The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1900-11-21
Marvels We Have Wrought In One
Hundred Years. -.

d. . .... .
There were but 100000 people in
America when this century opened.
France had five, times as many people |;
Germany, and even Austria, had four
time Americas population !; Italy had
three times as many, andso had Great
Britain. Even Spain had double our
number of people, and little Portugal
was almost our rival in numbers. IS
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-half
more people than Germany. We
have, practically, 75,000,000 people in
the United States, and l0, 600, 600 more
in our new possessions. Z: W.
There were only five large cities In
America in 1900. Philadelphia, with
1000, was the largest, the seat Of gov.
ernment, and the centre of wealth and
culture. New York was next, with
$4,000. Baltimore; was third, with
26, 500; 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 Government even built q 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 ano
Kansas City were unheard 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, Michi-
gan and Wisconsin now there lived
5000 people, spread over that whole
territory. The "Far West" was then
KENTUCKY, Ohio and Western New
York. Beyond the Alleghenies was
practically q wilderness. Now So, ,000,-
1000 people live within the area that
belonged to our nation in 1900. 10, .
The United States is larger now than
Eali Europe in point of area. 1t has 81
SOC, ,0N square miles-one-fourteenth Of
the lanI. surface of the entire globe.
LIN 1900 We had just $4,000 square
miles.
We are the richest nation on the
globe. To-day 8pr wealth is estimated
at over SlOO, 900, ,o& 900 ; in 1900 it was
|S2, ,OOO, ,OOO, 900. A man worth $500, 900
was then considered ab9ormally rich ;
to-day we have several hpndred men
who are worth $3,OOO,OO0 0s. more.
Uncle Sam spends each yeaE on ms
government, $3.50, ,000,0 900, not lnclua-
ing the extra outlay occasioned by our
late war and the new accession of Yer Ter
ritory. In 1900 he spent $l2,500,poO
In four years he now spends m5{e
than the entire wealth of the natioif
in 1900.
1t is amazing how people lived in
1900, judged from modern standpoints.
/ Half Of them dwelt in log huts.
Window glass was a luxury even in
the coast towns. Some people used
oil-paper; others had simple open
Iings in the walls, which in winter
were closed with plank split from logs
The iron stove was positive luxury
the furnance was unheard of. Great
fireplaces supplied heat, but could not
keep these huts comfortable in winter
L luele WINS uO hCiOsCuO uOi gas oOth
were unheard of. The tallow dip was
the standard light, and on the from
$snS; L. 81 |1gl soS:: e: ); s'is s;
very rich, fed with whale or vegetable
oils, but they were few, and the flame
hardly brighter than the candies
For fifty years into the century these
lights were used, for it was not unit
1858 that petroleum was discovered
and, even in 1861, kerosene was very
expensive, costing sixty cents a gal
Ion. .'.
=, There was no such thing as {
match. The flint and steel of the ole
family musket was the means of kind
ling fire; or live coal was brough
from a neighbours, sometimes man.
f miles distant. When the friction
, match came, in 1927, people wer'
afraid of it and would not have it il
: the house; to-day we in Americ
alone use over 125, 900, 100000 matche
3 each year. .... ~.
The cooking-stove was unknown