Question

foretold how soon the hills would be covered with snow
3 when i think of these times, and call back to my mind the grandeur
and beauty of those almost uninhabited shores; when i picture to myself the
dense and lofty summits of the forests that everywhere spread along the hills
and overhung the margins of the stream, unmolested by the axe of the
settler; when i know how dearly purchased the safe navigation of that river
has been, by the blood of many worthy virginians; when i see that the vast
herds of elk, deer, and buffaloes which once pastured on these hills and in
these valleys have ceased to exist; when i reflect that all this grand portion of
our union, instead of being in a state of nature, is now more or less covered
with villages, farms, and towns, where the din of hammers and machinery is
constantly heard; that the woods are fast disappearing under the axe by day
and the fire by night; that hundreds of steamboats are gliding to and fro over
the whole length of the majestic river, forcing commerce to take root and to
prosper at every spot; when i see the surplus population of europe coming to
assist in the destruction of the forest and transplanting civilization into its
darkest recesses; when i remember that these extraordinary changes have
all taken place in the short period of twenty years, i pause, wonder, and
although i know all to be fact, can scarcely believe its reality.
how does the author use paragraph 3 to develop his ideas concerning the
costs of growth?
by describing the emotional impact of the settlement in order to create
sympathy for the former inhabitants
by contrasting the past condition of the area with its current condition in
order to emphasize the effects of change
by sequencing the events of the settlement in order to explain the
sacrifice made for the safe passage along the river
by providing details of the abundant growth in the wilderness in order to
illustrate the declining numbers of animal herds

Explanation:

The paragraph contrasts the past (uninhabited, natural) with the present (villages, farms, towns, industrial sounds, deforestation, steamboats, population influx). This contrast emphasizes the effects (costs) of growth and change.

Answer:

by contrasting the past condition of the area with its current condition in order to emphasize the effects of change