Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1906-06-15
that at Tuskegee, Alabama, founded by
Rooker r WASHINGTON

The literature OF this country has
been growing in quantity as well as i'm
proving in quality since the birth of the
United States as anindependent nation.
The early settlers of this country were
so busy with their work that they had
very little time to produce any litera-
| ture. Jonathan Edwards and Benja-
min Franklin were among the best of !
the early writers, but they gave no great
masterpiece to the world. Literature
now has a wide circulation, being avail
able to all who wish to read. Cooper,
Longfellow, Holmes and James Whit
comb Riley are representative writers
of the later period in the literature.
Leaving literature we pass on to the
growth of manufactures. Today this
country produces within its limits
very large part of the articles used
here. How different this is from what
it was one hundred and twenty-five
years ago. Most of the goods then
were imported from England and other
foreign countries, and what were not i'm
ported were made in the homes of the
colonists= The colonists spun and wove
all the cloth they used. They impro-
vised all the tools for their work, and
much of their furniture was constructed
by their own hands. But all this is
changed now because manufacturers
can send out their products better made
and more cheaply than they can be
made in the home. By the growth of
manufactures large fields Of labor have
been opened up. In early times farming
was the principal occupation, and for
those who did not take kindly to this
there was little else to do. The manu-
featuring establishments of this country
lemploy large per cent of the working
population. Besides, the expansion of
the country has opened up large fields
| of labor. Almost all of the large mines
have been found in the territory set
tied since TITS. Thus it is seen that
| there is much greater opportunity for
work than formerly.
1 The division of labor is much more
marked than it was in early history. AS
previously stated the chief employment
lof the colonists was farming, but now
there are vast number of other occu-
pations also. The professions were not
very much in favor then. but now al
most all professions have representa-
tive in every town in the country. Mer-
chants and mechanics of all kinds find
sufficient employment. This great di-
vision of labor gives opportunities for
better work in each occupation. One
can easily understand this, for few peo-
pie can fully master more than one line
of work or study. Working people to-
day have some individual specially,
however small. Another institution
which gives employment to many peo-
pie today is the railroads. Up to 1890 a
great share of the travel was carried on
on the lakes and rivers. Stage coaches
travelled from city to city, carrying the
mail as we'll as passengers, but they
travelled very slowly. Just before the
Revolution a stage coach which made
about forty-hve miles day was put on
the road between New York and Phila.
delphia. On account Of its great speed,
as the people considered it, this coach
Twas called the Flying Machine" AS
: the means of travel were 80 crude, it
was very hard to send letters and
papers. Friends wrote very few letters
to one another, and men sent only such
letters as were necessary. This was all
changed after 1890 when steam cars
: Icame into use. Railroads helped to set.
:. tie the country west as well as east d
the mountains. Many Of the greatest
men of that time said that the territory
around the Rocky mountains coule
never become part Of the United
;. States, because there were no means OIL
: communication between them. They
said such territory could never be
represented in Congress, because il
: would take the representative all the
? time between sessions travelling home
: and back to Washington and so he
would know nothing about affairs in the
territory which he represented. But
: when railroads were laid across the
country to the Pacific people then saw
. an opportunity for great extension Of
: the country. Now there are railroads
every where throughout the United
States. Every thriving town has al
least one railroad and in many cases
: they have two or three. Within recent
= years electric cars have come into use
!, in cities. Without these electric cars,
: the large cities, such as New York and
! Chicago could never have grown to their
present size, for people could not walk
about their city as they transacted their
business, and carriages and cabs could
not be run cheaply enough to accom-.
, modate the common people. AS it is
!, now the laborer who lives in one end OF
Chicago can go to his work at the other
end and return home at night for 10 or
. 20 cents. But out of BENJAMIN Frank.
Inns discovery of electricity, have come
many other useful instruments. Among
these is the telegraph, which was in
vented in 1874 by Samuel F. B. Morse.
BY this invention people were enabled
: to communicate with friends through.
out the United States, in all places
IL. 2 ~ I. 8 =