Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1900-06-21
PROGRESS or A CENTURY.
Some OF the MaryeIs We Have Wrought In a
Hundred Years.
by Permission of tho Ladies' Homo
Journal


pie; 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 number of people,
and little Portugal was almost our
rival in number.
We have moro people now than
any European nation except Russia,
which alone leads us. We have as
many people as live in all Great Bri-
tain and France combined. We have
onc-half more people than Germany.
We have practically, 75,000,000 pco-
pie in the United States, and 10,-
100000 more in our new possessions.
There were only five large cities
in America in 1900. Philadelphia,
with GG,000, was the largest, the seat
Of government, and the center of
wealth and culture. New York was
next, With 10000. Baltimore was
third, with 10000; Boston fourth,
with $4,000, and Charleston, South
Carolina, fifth, with 10000 people.
Chicago was unhcard Of in 1900.
The century was three years old be-
fore the government even built a fort
where Chicago now stands, and it
was not until thirty years later that
q city was thought Of and incorpo-
rated.
There was no western city. The
mighty, modern cities of st. Paul,
Minneapolis, Omaha, Denver and
Kansas City were unhcard Of. There
was a 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
5000 people in 1900, spread, over
that whole territory. The "Far
Vest was then kentucky, Ohio
and Western New York. Beyond
The Alleghanics was practically Il
wilderness. Now 53,00O,000 people
live within the era that belonged to
our nation in 1900.
The United States is larger now
than all Europe in point Of area. 1t
has 3,GO0,000 square milcS--onc- four
tccnth of the land surface of the en-
tire globe. In 1900 we had Just
$4,000 square miles.
We are the richest nation Oh the
globe. To-day our wealth is csti-
mated at over $l00,000,000,00O in
1900 it was $4,000, 100000 4 man
worth $3o0,000 was then considered
abnormally rich; to-day we have
several hundred men who are worth
$4,000, 700 or more.
Uncle Sam spends each year, on
his government, $550,00O,000, not
including the extra outlay occa-
stoned by our late war and the new
accession Of territory. In 1900 he
spent Sl2,500,000. Iii 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 stand
points. Half Of them dwclt in log
huts. Window glass was luxury
even in the coast towns. Some pco-
pie used oil paper; others had sim,
pie openings in the walls, which in
winter were closed with plank split
from logs. The iron stove was a
positive luxury the furnace was
unhcard Of. Great fire places sup
piled heat, but could not keep these
huts comfortable in winter.
There was no Kerosene nor GAS.
Both were unhcard Of. The tallow
dip was the standard Ii ghl, and on
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 il was not until 1853
that petroleum was discovered, and,
even in 1861, Kerosene was very OK
pcnsivc, costing sixty cents gallon.
There was no such thing as a
match. The flint and steel OF the
old family muskct was the means of
kindling a fire or a live coal was
brought from a neighbours, some
times many miles distant. When
thc 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 49,
OOO,OO0,OOO matches each year.
The cooking stove was unknown
The cooking was done in the fire
place in pots and kettles standing
on long slender LEGS well above tho