The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1901-02-06
A HUNDRED YEARS AGO
FAMILIAR THINGS UNKNOWN At
LAST cENTURY's BEGINNING.

~|~
There Was No Railroad, Steamboat, Elec
trio Light, Telegraph, Telephone, Pho
nograph, Sewing Machine, Cotton Gin,
Photograph, Bicycle or Anaesthetic.
One hundrei years ago Thomas JEFF
ferson was President OF the United
States and Aaron Burr was Yice-Pres-
ident. There were sixteen States, Yer
mont. Kentucky and Tennessee in ad-
dition to the original thirteen. The
country's population was a,30s, 4S3;
Virginia had $50. 200 people; Pennsyl-
yania. COZ, ,365: New York, 5S0,05l
North Carolina AIS 103, and Massaehu-
setts, 422,S45. The population Of New
York City was 6O.4s9; that Of Brook
Ign. not yet incorporated, was less
than 1000. Indiana was then the from
tier. with 5641 inhabitants. A man
who had seen the turbid flood Of the
Mississippi was a curiosity. The
Union Of Great Britain and Ireland
was consummated 100 years ago. Bo-
naparte was still First Consul Wei
lington had not become famous. and
Nelson was the British hero, with Eve
years to live before Trafalgar Scott
was yet to write 'Waverley." Words
worth had just written some Of the
Lyrical Ballads, but was an obscure
poet Coleridge. his friend, had com
posed the Ancient Mariner but had
no fame. Byron and Shelley were ur-
chlns at school, and Keats was in
short dresses. 1t was not until seven
years later that Fult0n's steamboat
was tried. and it was nineteen years
before the first steamship crossed the
Atlantic. Holding communication with
Europe only by slow sailing vessels.
the United States were too isolated TO
be concerned about interference. 1t
was not until 1923 that the Monroe
Doctrine was proclaimed.
Travel In the United States a hun
dred years ago was By stage coach
and ship. sail boat or row boat The
largest sailing vessel had tonnage Of
500. and required weeks 10 make the
Atlantic passage. Steamships Of
10000 tons cross to-day in about five
days. Our railroad mileage would
now girdle the earth twenty times.
The farmers OF 1901 were just begin
ming 10 use east.iron plows In place Of
wooden ones. and they knew nothing
about fertilizers Many years were TO
e.apse before the invention OF the
reaf and the binding harvester
In fa. agriculture was painfully ia
b0rlous. the forest was slowly clearef
with the axe. and tise house built Oh
fhe settler uas q rude hut 81 lo
whe he iiFad with no comforts
dll na dream oi Injuries lhs
o. the world that came Co inn 10 hs
solitude was months ANA sonnet pes
years Old. but Ia that respect lAe
dweller OF the town was not much BET
ter on no day the farmer has a rural
mail delivery which cornerts him wlth
the most distant parts oi the globe,
and be reads daily paper containing
news Of Europe which Is only a few
hours old. Familiar things that did
nor exist at the beginning Of the nine
teenth century best illustrate our de
velopment: the railroad train, the
steamboat. the electric light. the tele
graph. the sewing machine, the cotton
gin. photography, the kinetoscope. the
bicycle. anaesthetics the elevator
the list could be extended to the
length Of a catalogue, for hardly any
convenience or utility used IN the
house. the Office. the warehouse ant
the factory to-day was known to th'
people who toiled and lived 100 year.
ago.
One hundred years ago man coult
not take a ride on a steamboat
He could not 60 from Washington
to New York in a few hours.
He had never seen an electric ligh
or dreamed Of an electric car
lie could not send a telegram.
He couldn't talk through the tele
phone, and he had never heard Of tn
hello girl.
He could not ride a bicycle.
He could not call in a stenographe
and dictate letter.
He had never received a typewrittel
communication.
He had never heard Of the germ
theory or worried over bacilli and baC
terra.
He never looked pleasant before
photographer or had his picture taker
He never heard a phonograph tai
. or saw a kinetoscope turn out priz
rugh a Webster
with the aid Q
ride In an eli
n Tuch a thin
o- type
ing but