Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-10-08

tory larger than the combined areas of
England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland,
France, Spain, Portugal, Germany,
Austria, Italy and Turkey, and dis
charges three times as much water
as the St Lawrence. twenty-five times
as much as the Rhine, and 338 times
as much as the Thames" Forty years
after the Louisiana purchase, the
great empire Of Texas took her place
among the sovereign states Of the un-
ion. What a country this one state Is.
She Is vaster In .-fea than England,
France and Wales, all combined; lar
ger than Switzerland, Holland, Dem
mark. Belgium and Germany all put
together.
Maine, New Hampshire. Vermont.
Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connec-
ticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsyi-
and West Virginia could all be laid on
a map Of Texas, and still a surface as
large as that Of South Carolina would
be left uncovered!
Then what must we think Of the
size Of the entire United States? Our
country has grown in area from q few
hundred thousand square miles she
possessed when the battle Of Kings
Mountain was fought, until she Is to-
day larger than France, Germany,
England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland,
Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Italy,
Spain, Turkey, Austria, Hungary. Rus
combined. All Of these great nations
could be laid on map Of the United
States, and Texas would remain un-
covered. And, "Whereon the face Of
the globe, in all things past, or In the
present, are such allurements Of wealth
and happiness to be found as In the
mighty region" Of the United States?
Where else has nature beckoned with
such bountiful hands or smiled so
sweet and hospitable welcomeT Our
country is easily capable Of sustain
ing q thousand million souls, and then
the population would not be as dense
the United States as thickly popu-
lated as Belgium there would be with
In our mighty borders a population
equal to that Of the entire world.
Greasy, the author Of Fifteen Decis-
i've Battles" says, "the ancient Romans
boasted. with reason. Of the growth
Of Rome from humble beginnings to
the greatest magnitude which the
world had ever witnessed. But the cit
izen Of the United States Is still more
entitled to this praise. In two cen-
O.
quired ampler domiMions than Rome
gained in ten" "The increase Of its
strength is unparalleled In rapidity or
extent"
When the constitution was framed
steam was unknown, and as late as
1914 the fastest steam vessel Travelled
only six miles an hour, while today
there are in the United States enough
steam engines to generate seventeen
- - Nd HnaFl
cross the Atlantic In four and q half
days.
In the beginning Of the last century
there was not q foot Of railroad track
within our broad domain; while today
there are more than 100000 miles Of
track, or one-half the entire worlds
trackage and enough to sirdle the
earth more than eight times. 6
The trainers Of the constitution knew
nothing Of electricity; but now 1t
rings bells, heats dwellings, raises ele-
road trains, runs cotton mills and
printing presses, lights our homes,
irons our clothes, and whirls Us along
splendid Macadam roads in comforta-
BILE automobiles.
During all ages and In all climes
under the sun, men have longed to fly,
and an American citizen now nayi-
gates the air like bird In his wonder
full flying machine.
During the last century the farmer,
too, has made wonderful progress
Since the invention Of the cotton gin
our cotton crop has grown from q
few bags in 1900 to 100000 bales In
1908. One hundred years ago the
wooden plow was the only implement
for breaking up the soil; just such q
plow as was used by the Bible proph-
cts; while today the farmer may
proudly ride his plow, while the share
sinks deep into the productive soil,
and his grain is gathered, bound.
threshed and measured By wonderful
machinery. In the beginning Of the
last century, "in the heat or mid
summer, without protection from the
world, sickle in hand, gathered the
harvest while women crept after them,
and kneeling, bound the sheaves."
In those days books were so scarce
and dear that illiteracy stalked in ev-
cry home; while In this enlightened
time the poorest may afford good IL
brary and send his little ones to school
at least four months in every year.
The farmer nowadays rides In bug
giles and vehicles that only royalty
could afford q hundred years ago. Ny
friends, we should feel q thrill OF pa
triotic pride as we see our country In
the beginning Of the goth century
marching at the front Of the worlds
procession In wealth, agriculture, min
Ing, fisheries, forestry, transportation,
education and discoveries. All these
accomplishments have taken place
In the space of one short century. We
can indeed exclaim with Tennyson:
I've are living, we are dwelling
In a grand and awful time;
AS age on age is telling,
To be living Is sublime"
BY means Of the telegraph and tele-
phone one may sit at his breakfast ia
BILE and read Of the happenings Of yes
te-day In the remotest parts Of eartn.
The whole world is bound together by
800 cables, which make all nations
neighbors. BY means Of the phono-
graph one may sit at ease In his home
and listen to the voice Of a dead
friend or hear Madam Melba sing In
her grandest operatic style. BY means
Of the wireless telegraph the voyager
on the sea no longer fears the terrors
Of the deep, for help can be called
over the winds and waves and arrive
in time to rescue.
One hundred years ago the doctor
and the surgeon were almost unknown;
while at the present science has ad-