The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1898-02-04
OUR NATIONAL WEALTH.
The Narrow Margin Which Separates the
World from Starvation.

OUR NATIONAL WEALTH..
The Narrow Margin Which Separates the
World from Starvation.
What we now call society in this
country consists of about 100000 hu-
man beings. Each one must be sup
piled every day with two and one-haIf
to five pounds of food material, with
fuel wherewith to cook it, and with a
certain amount of textile fabrics or
furs and with some boards to put over
his head.
The world as whole is always with
in about one year of starvation. within
two or three years of becoming make
and within a very few years of becom-
ing houseless. In this country nearly
100000 human beings are added every
year to our population. That number
would soon crowd existing dwellers to
death, unless in each year about half
million of men were occupied in adding
TO the number of dwellings already ex-
listing.
We call ourselves very rich. We
gloat over the billions of dollars worth
of property disclosed by the figures of
the census. In 1890 the computation
reached the huge sum of over SOS .O00.-
100000. Only think of it! How rich we
are! But what does it all come to-?
About one-third of this valuation is the
estimated value of the land on which
capital has been placed. Land is our
endowment, not our creation. If we
deduct reasonable sum for land val
uation, what is left if the capital of the
COMMUNICATIONS 45. OOO. 100000. This
is an estimate in dollars of what we
have saved and put to purposes of en-
jOyment or future use in more than a
century of existence as 4 nation.
Again, this is a stupendous sum. What
docs it amount to? If the value of all
that we consumed-food. fuel. shelter
and clothing-in the census year, fig
ured at retail prices. was equal to so
cents day per person. then the
product of the census year reached
valuation in terms of money, in round
figures, of $l1 ,5oO,C0O,OOO.
In other words, in little over a CEN
fury of existence as a nation. and in
less than a century of union under a
constitution, we have succeeded in saw.
ing products of human labor in the
form of public buildings. warehouses.
workshops, factories. railways. vessels.
dwellings,, tools. machinery and goods
and wares on the way from the pro-
Queer to the actual consumer to the
amount of little over $7OO worth per
head. We consume every year nearly
a third as much as this measure of all
our savings.-Engincering Magazine.
Good Practice.
my son." said the old gentleman
with a kindly smile that deceived the
hoy. Il understand you have ne de a
great record on the football field dur
ing the season that has just closed"
well, 1 should rather think So" re-
turned the boy. proudly. when it
comes to tackling-''
That's just the point I wanted to
get at" interrupted the old man.
''Tackling is just the point at issue"
q don't believe 1 quite understand"
said the boy.
"Why, there's ton of coal out by the
front gate that wants to be tackled and
rushed into the cellar the worst kind Of
4 way"
So it happened that the boys train /!
ing proved a good thing-for the old
man.-Chicago Post.
woman's Wanted Superiority.
81 wonder why it is that woman
learns the typewriter SO much more
quickly than MANI"
Because she can't stop and lose time
swearing every time she makes a mis- |
ENQUIRER