Cheyenne transporter. [volume] (Darlington, Indian Terr.) 1879-1886, 1883-03-12
In n Hundred Years.


the same in hundred years." but it is
not pleasant to reflect that, in hum
dred years our descendants will be so
numerous on the face of the earth that
there will not be enough food for them
to eat. We loosely suppose that, in the
course of time, with peace and civiliza-
ton prevailing, and the sons of man in
creasing and multiplying on the face
of the earth, things will get pretty
crowded; but it hardly enters our con-
ception that this republic has passed
the center of its career and that fur
ther growth now brings only with it
greater rapidity nearer to death.
! These, however, are the conclusions
which have been reached by the presi-
dent of the statistical society of Lon
don, and which have been given to the
world by him in his inaugural address
Mr.. Gritfin's recognition by the statis-
tical society is a guarantee that he is
at home in statistics, and in surveying
the present condition and future pros
poets of the human race he IS led to
predict that the course of the next hun
dred years will witness very striking
changes in the population, political
condition, and social welfare of the hui
man race.
Looking at Europe, he sees that the
limit of population has been nearly
reached already, and that the worst
evils of pauperism are averted chiefly
by two rapidly disappearing resources
which still remain-thc capacity of the
United States to absorb the emigrants
who leave, and its capacity to furnish
a cheap supply of food to the people
who remain. In France, where the
limit of population has been reached,
in theory and in fact, the increasing
needs of modern life are met by an in
crease of importations of food. Rus
sia is the only country in which there
is a surplus of food and surplus of
lands; but both of these resources are
particularly unavailable, on account of
governmental and political restrictions.
Europe is already over-populated and
underfed, and any restriction of its
food supply and resources of expansion
must produce decline in the condition
of the people.
In Asia, the future disaster is more
imminent In India, where 240,000,-
900 people live in 1,400,0 600 square
|
British government gives them security
in increasing population, there is no
available supply of new land to provide
for the new inhabitants. Mr.. Grimm
estimates that in ten years, or twenty,
at most, the famines which are now
periodic in India will be perpetual, and
it will be one of the problems of the
Indian government to support the land
less pauperS.
With such surroundings, where will
we be? Our population has increased
sixteenfold in a century, doubling every
, twenty-five years. At that rate we
will have one hundred million of peo-
pie in 1905, and eight hundred millions
, in 1890 These are startling figures.
! John Fiske gave us two centuries in
+ which to gather 525, 100000; but Mr..
Griffin does not dogmatise-he merely
, shows where we will be in a hundred
years, If our present rate of growth l.
kept up. Even if we only 90 at hall
q speed, we will have 400, 900, 900 in 9
: century, and this is larger empir,
: than the world has ever held together
q There is certainly every reason 10 eX
+ psct rapid rate of growth in the i'm
- mediate future. Last year saw nearly
I a hundred emigrants landed here. anC
e this cause alone would be sufficient tC
: add $4,000, 900 to our population in !
= quarter of a century; and there is NJ
: reason to look on million as Il limi
Y to the possibilities of emigration
i Cheaper rates of through passage an,
d, q more extensive network of relation
n ship and acquaintance between tn
r. emlgrants here and their kin at home
T. can hardly fail to increase the yolum
, of that tidn and In twnntN-fivn Xnnr