The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1895-06-07
AN ENORMOUS GROWTH.

''lf we take survey OF mankind in
ancient or modern times as regards
the physical, mechanical and intel
lectual force of nations, we find moth
ing to compare with the United States
in this present year Of 1885," This is
not statement of an American, but
of Michael G.. Mulhall, the noted
English statistician, in opening his
article in the current North american
RevieaC, on ''Power and Wealth of the
United States" He finds the pro-
ductive- power of this country is by far
the greatest of any nation in the
world. He expresses this productive
power in foOt-tons, this being the
measurement of working power. The
working power per day of an able
bodied male adult is 800 foot-tOns; that
of a horse three thousand, and Of
steam horsepower 1000 On this
basis he finds that the productive
power OF this country has more then
trebled since 1860. In other words
it has risen from 39,005 millions foot
tons to 129,306 millions foot-tons daily.
He further finds that the United
States possesses almost as much energy
as Great Britain, Germany and France
collectively, and that the ratio falling
to each American is more than that
of oil bor 4 MO Erapobpoop or Corpopc
The application of labor-saving ma
chinery here he finds has been brought
to very near perfection, and in fgur-
ing out the productive power of "foot-
tons" of farm hands in six different
countries as shown by the census of
1890, he finds that the average farm
hand in the United States raises as
much grain as three in England, four
in France, five in Germany, six in
Austria, or ten in Italy. Mulhall
seems to think that this great show
ing in favor of the American farm
hand is due entirely to the successful
application of labor-saving appliances
Here the Chicago Inter Ocean takes is
sue with him, and says while it is
mainly due to this, it is partly due to
food, and points out that the "well-
fed, meat-eating American farm hand
is more vigorous, quicker motioned
and stronger than the poor peasant
who is obliged to be content with
black bread and little sour milk or
stale beer" And the point is doubt
less well taken. In reducing the total
products of the farm to the common
denomination of grain, Mulhall finds
that the showing per hand for the diff
ferent countries is: United States,
ATS bushels; Great Britain, 22S; France,
1888; Germany, lis; Italy, lis; Aus
tria.97.
Guu greatly as Mr.. Mulhall is i'm
pressed By the productive powers of
this nation, ne is even more impressed
" IFS Intellectual power. He finds by
0he census OF 1890 that 81 per cent of
the p1nrlation Of the country over ten
CARS CT age could read anG write, and
says: cit may be fearlessly asserted
that in q history of the human race
no nation ever before possessed Al, 900,
600 instructed citizens.u European
states have certainly made efforts to
diffuSe popular instruction, and with
considerable success, but Americans
have left them far behind in gener-
Gus and wise-minded expenditure on
education" He finds the expenditure
of six leading nations for educational
purposes per inbabitant have been as
follows: UnlJei States, $40; Great
Britain, Sl30; France, Soc; Germany,
Soc; Austria, 3Oc.; Italy, 25c.
lie does not find that education has
been in ANY way hindrance to the
progress OF the nation, but rather a
motive power for its furtherance. 1t