Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1898-12-07
GREATEST NATION ON EARTH
CONTINUED from First Page.1

one pan and our population into the
other, the weight of the peOpld would
be but One-quarter that of the wheat.
The United States also produces
four-fifths of the worlds cotton,
though probably only one-third OF
the area suited to the needs of the
plant is now under cultivation, SO
with the help of commercial fertiliz-
ers the product could easily be in
creased threefold. About two-thirds
of our cotton is sent to Europe to
feed the spindles OF England. And sc
most all it's natural u the
United States is ''facile princeps'
among the nations Of the earth.
Surely .IIc hath not dealt so with
any nation; praise We the Lord"
3. The United States is the wealth.
lest nation i'm the world. The census
of 1890 shows the true valuation of
the real and personal property of the
country to be $65. O37 ,091 1877, or about
six times the value of the money of
the entire world. This amount in
gold dollars would load 1880 carts
each carrying a on. III 1000 gold
dollars were piled one on the other
they would form a stack three feet
high. Make similar stacks close to-
gether till "A wall of gold one mile
long and worth $3.50, 400 900 is formed.
Increase the wall to twenty-eight
and a quarter miles and the amount
would represent national wealth.
4. No nation of the earth a COM
pare with the United States in intel
ligence and enterprise. The crown of
American civilization is it's common
school system. Over % per cent of
the population, or IA, $40, 779 individ-
uals, are enrolled i'm the public and
private schools of the nation. The
next largest percentage is that of
Germany, which is less than 10 per
cent, Great Britain and France hav-
ing only l6la per cent each. The av-
erage length of educational study is
for a longer term of years in America
than any other country. We spend
an average of S11.5O for each pupil in
our public schools. Every year for
twenty-one years the value OF our
school property has increased $l0,-
900. 900 and the expenditures for edu-
cation "a. 000, 900. In no other coun-
try OF the world are the educational
advantages of libraries so full and SO
free as in the United States. In 1891
there were 3,S04 public libraries,
counting only those having more
than 200 volumes each. The school
libraries alone contain IL, 600, 900 vol
umes. than all the public librar-
les OF Europe combined. Out of A.
600 newspapers and periodicals in the
world the United States has nearly
one-half, or 1856, while Germany,
it's nearest rival. has only 5000. In
no other country are the people so
well supplied with books and period
icals as in the United States.
The postoffice is II good index of
the intelligence OF IA people. Nearly
half of the S, 1000. 00O, 900 letters of the
world belong to the United States.
The annual mail of our people is
equal to that of Great Britain, Ire
land, Germany, France, Spain, Swe-
den and Russia combined. The aver
age annual mail amounts to 125
pieces-letters, cards and newspapers
per person.
The intelligence of the nation is
also indicated by it's inventions and
manufactures. No nation equals the
United States in the number of pat
ents issued every year. In the year
1896 22, U51 patents were issued. The
world is indebted to- the ingenuity