UTAH ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 33 
OUR COUNTRY: A RETROSPECT. 
Being a study in Progress, Achievement and Influence. 
BY W. D. NEAL. 
(Abstract). 
The paper discusses certain phases of progress and 
achievement made by the citizens of our country, or of 
men who have lived here and whose experiments, inven-. 
tions and discoveries were developed largely by our peo- 
ple or in our own country. 
A broad general view of advancement along lines of 
growth in population, development of resources, science, 
invention, education, founding of cities and states, indus- 
tries, material prosperity and self government: their influ- 
ence both directly and indirectly upon our own people and 
those of other nations. 
The paper maintains that, while at the beginning of 
our history, people of the old world little dreamed that 
anything good could come out of America, since then our 
progress and achievements along the above lines have 
been such as to influence for the better, both in peace and 
in war, the manners, customs, laws, industries—yes, even 
the food they eat, the clothes they wear, the sights they 
see, the sounds they hear, the thoughts they think, the lib- 
erty and freedom they enjoy, of many people on all the 
continents of our earth. 
Today America leads; her achievements are epoch 
making; her success has led the other nations as well as 
our own, to better conditions and her greatly beneficial 
influence on the human race is practically undisputed. 
