The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1900-10-12
IF RATIO CONTINUES.
The United states VIII BE as DenssIy
Populated as China i'm Three
Hundred Years.

| Hundred Years.
20, we Americans are all myriado-
maniacs just now" said Chicago So
cial economist the other day, says the
| Tribune.
And what's a Observation-Disclosures
call-him?" asked man from out of
| town.
"Why, a fellow that feels disgraced
if his town or city, or even his state
and country, doesn't show up in the
census to suit him. Their commerce
and wealth may have increased fas-
ter than the population. His city
may have fine institutions of learn
ing and charity. 1t may have splen-
did parks, clean, well-paved streets,
and all that sort of thing that shows
good taste, intelligence, liberality
and public spirit. But if in mere
population it is short few thou
sands of what some one has said its
maniacs are like Rachel weeping for
her children, and will not be comfort
cd because they are not. Or even If
u city hasn't any such tokens of taste,
culture and comfort, as parks, IL
braries, ETC.. we don't miss them or
make half as big a kick about not
having them as over the lack of a few
ciphers more or less in the census
tables.
Its as much delusion as any
other mania, and it's hard to explain.
In the case of Berlin, Alexandria, St.
| Petersburg, Washington and some
other cities established by law man
may have made the town and God
the country. But no citizen of New
York or Chicago made or located the
harbors that brought together the
swarming denizens we brag about,
and whom not even native philopro-
| genitiveness can account for. The
inhabitants of those two cities can
fairly take credit for the architecture,
| ness enterprise of those places. New
ertheless, it is the mere arithmetical
additions that they feel most con-
cerned about, and first get mad over
if they don't come up to somebody's
guess.
''Have you ever tried to imagine
what this country will be at the
beginning of the next century? 1t
probably won't increase at the same
rate that it has the last century.
But suppose it to increase only rs
per cent. every ten years. Between
the years 1870 and 1880 it would have
400, o00,0 900 of inhabitants, or as many
as there are in China. In the year
1920 it would be 1000, 900, and then
it would be as dense as the popula-
ton of China. Chicago would have
in the first instance 100000 inhab-
itants, and in 1920 25,ooO,000. Chill
dren are now living that might see
the country with 4oo,ooO,oo0, and their
children when it had 100000, 900.
seven if the population should in
crease only ten per cent. every ten
years the country would have the
population of China in 210O and its
density in 1900. BY that time, I
think, most people would have got
over their delight at seeing the fig
ures steadily piling up. The digits
would begin to look more like the
wheels of Juggernaut than like ciph-
ers. Life would begin to look like
serious business. In China the
pressure upon the means of liveli-
hood is such that millions, though
possessing an endurance and industry
unsurpassed by any other race, are
constantly on the verge of starva-
| ton. The chasm between the rich
and the poor is wider and deeper
than it is in any occidental country.
"Three centuries hence, or as many
as now stretch between us and the
settlements at Plymouth and James
town and, perhaps, in less than two
centuries-this country may have
1,000,000,000 of inhabitants, and be as
| densely populated as China. Changes
and innovations now comparatively
trivial are then likely to be revolu-
tionary. When the inhabitants shall
touch elbows SO closely that land in
many locality shall be as valuable
| as it is now in great cities it will,
indeed, be struggle for existence.
Perhaps human life will not be
valued more highly than it is in
China. Perhaps government viii
abandon demonstrating, as it is said
to have done in China.
I'm terms of human longevity three
\ centuries is not vast stretch of
time. Four persons in succession,
each living to the age of 80, could
clasp hands across such gulf. It
would be even among the extreme
possibilities for the great-grandson
of a youth alive to-day to see such
country. But we myriadomaniacs
may be sure that such scion would
not be so anxious as his great-grand-
sire to have his city, state or coun-
try show up well in the census"