Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1900-06-13
PROGRESS OF A CENTURY.
Some of the Marvels We Have Wrought In
Hundred Years.


Hundred Years. :
By Permission Of the Ladies' Home Journal.
There were but 100000 people ir
America when this century opened
France had five times as many people
Germany, and even Austria, had four
times Americas population Italy had
three times as many, and 80 had
Great Britain. Even Spain had double
our numb er of people, and little Portu'
gal was almost our rival in numbers
We have more people now than any
European nation except Russia, which
alone leads us. We have as many
people as live in all Great Britain and
France combined. We have one.hall
more people than Germany. We have,
practically, $4,000, 900 people in the
United States, and 100000 more in
our new possessions.
There were only five large cities in
America in 1900. Philadelphia, with
$4,000, was the largest, the seat Of
government, and the centre of wealth
and culture. New York was next,
with 10000. Baltimore was third,
with 26,5O0; Boston fourth, with 25,.
900 ; and Charleston, South Carolina,
fifth with $4,000 people.
Chicago was unheard of in 1900. The
century was three years old before the
the government even built fort where
Chicago now stands, and it was not
until thirty years later that city was
thought of and incorporated.
There was no western city. The
mighty, modern cities of st. Paul,
Minneapolis, Omaha, Denver and Kan
sas City were unheard of. There was
small trading-post at ST.. Louis.
That was all. The Pacific coast had
two or three missions under Spanish
control. All the rest of the west
was given over to Indians and wild
beasts.
In what are Illinois, Indiana, Mich
igan and Wisconsin now there lived
{, 900 people in 1900, spread over that
whole territory. The "Far West" was
then Kentucky, Ohio and Western
New York. Beyond the Alleghanies
was practically a wilderness. Now
SO, 900, 900 people live within the area
that belonged to our nation in 1900.
The United States is larger now than
all Europe in point of area. 1t
has 100000 square miles-one-four-
teenth of the land surface of the entire
globe. In 1900 we had just $4,000
square miles.
We are the richest nation on the
globe. To-day our wealth is estimated
at:over 800, ,OOO, 900, 900 lin 1900 it was
81, ,OOO,0OO,0O0 A man worth $780,
900 was then considered abnormally
rich !; to day we have several hundred
men who are worth So 600, 900 or more.
Uncle Sam spends each year, on his
government, $3.50, 100000, not includ'
ing the extra outlay occasioned by our
late war and the new accession OF
territory. In 1900 he spent 81, 500, 900.
In four years he now spends more than
the entire wealth of the nation in 1900.
1t is amazing how people lived in
1900, judged from modern standpoints.
Half of them dwelt in log huts. Win
dow glass was luxury even in the
coast towns. Some people used oil.
paper; others had simple openings in
the walls, which in winter were closed
with plank split from logs. The iron
stove was a positive luxury the furn-
ace was unheard of. Great freplaces
supplied heat, but could not keep these
huts comfortable in winter.
There was no kerosene nor gas.
Both were unheard of. The tallow
dip was the standard light, and on the
frontiers even tallow was scarce.
There the torch of the forest was used.
Lamps then were in the homes of the
very rich, fed with whale or vegetable
oils :; but they were few, and the flame
hardly brighter than the candles. For
fifty years into the century these lights
were used, for it was not until 1858
that petroleum was discovered, and,
even in 1861, kerosene was very ex-
pensive, costing sixty cents a gallon.
There was no such thing as a match.
The flint and steel of the old family
musket was the means of kindling a
fire; or live coal was brought from a
neighbours, sometimes many miles
distant. When the friction match
came, in 1927, people were afraid of it
and would not have it in the house.
To-day we in America alone use over
125, 900, 100000 matches each year.
The cooking-stove was unknown.
The cooking was done in the fireplace
in pots and kettles standing on long,
slender legs we'll above the Goals.
The old brick oven was fred once a
week to almost blazing heat and filled
with appetizing dishes.
Table linen was made by the house.
wife, and it was beautiful. China and
silverware were lacking. Pewter
spoons and steel knives and forks were
choice heirlooms and highly priced.
Handmade wooden trenchers, plat
tiers, bowls and noggins comprised
most of the tableware in use hun
dred years ago. On the frontiers
meals were often eaten off chips freshly
cut from the forest trees.
Garments were spun by hand, every
member of the family doing a part.
There were few cotton-spinning mills
in operation, but the spinning jenny,
the carding machine and the loom with
flying shuttle were almost unknown in
America. The century was 13 years
old before the first power loom was set
up-at Waltham, Mass.
do fn