Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-29
HUNDRED YEARS AGO
PROPHECY OF GREAT DEVELOP
MENT IN AMERICA.
Civil and Religious Liberty to Flourish
Unchecked by the Hand
Of Tyranny.

In a work entitled Geography Made
Easy" an abridgment of the American UNI
versal Geography, by Rev. Jedidiah Morse.
the seventh edition of which was printed In
Boston in the year 1900. the author shows
that with his other attachments he pos
sessed the gift Of prophecy. And just at
this time. when the transfer of the Louisi-
ana dominion from the French to the Amer
lean government is being celebrated. the
following in his chapter on Louisiana as
not without interest:
ut is well known that empire has been
travelling from east to west. Probably her
last and broadcast feat will be America.
Here the sciences and the arts of civilized
life are to receive their highest improve
ments. Here civil and religious liberty are
to flourish. unchecked by the cruel hand of
civil or ecclesiastical tyranny. Here genius,
aided by all the Improvement of former
ages, is to be exerted in humanizing man
kind, in expanding and enfiching their
minds with religious and philosophical
knowledge, and in planning and executing
a form of government which shall involve
all the excellencies of former governments,
with as few of their defects as is consistent
with the imperfections of human affairs;
and which shall be calculated to protect
and unite, in a manner consistent with the
pire that ever existed. Elevated with these
prospects, which are not merely the visions
of fancy, we cannot but anticipate the Pc
riod, as not far distant, when the Amerl-
can empire will comprehend millions or
souls west of the Mississippi.
Judging upon probably grounds the Mis-
sissppi was never designed as the western
boundary of the American empire. The
God of nature never intended that some OF
the best parts of His earth should be in
Eabited by the subjects Of a monarch 4.OOO
miles from them. And may We not venture
to predict, that, when the rights OF men
shall be more fully known (and the knowl-
edge of them is fast increasing both in Eu-
rope and America), the power of European
potentates will be confined to Europe. ana
their present American dominions become,
like the United States, free, sovereign anu
Independent empires
Alluring Motives.
In his advertisement, or introduction, ne
says:
mo national government holds out to its
subjects so many alluring motives TO op-
tain an accurate knowledge of their own
country and of its various interests as that
O. United America. By the freedom or our
elections public honors and public otnces
are not confined to any one class Oh men,
hut are offered to merit, in whatever rank
If NAV be found. To discharge the duties
of public Office with honor ana applause
the history. policy, commerce productiois'
particular advantages and interests OF .he
several states ought TO De thoroughly III
derstood.
at is obviously wise and prudent, then.
to initiate our youth in the knowledge OF
these things and thus to form their mlnds
upon republican principles and prepare
them for future usefulness and honor
Till within a few years we have seldom
pretended to write and hardly to think TOT
ourselves We have humbly received from
Great Britain our laws. our manners; our
books and our mode of thinking: and our
youth have been educated rather as the
subjects of the British ling than as the
citizens of a free and Independent republic
But the scene is now changed. The revolt
ton has been favorable to science in gen.
eral. particularly to that Of the geography
of our own country.
But a few pages he devotes to Louisiana,
and in his description Of this country he
saws it is bounded by the Mississippi on
the east by the Gulf of Mexico on the
south, by New Mexico west and runs in
definitely north.
BY his map of North America of the date
of TBS the Rio Grande, then the Rio
Bravo, appears to have separated 1t from
New Mexico. He notes that on the River
Rouge are as rich silver mines as any in
Mexico, and this is supposed to have been
one principal reason for Spain insisting on
the exclusive control of the navigation of
the Mississippi.
He describes climate soil and products;
notes that it is governed by viceroy from
Spain; that the population is unknown;
names New Orleans as the capital. and
notices the settlement of Colonel Morgan
of New Jersey on the west bank of the
Mississippi forty-five miles south of the
Ohio, as the projected town of New Madrid
He notices no other town in the text, but
on his map of North America, dated 1885,
Natchez appears. Yet no mention is made
of ST. Louis though. as is well known, 1t
had long been settled.
Population in 1898.
In his general description of the United
States he says the population then exceeded
five millions, and in 1870 the slaves num-
bered near seven hundred thousand; that
the number is being multiplied by emigra-
ton as we'll as natural increase, and col
lected of various countries. of different
not aSsimiliated to such degree to
form national character; but I'VE are yet
an infant empire, rising fast to maturity,
with prospects of vigorous, powerful and
bic manhood"
He notes that the English language is
spoken, but 1t is much corrupted by foreign
ers. yet the time is anticipated when "all
nominal distinctions shall be lost in the
general and honorable name of Americans"
The population of the states and the
names of the principal towns are given as
follows:
Vermont. $3.50. Windsor and Rutland;
cord and Exeter; Massachusetts, 1878, 7S7,
Boston, Salem and Newburyport; District
of Maine, 96540, Portland, HaIlowill and
Rhode Island, 6s.S25, Newport
and Providence; Connecticut, 237 946, New
Haven and Hartford; New York, $40 100,
New York and Albany; New Jersey, 1884,
l39. Trenton, Burlington and Brunswick;
Pennsylvania, 434,373, Philadelphia and
Lancaster; Delaware. 1904. Dover, Wilm-
lngton and Newcastle; Maryland. 310. T2S.
Annapolis and Baltimore; Virginia, TAT 610
Petersburg and Norfolk; Ken
lucky. 1857, Lexington; North Carolina,
s8, Isl, Newbern. Edenton and Raleigh;
South Carolina. 249.073. Charleston and
Georgia, S254S, Savannah,
Augusta and Louisville; Tennessee 1900
Knoxville, Nashville and Greenville; terri
tory northwest of Ohio, Marietta Angus
tine is located in east Florida, Pensacola
IN west Florida, New Orleans in Louisiana.
Santa Fe in New Mexico. San Juan in
California. The figures are taken from
The census of 1795