The Mena weekly star., 1907-06-13
FIFTY YEARS BACK
OUR COUNTRY AS IT WAS HALF A
 CENTURY AGO.
Never in the History ~f the World Have Such Vast Changes Been Noted--Names on the Roll
 of Fame.

At that time our country was very much different one from that in which we are now living; and so great have been the changes that, could the lead ing merchants of our cities of 50 years ago, or the farmers who settled amid the primeval timber of the west, return, the former would not recog- nize one street from another, and the latter would look in vain for the fields and woods that met their eyes from the doorstep, writes Morris Schaff, in the Atlantic Monthly. The population of the country, now rising S0.000,000, was less than 32, 100000, not counting the territories; and of these 19,000,000 were in the north, or free states, and F, 900. 900, in the south or slave states. The frontier was along the western boundary of Arkansas, and thence north to the Canadian line. The great tide of emigration that set in with the building of the national road was still flowing west. while the railroads and telegraph were just beginning to push their way after it. Steamboats, called floating palaces" could be seen at almost every bend of the beautiful Ohio and on every long reach of the solemnly impressive Mis- sissippi.
 The war with Mexico was still fresh in the memories of the people, and the majority of the officers who had gained distinction in it were still liv. ing. as we'll as veterans here and there of the war of 1872; and to em- phasize the march of time, l may say that a frequent visitor at my fathers house was a French veteran by the name of Genet, who had actually fought under Napoleon at Waterloo. l Save with Mexico, our country had | been at peace with all the world for | nearly 50 years it's future, save as shadowed now and then by slavery, glowed warmly and pride and love for it burned in every heart.
 The army consisted of 16,435 offi' cers and men; it's organization was made up of engineers, typographical engineers, ordnance supply depart | ments. artillery, infantry. cavalry. dragoons and mounted rifles. The heaviest guns in the forts were ten Inch columbiads, and the small arms were all muzzle-loading smooth-bores and rifles
 | Grant. in utter obscurity and almost
 utter poverty and fronting an outlook | of utter helplessness, was clerk in a store at Galena Farragut was sail Ing the seas and not dreaming of the | days to come when, dashed to the rig
 ging. he would lead his squadron into the battle of Mobile bay. Lee was commanding a post in Texas, and
 nrobably had never heard of the little town of Gettysburg; Sedgwick and Thomas and Jeb Stuart were all on
 the Texas frontier and the future seemed to offer only slow chance for
 nromotion; and yet, in less than five
 years they had risen to enduring fame Stonewall Jackson was an iil- structor at the Virginia military instf' | tute-the West Point of the south hut he was dwelling more on the sins of this earth. than on it's honors, eith' CT military of civil, and was regard cd bv his intimates as a queer and uninteresting type of belated Round
 head Within five years he was to
 rise to the pinnacle of fame, his stai
 to the country's zenith. sherman was teaching in Louisiana little dreaming that he would one day lead yicto- ,ious army from Atlanta to the sea. Iongstreet. the Johnstons. the Hills. Hooker Bragg and Forrest the lat ter a slave dealer, but the ablest cav slry leader of the confederacy-and the many who in blue and gray rose on inc waves of the mighty conflict were all unknown outside of their local and professional associations.
 or these. Reynolds, who fell at Get tvsburg; Webb, Warren, McCook.
 Howard, Grifin, Schofeld, Hartsuff,
 saxton. Weitzel and Hazen, of the
 union; Hardee, Beauregard, Fftz Lee,
 Alexander and Field. of the confed. crate army, were on duty as officers at
 West Point In the corps of cadets
 were Wilson, Upton, Hardin. Horace
 Porter. Merritt. Custer and Macken-
 tie. of the north, while bound in ties of friendship with them were Ram 5 seur. Wheeler, Rosser Pelham, Young
 semmes and Deering. of the south.
 Whenever and wherever have
 thought of them as officers or cadets
 and 1t has been many and many s time- imagination has painted them
 marching nnconsclously toward the All ef lha nigh fest of fha soldier and