Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1881-04-27

WHAT THE UNITED STATES WILL BI
IN HALF n CENTURY MORE.


WHAT THE UNITED STATES WILL BE
IN HALF A CENTURY MORE.
The center Of population in the Uni
ted States has, during the last ten years.
shifted from Columbus, Ohio, to the
Indiana boundary line; in few dec
ades more It will reach the Mississippi
river. At the rate Of increase prevail
ing during the present century, the
country will, in 1920, contain between
1000, 900 and l6o,0oO,0oo. This Ia
only forty years hence, a space easily
grasped by those who can remember
the Harrison Presidential campaign"
Ten or twelve yesrs more, equal 10
look backward as far 81 the days ol
jackson, notification, AID the United
States Bank, the country will bs found
to contain 200, ,oOO, ,oOo-equal to the
present population of Europe e1cls-
sive Of Russia, Austria and Turkey.
ltis hard TO imagine the changes In
the social and commercial phssesi Of
the country which this population inn
plies; the immense domestic trade, the
large interior cities-Chicago larger than
New York or Philadelphia, Cincinnati
aud 81. Louis than Brooklyn, Bcsten
and Baltimore; Cleveland, Detreit
AID cities of that grade containing
500, 900 of people. Already the New
England and Middle States are falling
behind the average rate Of growth, and
they will tend moro and more TO the
stationary point, when their annual in
crease will be inaigni6cant.
Under these circumstances, there is
every reason to suppose that there will
grow up in this central portion an i'm
mense city, perhaps more than one,
which will be the great metropolis and
distributing point Of the continent. 1t
may bs Chicago. 1t may be, alse'
Kansas City, or some other point
farther West. Fer, when this country
contains 200, eoO, 900 Of people. certain
" when east Of the Mississippi it be'
gins to approach the density OF Euro
pean population, its domestic COM
msrce will be more important than its
foreign commerce, and its interior cities
mora ,upertant than its seaports. The
metropolis will not be New York, but
the central point redistribution and ex-
change. This is true Of nearly every
country and its metropolis the world
over, and there is no good reason Tor
doubling that It will prove true Of the
United States, Londoa, Paris, Rsme'
Berlin, Vienna, Madrid, Pekin, In
modern days, Athens, Babylon, Ba0dad.
Palnyra, Ia ancient times, are or were,
ali interior cities. 1t will attract, rs
they have attracted, the s"arming
multitude, the intelligent, the energetic,
the pleasure loving. the adventarer'
from the inmsnse resorvor Of popula-
tions around it. It may be less cssms'
politan, but 1t will DO moro American
than the seaport cities, just az Paris Is
the most distinctly national, Msrseillss
one Of the most cosmopolitan cites In
the world. New York socially, Boston
intellectually, are already dominated to
some extent BY foreign influences, and
are aot likely to become less ssin the
iuture. They are already settling ds"n
into hard, fixed modes Of thought and
life.
The newspaper press Of the different
kinds Of cities in the United St stes be
gins to family prophssy their respective
tendencies. The press Of Bostoa and
New York 10 comparatively provincial
Almsst wholly in It's news, and manly
in its comments, It scarcely recognises
the existence OF any interest west OF the
AlleQhenie II there Is Asy striking
characteristic in the New York presS at
all. its mana cement aud tsne partake
of the English type. On the other
hand, the Chicago papers show on their
very face tnat they are published at q
central point. Every point VI the COM
pass Is fully represented. Their drag
net Of enterprise Is thrown over the
whole continent. This will be the law
Of their future growth, and tho lav oi
the future growth OF Chicago Or what
eyer tho great central metropolis may
be. It's to be q vitalixed, energetic.
distinctlysly csHtinsntal center OF COM
murcs. art, literature aad amusement,
and will suck ints it, whirling current
of business and pleasure the tssming
millions which will then swarm In the
great central s!atOs Of the Union.
.....ior The DOCTORS