Massachusetts
2 of the 7 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Massachusetts. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
a State in the North Atlantic Division of the North American Union; bounded by Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, and the Atlantic Ocean; one of the original 13 States; number of counties, 14; area, 8,040 square miles; pop. (1890) 2,238,943; (1900) 2,805,346; (1910) 3,366,416; (1920) 3,852,356; capital, Boston. Topography. The surface of the State is mostly rough and and rugged, with irregular mountain systems. The The coast counties are, however, mostly level, with low, rounded hills, and rocky eminences on the coast. Cod is sandy of land extending in a semicircle around Cape Cod Bay. There are numerous salt marshes in the E. part of the State. The W. part of Massachusetts is traversed by two mountain chains, the Taconic and the Hoosac, the latter a continuation of the Green Mountains of Vermont. Between these ranges is the Hoosac valley, which at its N. end is 1,100 feet above the sea. Mount Greylock and Mount Washington are the highest points of the State; the former has an altitude of 3,505 feet and the latter 2,624 feet. A rugged tableland 1,000 feet high extends E. from the Hoosac range to the Connecticut river vall valley, with a series of trap ridges reaching their highest elevations in Mount Tom (1,200 feet) and Mount Holyoke (1,120 feet). The valleys of the Connecticut and Housatonic are noted for their beautiful scenery. The coast line is very irregular, being indented by numerous bays, the largest of these being Massachusetts, Cape Cod, and Buzzards, all of these affording excellent harbors. The Connecti cut, with its tributaries, the Westfield, Deerfield, Millers, and Chicopee rivers, forms the principal river system of the State. The Blackstone, Hoosac, Housatonic, Charles, Nashua, Taunton, and the Merrimac are large and navigable streams. Geology. The rocks of Massachusetts are largely of metamorphic nature. The sands of the E. portion and Cape Cod are of glacial deposit. The rocks in the E. are of the Laurentian, Cambrian, and Carboniferous periods, and the Connecticut valley is largely Triassic. The mountains in the W. are chiefly of Silurian origin. The sandstones of the Connecticut valley are rich in fossil footprints. Mineral Production. -The most important mineral product is stone, especially granite. The value of the stone production is about $4,000,000 annually. Clay products are valued at about $2,000,000. The total value of mineral products is about $7,000,000 per year. The State ranks first in the production of granite. Soil. Most of the soil is too rocky for cultivation and is suited only for pasturage. In the central counties and in the river valleys the soil is more fertile, and agriculture is carried on to a small extent, the principal crops being garden vegetables, dairy products, hay, maple sugar, and cranberries. Of the latter, the sandy coast plains produce over 300,- 000 bushels annually. Agriculture. The State is not an important producer of agricultural products, as its chief importance is industry. The production and value of the principal crops in 1919 was as follows: corn, 2,640,000 bushels, valued at $4,541,000; tobacco, 15,400,000 pounds, valued at $7,- 130,000; hay, 656,000 tons, valued at $17,712,000; potatoes, 2,970,000 bushels, valued at $5,643,000. The statistics of live stock are as follows: horses, about 65,000, valued at about $10,000,000; milch cows, about 160,000, valued at $10,500,000; cattle, about 85,000, valued at about $2,200,000; sheep, about 30,000, valued at about $175,000; swine, about 110,000, valued at about $1,700,000. The production of wool is about 130,000 pounds yearly. Manufactures. - Massachusetts is preeminently a manufacturing State. The abundant water supply and transportation facilities give the State opportunities for the most varied manufactures. Lowell is noted as the largest carpet milling city in the United States. Worcester has the largest steel wire works in the world, and Holyoke ranks first in paper manufacturing, North Easton in shovels, and Lynn in electrical instruments. Lawrence is noted for its cotton and woolen mills; Haverhill, for shoe factories; Dalton, for note paper; Taunton, for cotton and silverware; Chicopee, for bronzes, automobiles and cotton; Roxbury, for rubber goods; Wakefield, for rattan; and many other cities and towns have individual industries. In 1914 there were in the State 12,013 manufacturing establishments. The wage earners numbered 606,698. The capital invested amounted to $1,548,961,000. There were paid in wages $341,310,000, and the value of the materials used amounted to $931,384,000, and the value of the completed products amounted to $1,641,373,000. Banking. On Oct. 31, 1919, there were reported 159 National banks in operation, with $54,292,000 in capital, $21,306,- 950 in outstanding circulation, and $20,- 747,200 in United States bonds. There were also 196 mutual savings banks, with $1,089,550,000 in deposits, and 104 trust and loan companies with $37,406,000 capital and $31,661,000 surplus. Education. - The total enrollment for the public schools of the State in 1918 was 607,805. The average daily attendance was 506,478. The teachers, supervisors, and principals numbered 19,609. The State has always been notable for its progress in educational matters. Attention has been given in recent years to vocational education. There are many excellent private schools. The colleges include Harvard University, Amherst College, Williams College, Holy Cross College and Boston University. For women there are Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, and Wellesley College. Charities and Corrections. - The State takes abundant care of its dependents. The charitable and correctional institutions in the State include the State Infirmary at Tewksbury, the State Farm at Bridgewater, the Norfolk State Hospital, the Lyman School for Boys at Westboro, the Industrial School for Boys at Shirley, the State Industrial School for Girls at Lancaster, and several sanitaria. The prisons include the State Prison in Boston, the Massachusetts Reformatory at Concord, the Reformatory for Women at Sherburn. Churches. The strongest denominations in the State are the Roman Catholic; Congregational, Regular Baptist; Methodist Episcopal; Unitarian; Protestant Episcopal; Spiritualist, and Universalist. Finances. The total receipts for the fiscal year 1917 amounted to $55,402,628. Expenditures amounted to $56,062,128. At the close of the year there was a cash balance of $11,526,346. The funded debt of the State amounted to $126,555,662. Railroads. The total mileage in the State for 1919 was 4,936 miles, of which about 2,141 miles was main track. The roads having the longest mileage were the Boston & Albany and the New York, New Haven and Hartford railroads. State Government. -The governor is elected for a term of one year. Legislative sessions are held annually begin ning on the first Wednesday in January, and are not limited as to length of time. The legislature has 40 members in the Senate and 240 in the House. There are 16 representatives in Congress. The State government in 1920 was Republican. History. The history of Massachusetts begins with the landing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth in 1620, though it is probable that portions of the coast were temporarily settled by Norwegians as early as A. D. 1000. In 1628 another colony both were was established at Salem, and united under one government with Maine in 1692. In 1675, an Indian chief, named Philip of Pokaneket, or King Philip, began a war which had for its object the Nichols. entire extermination of the English. This war lasted three years, and ended by the death of King Philip himself. method of curing disease by systematic From this time till the Revolutionary manipulations comprising: (1) Surface War Massachusetts enjoyed a period of comparative peace and prosperity. When the oppressive measures of the English Parliament finally brought about the rupture with the colonies, none took a more active or more prominent part than Massachusetts in the National cause. The passage of the Stamp Act aroused the wildest excitement; and its repeal the following year was received with demonstrations of joy. The arrival of the "Romney" man-of-war renewed the excitement, and Massachusetts issued a circular letter to the colonies, which the British ministry in vain commanded the authorities to rescind. Then followed the Boston massacre in 1770, the destruction of the tea in 1773, and the Port Bill in 1774. The Revolutionary War outbreak in Massachusetts, the bloodshed at Lexington and the contest of Concord being the instigative incidents that led to the war. Its earliest event was the siege of Boston, made notable by the battle of Bunker Hill, the acceptance of the command by Washington at Cambridge, and the evacuation by the British. In 1780 a constitution was framed for the State, and adopted by popular vote. In 1786 the tranquillity of the State was again disturbed by a party of rioters, who, under the leadership of Daniel Shays, attempted to resist the authorities, but the revolt was suppressed. On the breaking out of the Civil War in 1861 Massachusetts was among the first to offer assistance to the National cause; and, till the final success of the Federal army, continued to perform a patriotic and liberal part. MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE, a non-sectarian institution in Amherst, Mass.; founded in 1863; reported at the close of 1919: Professors and instructors, 75; students, 500; volumes in the library, 61,439; income, $732,000; president, Kenyon L. Butterfield.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
one of the original thirteen states of the American Union. It is considered the most important of the New England States. The general shape is a parallelogram, 175 miles in length and 50 miles wide. There is a slight projection at the northeastern corner and a greater one at the southeastern. The latter terminates in a peculiar crooked peninsula known as Cape Cod . The large islands of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard belong to Massachusetts. The area of the state is 8,315 square miles. Prior to the adoption of the United States Constitution, the state was known as the Massachusetts Bay Colony. It still retains the epithet of the Bay State . TOPOGRAPHY. The Merrimac River in the northeastern part of the state is important for water power. The state is traversed from north to south by the Housatonic and the Connecticut rivers. The Hoosac range, from 1,200 to 1,600 feet in height, a southerly continuation of the Green Mountains of Vermont, separates the two valleys. The highest peak in the state is Mt. Greylock in the extreme northwest corner. It is about 3,500 feet in height. Mt. Tom, near Holyoke, is 1,200 feet high. MINERALS. The state abounds in building stone of excellent quality, including limestone, sandstone, and granite. Otherwise the mineral wealth of the state is small. The veins of coal do not pay for mining. Silver and lead have been obtained in small quantities. The North American supply of emery has come largely from Massachusetts. INDUSTRIES. The chief industry of the state is manufacturing. The latest census placed the annual agricultural production of the state at $42,000,000 and the value of manufactured products at $1,038,000,-393. The very great number of waterfalls has contributed to this result. There are thirty-three cities having a population of 12,000 or over. As a consequence, the farmers have devoted their attention largely to the production of milk, eggs, poultry, and vegetables, all of which find a ready cash market in the neighboring towns. Commercially, Massachusetts is not an important fruit state. There are a vast number of small orchards. Apples, peaches, grapes, strawberries, and small fruits do well. Aside from apples in an exceptional year, and cranberries, the state has no fruit to sell. For so large a state, the amount of land devoted to cereals seems incredibly small. The report of 1908 gives but 45,000 acres in corn, the chief crop, and but 95 acres in the entire state devoted to wheat. Correspondingly small amounts of oats, rye, and barley are produced. The chief field crop is hay. Tobacco is raised in the Connecticut valley. The average rainfall for the state is about forty-seven inches. MANUFACTURES. The importance of the state in manufactures seems to be due largely to a money-making instinct. Raw materials are entirely lacking. Copper, iron, coal, wool, cotton, leather, and silk are all brought from a distance. The state has the advantage of numerous waterpowers, however. The southeastern portion, near the coast, has the temperature and moisture requisite to profitable cotton spinning. It was introduced as early as 1788. The mills of Lowell, Lawrence, and Fall River still make forty per cent of the cotton cloth produced in this country. More boots and shoes are made in Massachusetts than in any other state in the Union. The same is true of rubber goods, including rubber boots and shoes. Lynn, Haverhill, and Brockton are important centers of the shoe trade. Massachusetts leads, also, in the manufacture of worsted and woolen goods. The paper output of the state, including fine writing paper, is valued at $22,000,000 a year. Manufactures of carriages, clothing, confectionery, cordage, electrical apparatus, furniture, jewelry, leather, and malt liquors run into the millions. Books, papers, and magazines are published to the value of $30,000,000 a year. The towns situated on the coast are engaged extensively in fishing. Gloucester is the chief American center of the whale, herring, and cod fisheries. HISTORICAL AND EDUCATIONAL. The earliest settlement was made at Plymouth in 1620. Other settlements followed at Boston, Salem, and other points on the Bay. The colony grew rapidly. It took a leading part in the colonial wars and was a leader in the Revolutionary struggle. Massachusetts has been first and foremost in matters of education. Harvard College was founded in 1636; Williams, 1793; Amherst, 1825; Mt. Holyoke, 1837; College of the Holy Cross, 1843; Tufts, 1850; the Massachusetts Institution of Technology, 1861; Boston College, 1863; the State Agricultural College, 1863; Worcester Polytechnic, 1865; Boston University, 1869; Wellesley, 1870; Smith, 1871; Clark, 1887, and Simmons, 1902. Massachusetts was the first state to establish normal schools. The common school system of the state is efficient. Owing to the immigration of factory operatives, largely from Canada, the rate of illiteracy is only the ninth in the Union. As might be expected, the state is the natural home of free public libraries. The circulating libraries contain about 8,000,000 volumes. The Boston public library is expressive of the sentiment in the state. As to character of building and contents, it is the most noteworthy city library in the United States. The high schools of the state are maintained on a liberal plan. For students in towns too small to maintain high schools, the state ??ys tuition elsewhere. The state institutions are managed with a degree of efficiency to be expected from the most intelligent state in the Union. RELIGIONS. Although the native home of the Yankee and of Congregationalism, ?46,324 inhabitants are foreign born. Named in order of numerical importance, The foreign nationalities represented are Irish, Canadian English, Canadian French, English, Swedes, Germans, Italians, Russians, Scotch, and Poles. In religious matters the Roman Catholic church has the most followers. Other churches; named in order of membership, are Congregational, Baptist, Methodist, Unitarian, and Episcopalian. The total population in 1900 was 2,805,346. According to the state census of 1905 the population was 2,998,958. STATISTICS. The following statistics are the latest to be had from trustworthy sources: Land area, square miles 8,040 Population 3,003,680 Boston 622,970 Worcester 135,906 Fall River 106,481 Cambridge 101,872 Lawrence 76,616 Lowell 95,125 Lynn 83,865 New Bedford 83,898 Springfield 82,724 Somerville 75,375 Holyoke 53,311 Brockton 53,978 Number counties 14 Members of state senate 40 Representatives 240 Salary of governor $8,000 U. S. Representatives 14 Presidential electors 16 Assessed valuation of property (1907) $4,503,000,000 Bonded indebtedness $34,000,000 Agricultural Products- Corn, bushels 1,500,000 Wheat, bushels 1,750 Oats, bushels 240,000 Potatoes, bushels 3,400,000 Onions, bushels 748,000 Tobacco, pounds 7,000,000 Butter, pounds 10,000,000 Eggs, dozens 13,000,000 Mineral waters, gallons 4,600,000 Exports $104,000,000 Capital invested $700,000,000 Operatives 540,000 Wages $278,000,000 Raw material $780,000,000 Output of manufactured goods $1,364,000,000 Output of cotton goods $193,000,000 Output of boots and shoes $233,000,000 Agricultural products (1905) $78,000,000 Output of paper $43,000,000 Output of machinery $80,000,000 Clay products $2,000,000 Quarry products $3,000,000 Domestic Animals- Horses 81,000 Mules 298 Milk cows 196,000 Other cattle 92,000 Sheep 45,000 Swine 70,000 Goats 1,254 Miles of railway 2,111 Teachers in public schools 14,449 Pupils enrolled 519,000 Percentage of male teachers 8.6 Average monthly salary of men Teachers $153.02 Average salary of women teachers $58.62 Average annual expenditure per Pupil $41.76 See Boston ; Lowell ; Lynn ; Worcester ; Springfield, etc.