, 1883-08-04
Contrasts of 100 Years.

The Baltimore Sun indulges in the
following reflections suggested by
the celebration Tuesday Of the CEN
tenaial of the Protestant Episcopal
Church.
The hundred years during which
the Episcopal Diocese Of Maryland
has had existence have constituted
the most memorable century in the
p-'-s-.r'y4s the Nrorltl. when the
first Episcopal Convention assembled
one hundred years ago, Baltimore
had a population Of about 5000, and,
though one Of the largest towns In
the colonies, with nearly the largest
foreign trade, yet mostly circum-
scribed between the basin (Which
ran up to the Exchange place and
Gay street, and Fayette and Charles
street, with Il few scattering houses
on Fclps Point. There were but a
few dwellings west Of Charles street,
and Calvert did not extend further
north than Fayette street. Now
Baltimore numbers over 100000 in
habitants within the area Of twelve
square miles. In 1888 the means Of
intercOmmunication were few, slow
and poor. A stage coach was run
twice a week between Baltimore and
Philadelphia, taking two days to
pass from one to the other. Now we
can 90 three or four times daily in
three hours. Then, not an American
grammar, arithmetic, algebra or die
tionary had been published, and not
bible in the English tongue had
been printed in all North America,
and the united circulation of all the
newspapers on the Continent would
not equal half the daily issue Of the
Sun. Now there are more school
books Of American authorship issued
each year by the publishing houses
in the United States, and more bibles
printed than were then circulated by
all the publishers and booksellers
in Great Britain. Then not canal,
not plank road, not a railway, not
a telegraph, not a steam engine, not
a gas or electric light, not hydrant,
not piece Of agricultural machinery
not cotton factory or woOlen mill
could be seen in America, and not
a ton of coal had been mined from
our bituminOus and anthracite fields.
Now Baltimore is one Of the largest
manufacturing cities in the Western
hemisphere, consuming for its own
purposes near one million tons Of
coal per year, and centering in itself
the iron bandsand electric wires Of
thousands Of miles Of railroads and
telegraphs. Then there was but one
Episcopal Church in the tOwn-St
PauPs-and but little over two hun
dred Church Of England clergymen
in all the thirteen colonies. There
was no Bishop, no organized diocese,
no church academy or church col
lege, no periodical, no Sunday School,
no missionary society and no hos
pital. Now there are thirty-two
Episcopal churches and chapels in
this city, with forty-two clergymen,
and there have been consecrated for
service in the church in the United
States one hundred and thirty
Bishops. There are a score Of church
colleges and theological schools an
equal number Of church periodicals /;
while the church has great societies
for missions, for Sunday Schools, for
church publications, for educating
young men for the ministry, while a
hundred asylums, orphan houses,
church homes, and church hospitals,
like network Of charity cover the
land. One hundred years ago the
three millions who then peopled the
colonies from the river St John on
the northeast to the st. Mary's on
the Suth, were hemmed In te.ween