The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1889-05-16
A Century Of Growth and Develop
meut.


A Century Of Growth and Develop
ment.
One hundred years is but
brief cycle of time. What may
be accomplished within its limits
by nation OF freemen was shown
at the centennial exposition in
1876. It is web for us all that
the spirit of patriotism is again
awakened.We get so used to
things we forget half their signifi--
canoe. The most interesting and
wonderful page in all the history
of nations IS the story of the birth
and growth Of the american re='
public. Look at the little strip Of
Uncle Sans farm that was cult
waited a hundred years ago. His
domain extended but little more
than one thousand miles, from the
pine tree state on the north to the
state OF. the pine and palm on the
gulf, bounded on the
west by the Mississippi river.
about eight hundred thousand
square miles in area, all told.
The population was less than four
and half, and half
million of those were slaves.
Now we swarm to the Pacific
coast, over three millions five
hundred and forty seven thousand
square miles, sixty millions strong.
A hundred years ago we had no
railroads, no telegraph, no steam
boats, not even plank reads.
Wagons on land and RATS and
fiat boats on rivers and streams
were the only methods of trans
portation. The man who owned
a horse and saddle with pillion
behind for his wife and room in
front for child or two, was an
aristocrat in his possessions. THE
stage. coach and canal boat We're
the wonderful inventions Of the
earlier part Of the century. 1t
took President-elect Washington
six days to travel from 1Philadel-
phia to New York, and President
Harrison goes from W FasiihgteH
tol--NAew1iaork .it-.-sts 11fatfyz.=hes1rs:;
In 1927 the first railroad was laid
now we have hundred and forty
thousand milesaof it and a man
may scoot at the rate of a mile a
minute if he will it SO. Then the
farmers threshed their grain with
fails, or the tread Of the sexens-
feet bruised it from the husk. "A
scythe for moving and sickle
for rcaping, awkward drags, forks
and rakes We're his implements.
Now look upon the hundreds Of
of fertile acres the NOW
ers and reapers go over annually,
and behold the product.
The, monthly commerce of the
port of New ork now exceeds
the aggregate annual commerce
of the United States a century ago.
For the first year of, the constitu-
tional government, the foreign
commerce of the country showed
imports of $4,000, 900 and exports.
of $20,0OQ,000. The past year i'm
ports have reached $733,500,000
in value and exports $723.500,000.
1t was forty years after Wash
ington's Inauguration before our
had the fun of striking
a lucifer match, of using a steel
pen or folding letters in an envel-
ope. The first newspaper in the
United States was printed in
1890. We, children of this rapid
age, with its railroads in the air
and under the ground, its deep
sea cables and tefegraphs and teic-
phones, its electric lights and
natural gas fuel, can hardly i'm
agine life under such conditions.
Yet with all the drawbacks, the
wise statesmen of the day slaid
the foundations of our great gov
eminent, broad and lasting, with
a wonderful blending Of a knowl-
edge of dangers seen in past ex-
perience, to be avoided, and as
forecast of dangers
that might lurk in the hidden fu-
ture. When they were in doubt,
they were conservative.
The first flag unfurled, January
/, l776, over the camp at CAM
bridge had thirteen stripes of red
and white and retained the En-
glish cross iii the corner. All the
state constitutions framed under
the declaration of independence,
with the exception of New York,
recognized some eenneetien4Aaf
church and state. But when the
federal constitution was framed
the only allusion to religion was
the provision that mo religious
tests should ever be required as a
qualification for any Office of