The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1898-04-30
Va GRE Il M ASS OF MONEY
The Total Cash Of the Whole
s5.. World ia g Lump. 4
Exceeds s12, ooo, oo0, 900, and Piled To-
Eether Would Size UP Very.
PA Well with Cleopatra's
#'> ss. Needle. g.

VISA SVAlR SAGVvesLGss,9 ,.gs
r. ). si2&sT Needle. 15l554z
To the average individual the report
recently submitted to the secretary Of
the treasury by the director of minis
is not overinteresting document. But,
taken in connection with other reports
on similar lines from other countries
all over the world, it forms the basis
for a number of interesting deductions
and comparisons. 49,
These reports show that the money
capital of the world is $12,13O,OO 1000.
A good, round sum, indeed, and yet it
makes only eight dollars for each one
of the billion and q, half inhabitants;
but, as many of the inhabitants have
no money at all, there is large proper
ton to be divided among those who are
fortunate enough to get it, though there
is no uniformity in the distribution.
In ascertaining these figures of the
total money wealth there is little du-
plication, for nearly a third of the 3d.
50o,o00,o00 of paper money in the world
is secured by gold and silver, which is
included in the sum total given. To
be exact, there are So. 700, 100000 of pa
per money ''uncovered"-thati is, tbs au-
thorities issuing it havg not the gold
and silver to redeem it. This sum rests
simply on credit and not on security of
intrinsic value
The same thing is true in regard to
much of the silver coinage, to the ex-
tent of about one-half of it's face value
Take last year for illustration. The
coming value of the silver produced
was $215,272, roo, while the commercial
value was only 500, 406,80o. This is a
difference of $105, 1886, 900.
The total sum of the worlds money
is made up of $4,000, 100000 in gold, $4,-
270,000,000 in silver, and $500, 900 600
of paper. OF this the government and
people of the United States own-to
give the best exact obtainable figures
$696,27o,542 in gold, $637,50o,781 in sill
yer, and $1,12o,0oo,ooo of paper. This
paper consists of gold certificates, sill
yer certificates, United States notes,
treasury notes, national bank notes, and
currency certificates.
This volume is continually changing
and gradually increasing. During the
last fiscal year the minis of the United
States coined in gold $71, 646, 705, and in
silver 1924, 327,7S6. The same sort of
thing is going on in all civilized coun-
tries, and so the annual god product
of the world-which in 1896 was S2O4,-
396,600-is being consumed; but it must
be remembered that a little more than
one-half of it goes into the arts. And
the artisans do not always use bullion,
but take the coin, which is of no more
value; so likely the wedding ring you
buy to-day was fve-dol,ar gold piece
yesterday. In this manner the gold cir
culation is being decreased, while the
work at the minis is making up the loss,
and usually a little more.
OF the total amount of gold and sill
yer produced the United States does a.
fair proportion. According to the last
report, which is for the year 1896, it
produced S53,os6,ooo in gold and $751;
069,236 in silver at coinage value.
But the idea conveyed by figures alone
is at best incomplete. Figures in the
millions are confusing; figures in the
billions mean almost nothing to the
mind. Comparison can give better the
true significance of the amounts quoted
above.
Take, forinstance, Cleopatra's Needle,
that famous shaft once a wonder Of
Egypt, now set up in Central park, New
York. The obelisk is 81 feet high. If
the gold and silver of the world be
placed on a scale they will weigh about
267,246,184 pounds, the gold being 49,
o69,714 pounds this weight, and if these
are combined with the paper money we
will have bulk with cubic contents of
439,381 feet.
But their amounts will be better I'M
derstood if divided. If the paper money
were pressed firmly into bale "a feet
long it's other two dimensions would be
30 feet, and it would not be an incon-
spicuous figure if stood On end beside
the obelisk. If before baling these bills
they were Joined end to end they would
form a band that would reach four
times around the earth at it's equator.
II the gold were cast into a single
pyramid and set near the monolith it
would tower far above it's great base,
for if from ground to apex it was 3s34
feet, it could have that same measure
ment along each of it's base lines.
Apyramid of the silver would be much
larger than this, though the face value
of the coin represented in each is near
ly alike. If you wish to get an idea of
the proportion lay $50 gold piece be-
side pile of 20 silver dollars. The apex
of the pyramid of rilver might tower
115 feet and it's four base lines could
each measure the same distance.-Chi.
cago Times-Herald. III ..*~....:
The Age of Man in Switzerland.
It is not otter that estimates are
given in years of the time that has
elapsed since the appearance of early
races of men. Such an estimate, how
ever, has recently been made by DR..
Jacob Nuesch concerning the ancient
inhabitants of Switzerland. According
to DR.. Nuesch man first appeared on
Swiss soil about $4,000 wears ago. He