
once prevalent in Eastern New York-seems
to be dying out even where it was formerly
strongest. Nevertheless, we cannot but be.
lieve that the pleasure city men of wealth
evidently take in rural pursuits, the profit to
health which they evidently derive from their
summer resort to the country, will eventually
lead to their becoming considerable, if not large
landholders Unfortunately it is business that
takes our rural population to the cities, and
only pleasure that brings them back; and, so
great is the proportion of men Of business to
men Of pleasure in American society, that the
return wave has as yet produced little effect
upon the distribution of population.
Indeed, business must bring men back from
city to country before there comes much
change for the better. To this end one of the
first considerations muet be some equalization
of opportunities. Now, our whole system of
transportation favors the large business centers
the competing points of our railroad systems.
Manufacturers can often afford to pay high
city rents, and to use steam power in place
of water power, merely because their trans
portation is 80 much cheaper.
+ The American preference of city to country
is a question of great interest and importance
and one upon which every census throws ad-
ditional light. We are glad to see it under
discussion. ~. g.. ...., ID....... as-.a. ..-.-
We notice good many Republican papers
worrying over the amount of Southern State
debts repudiated and in almost the same
breath speaking of the danger of an avalanche
of Southern claims on the treasury. The ques-
ton naturally arises why are the men who
have SO recently repudiated one debt so ready
to assume another? The Republican an.
swer would be that the South might very ma.
turally repudiate State debts which they ought
to pay themselves; and assume national debt.
which would be paid to their own people
chiefly by the Northern people. -, -, >,,..
There is much force both in question and
answer. One fact, however cannot be over
looked. The Solid South lacks very much OF
a majority in either branch OF Congress ane
few Northern Democrats could be brought te
vote in large amount of claims in which
their constituents had no interest AMI which
they would nevertheless be called on to pay.
We have pretty strong conviction, in short,
that the Democratic party is not likely to pay
much more than it ought, but is vastly more
likely to pay considerably less than it ought
On eur outside will be found a letter from
Adam Sedgwick, the distinguished professor
of geology in Cambridge University, England
to Gen. G. F. Sedgwlck, of Sharon, an Amer.
lean descendant of the same family, we be.
lieve. Prof. Sedgwick was one of the found
ers of the science of geology. Appointed 6
professor of that department in the Universe
ty of Cambridge in 1918. he held that position
for over fifty years. His name is associated
with that of Murchison in ascertaining and
naming the geologic strata, with whom, indeed
he had bitter controversy on that subject
Like most of the older biologists he was &
strong opponent of the Darwinian theory OIL
the origin Of species. Prof. Sedgwick hello
the position of prebendary Of Norwich, and 6
reference to his duties there will be noticed il
his letter. He is said to have been extreme y
Interesting in the lecture room, and his geolog
ical excursions about Cambridge were a grea
enjoyment to his class.
At last the famous '76 correspondence be-
tween Gems. Hancock and Sherman has been
published. 1t appears that Sherman disap
proved of military interference with Southern
legislatures, and that the orders in regard to
the South Carolina legislature did not proceed
through him. Gen. Hancock, on his part, tool
the position that, in case the contested presi
dental election was not settled before March
4, 1877, Gen. Sherman would be at liberty tt
decide which President he would recognize
and he thought that in case Tilden was elect
ed by The House, it would be Gen. Sherman
duty to take orders from him, and not from
the former Secretary of War, or from tn,
President of the Senate. This was before tn.
Electoral Commission was Organized.
There has been much curiosity about tn
contents of a manuscript work of Jonathan
Edwards upon the Trinity. Il was published
in incomplete form long since, and it has beer
recently affirmed that some of the suppress
ed portions are unortherdex. After consider
able newspaper discussion, it is at last an
nounced that complete edition Of the work i
| to be published. We shall all be able to know
then, whether this great theologian was orthe
dox or not-provlded we happen to knew