Smyrna times., 1897-06-30
LOOKING BACKWARD.

The ceremonies incident to the cele-
bration of the sixtieth anniversary OF
the reign of Queen Victoria has resul-
ted IN considerable looking backward.
The history of Great Britain has been
told and retOld and commented upon at
considerable length. The rise and
growth of the British Empire is n bio
subject. England was so named in
the year S29 or the year 995, the actual
date being a subject yet discussed. In
the year 1888, England was united to
Wales, and to Scotland in 1903. The
united countries have had the
same legislation since 1907, when the
name of Great Britain was adopted.
Ireland was Incorporated with En-
gland, Scotland and Wales in 1901, the
whole then being called the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
Thus is it that Victoria has been the
relSning monarch for nearly two-thirds
OF the time since the United Kingdom
became fact.
During the reign of Queen Victoria
the United States has not been doing
very badly for new country. To be
sure, we have not enforced policy of
conquest, but we have gone on persis-
tently along the lines laid down bv these
who drafted the Constitution, and from
nation of twenty-six states, we have
grown to a nation of fourty-fiv states.
each little nation of its own, but gov
erned from Washington. The popula-
ton of the United States in 1887 was
only about 100000, but in the iub-
lice year it has population estimated
at 10000, 900 of people. Since Queen
Victoria assembled the throne of Great
Britain, the United States has built up
nation west of the Mississippi river,
comprising the States of Texas (alone
containing twice as many square miles
as the entire United KingdOm), Iowa,
California Qarger than the United
KingdOm), Minnesota, Oregon, Kan
sas two thirds of the size of the Uni
ted Kingdom), Nevada, Nebraska, Col
orado, North Dakota, South Dakota,
Montana, larger than the United
Kingdom), Washington, Idaho, Wyom-
ing, Utah, a total of sixteen States.
with an area of ,665, 14O square miles,
to which may be added Wisconsin and
Florida, with an additional area of ia
72O square miles. These eighteen
States comprise an area equal to four
teen and One-half United Kingdoms.
With the exception of Texas, none of
these new States acquired since 1887
were obtained by conquest, and even
in Texas the people were willing and
anxious to be annexed to the United
States. And we must not forget Alas
ka, nearly five times the size of the
United Kingdom, which was picked up
as bargain in 1867.
1t will thus be seen that a glance
backward in this continent will reveal
the most marvellous growth of nation
on record. The United States is prac-
tically only one hundred years old, but
during those one hundred years the
country has increased in population
from four millions to seventy millions.
During that time the material wealth
of the nation has grown at a tremen-
dOus pace. This country, now a nation
of fourtyfve States, was practically un-
known when England was old in years,
but with nothing except the nat
ural recourses and an indomitable en-
ergy a nation second to no other in
among the people of the
world has been built.
What has been done in America dur
ing the last sixty years, says the Morn
ing Ne,os, is almost beyond compre-
hension, and glance backward at our
selves, and review of what has been
here since Victoria assembled the throne
of Great Britain, is timely and suges-
tive