The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-12-14

\ Governor Leslie M. Shaw Of
Iowa had for his subject, "The de-
velopment of the States During
the Century of 18oo-19oo." Gov
ernor Shaw said:
Eat the date of Che event this
day commentaries the United
States of America was composed
of sixteen states, Kentucky, Yer
mont and Tennessee having been
admitted to the union during the
closing decade of the eighteenth
century. Since then Virginia has
been divided, and a seventeenth
state admitted without increasing
the area included in the sixteen,
/ and there have also been added
twenty eight other states.
i $40 better appreciate the grow
tn of the nation, a few compari-
sons may not seem i'll advised.
SHad there been no change in
area and not taking into account
territories then and now owned by
the nation, and supposing the
same development or increase
within the several states as has
been witnessed, the United States
would then be larger than Great
Britain. plus France and Denmark
Greece, Portugal and Belgium, and
would have a population more
numerous than Italy, plus Norway
and Denmark; it would outnumber
Austria plus Sweden. Switzerland
and Greece. The population Of
these seventeen states is very near.
1i5t equal to that of Great Britain.
"The twenty-nine states admit
ted during the century have
brought an increase Of territory ex-
ceeding the German Empire plus
Great Britain, France, Spain,
Portugal, Belgium, Hungary, Italy,
Greece, Denmark and Sweden.
The United States today, exclus-
i've of organized territories and
other possessions, is larger than
European Russia and larger
than all Europe except Rus
|sia, while our population is nearly
lequal to Great Britain and France
combined, and once and a half as
large as the German Empire.
The area of the United States, ex-
elusive Of organized territories
and possessions, has increased six
fold and our population fifteenfold
IN one hundred years.
''Not only have we increased
numerically and the states devel-
oped materially and our people
prospered financially, but intellect
ual, moral and religious improv-
ment has been equally marked.
While the population of the Unit
ed States has increased fifteen fold
in one hundred years, church
membership has increased four
times hfteenfold in the same
period.
owe have 10000, 600 pupils re-
ceiving elementary instruction,
$4,000 receiving secondary in
struction in high schools and a.
cademies, 200, 900 in colleges and
universities, 10000 receavsng nor
NAL school training and 50, 900, 900
under professional tuition. Com
parsons for the last thirty years
show an ever increasing per cent
/ in the enrolment of children of
school age, as well as the number
of days attendance of pubils en-
rolled, and in the average length
of the school year. The annual
expenditure for educational pur-
poses, exclusive Of donations to
endowments and for college and
university buildings, exceeds 5000,
900, 900.
Conditions Century Ago.
"When the seat of government
was removed to the District of Co
lumbia, our five million people
were dependent almost entirely
upon agriculture and fisheries.
Their clothing was spun and woven
in the home of the wearer; their
or in, homegrown, was ground to
order, and their meat, mostly
'range-fed, was generally slaught-
cred at the door of the consumer.
The table of the average American
was not then debtor thrice a day
to three continents for what we
now call necessaries. Very little
consumed by that frugal people,
salt and rum excepted, had been
francportad tuentv miles from, The