Show KNOW ewt THY HY COUNTRY 1 introductory know ame america rica la 19 4 11 slogan an that V should ring out from every clerf school room office farm and shop in this na tion no man can aspire to a higher doubr than to become i a capable citizen and no ono one can merit so ills a title until ho he la Is well vell informed of tho the resources possibilities and achievements olour of our country vils this to Is a commercial comme age ind and chiv atlon Is bearing its most moat golden fruit in america wo we tire are noted for our industrial achievements as egypt was waa rioted noted for tier pyramids jerusalem for I 1 er cr religion greece for her art ph aicia for her fleets chaldea for her astronomy and rome homo tor for her bor laws lams likewise we havo have men who will go down in the ilia worlds history as powerful products of at their age for standing at the source of every elery giga gigantic litle movement that sways civilization Is a groat great man tho the greatest minds travel la in the greatest direction and the commercial geniuses of this age would have been the sculptors poets philosophers esop here architects and artists of earlier civilizations As Al michael ichael augelo took tooh a r lc and with a chisel hewed it into tho the linage of an all angel that ever beckons man kind upward and onward ifill took tho the desert of northwest and with bands of F fa ladu it blossom like a roso rose dotti dott lie lia valleys with happy homes and built cities in waste places an AB guttenberg took blocks of wood and whittled them into nn an alphabet and made mada a printing press that lashed flashed education across the continent like a ray of light upon a now born world mccormich took know THY if railroads in discussing tho the commercial achievements of thin great ago wo we shall approach the subject as the historian chronicling chroni cling events this series will endeavor to record la in writing the supremacy of at american men and industries in the worlds affairs and an appreciation of our inar industrial achievements by presenting simple facts figures and comparisons that are overpowering la in their convictions america holds her proud place among tho the nations of the earth today on account rif of her supremacy in trans PO port atlon facilities the mighty minds of tho the age aro are engaged ta in the problems of trans transportation and the greatest as t men in f V history of the worlds commerce are at tho the head of the transportation systems of the united states in the discussion of transportation let us consider separately our rall nail ways telegraph and telephones express public highways steamships street railways interurban and other forms forma at 0 transportation and this article will deal with railways the united states has the largest mileage the best service the cheapest rates pays labor the highest wages and wo we have the most efficient ly managed of the tha railways of at the world they stand sa as a monument to the native genius of our marvelous builders and most of the railroads in foreign countries have been built under american orders the railroads represent A larger investment of capital than any other branch of human activity the mileage in tho united states exceeds the accepted distance from the earth to tao th 0 moon we wa had in 1911 the tha last year in which figures for all countries are available on the he earths surface miles at 0 railway divided as aa follows united states europe and other coan countries tries 1 the united states has 38 per percent cent of the worlds mileage seven por per cent of the estimated population and about feve per cent of he area th total capital invested la in the railways of the world to Is divided as follows united states europe and other countries reduced to a mileage basis the capitalization Is as follows tho world united states europe and other countries A comparison of rates to Is equally as aa interesting and the united states takes the lead in economy and service tho average rate per ton toil per hundred mile haul baul Is as follows united states great britain 1253 france germany russia hussla austria hungary italy and switzerland tho the average yearly pay of all railroad employed emp loyes in the principal countries Is as follows follow st united states germany italy austria great britain franco franca and russia 1 about 30 per cent or miles of the railways of the world are government owned about halt half tho the railway mileage of at europe Is government owned A comparison of the economy in time and money and the convenience in travel will bo be mado made in a lator later article andr JW THY ill telegraph and telephone our transportation facilities are the most perfect product of this great commercial ago age and the telegraph and telephone systems of this nation choyn tho the industrial achievements of vie fie whole world these twin mess engra of modern civilization born in the stand today tho the most moat faithful and effi efficient clent public servants that ever tolled tor for the human raco race they are of at american nativity and while philp worm warra from the mind ot of the in bentive genius have under american supervision spun a network net liet work of wires across tho the earth and under the tha seas telegraphy in its early youth mastered tho the known world and the telephone has already conquered tho the earths surface and now stands at the seashore ready to leap across the ocean no industry in the history of the world has ever mailo made such rapid strides in development and usefulness and none has haa ever exerted a more powerful influence upon the civilization of its adny acy than tho and telephone their achievement demonstrates the supremacy of two distinct types of american genius invention and organization iza tion the industry was peculiarly fortunate in having powerful inventive intellect at Us its source and tremendous winds to direct its organization and growth it la Is tho the most moat perfect fruit ot of the tree of american industry ld hd when compared with its european contemporaries it thrills every patriotic american with pride ambitious youth tan can ond find more mara in a bar of iron and bent it into it a reaper and with one sweep of his anacle mind broke tho the shackles that enslaved labor ot at generations yet unborn and gave inan kind freedom from drudgery ano ania lifted the humal huma race into a higher zono zone of at lite life As nelson organized the english pavy and made england mistress of the sea enabling tho the british isles islea to plant her flag upon every continent washed by the oceans waves and to make foot stools athola ot of the islands of every water morgan organized a banking system that has made america master of tho the worlds finances brought kings to our cashiers windows tho the nations of tho the earth to our discount doska desks and placed under the industries ot of this nation cation a financial system as solid as the rock of gibraltar there Is no study quite so interesting as progress no sound so magic as aa the roar of industry and no sight eight so 60 inspiring as civilization in action A full realization of americas part in great events of 0 tho the world past present and future will thrill every human heart with pride patriotism and faith in republican institutions through the courtesy of the agricultural and commercial press service the readers of at this paper will bo be permitted to study america her agricultural ri manufacturing and mineral eral development mercantile banking and transportation dyste systems ma which are tho the wonder ot of tho the world the first article of the ilia series will deal with transportation and will appear at an early dato data company than the fellowship or of the giant intellects that constructed this marvelous industry and a journey along tho the pathway of its ita development illuminated at every milepost mile post of its progress by the lightning flashes of brilliant minds will bo be taken at ab a very early arly date A brief statistical review of the industry brings out its ita growth and magnitude in a most convincing and un forgettable torget forge ablo table manner the tha telephone service of the united states is the most popular anil and efficient and its rates aro are the cheapest of tho the telephone systems of the world we are the greatest talkers on earth I 1 we send CO per cent of at our over the telephone the abo world has about telO telephones Phones and of this number the united states has approximately europe and other countries according to the latest world telephone census tho the total telephone investment Is and of this amount 1 U I was as credited tu the united states in n europe and in other countries tho the annual telephone conversations conversa tlona total divided BB as follows kollowa tol lowa unit ed states europe and other countries the total world wire telephone mileage nill easo to Is mil rolica 0 a d divided I 1 V aided a as follows follow B P united states europe E u and other countries about at six per cent of tho the worlds vo ills population and an sixty one per cent of it tho the telephone wire aulle lulle ago age is la in tho the united states |