Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1857-01-10
vastness OF Lendon.

| VaSshGSS o. IASERuOue
! We Americans are so accustomed to ex-
patiating on The rapid growth of our cities,
that most of us are surprised to hear that
the capitals Of Europe increase nearly as
fast. The growth of Paris, Vienna, and
Berlin, on the continent, and, of London,
Liverpool, and Glasgow and Nanchesser,in
England, have been especially rapid. But
no city in the old world has thriven like
the great British metropolis. In 1901, for
example, the population of London, was
956, S63 now it is two mlioris and halfs
in other words, at the beginning of the
century, it was hardly more than a third as
large as at present. We think Philadel-
phia, with its half million inhabitants
large town, but London is five times as
large. In fact, the latter city contains as
many inhabitants as the State OF Pennsyl-
vania, and more than all the great cities Of
the United States together. Nor does
there seem at present any Likelihood Of this
enormous metropolis decreasing in size
On the contrary, there is every indication
of it's continued growth. The sewerage
commissioners, in view of its probable me-
cesities in future, are already projecting o
businsge for six millions of inhabitants, q
! population which London will yet contain,
| if the increase goes on for half a century at
the present ratio.
1t is curious to examine the statistics in
detail of such a vast metropolis. Every
year there are eight thousand children born
in London, according to the Edinburg Re-
view, competent authority. Yet the ma
i ority of the adult people, in spite of this,,s
country born, there having been at the last
census, out Of one million three hundred
and ninety-five persons, twenty years old
and upwards, only six hundred and forty-fiye
thousand born in London. Every sixteen
til person Of full age is a native of Ireland,
there is always permanent stock on hand
so to speak, of three hundred thousand
interchangeable but unmarried women. There
are six hundred thousand SCHOLARSHIP thou-
sand schools, twelve hundred places of wor-
ship, and million churchgoing people,
Fifty thousand persons are always resident
in poor-houses, prisons, and other institu-
tions, where they are fed out of public or
private resources. Twenty thousand indi-
yiduals are engaged constantly in killing
and selling animal food, thirty thousand in
making and vending beverages and twenty
five thousand in doctoring, preaching, and
managing lawsuits. To complete the cat
j alocue, there are thirty thousand Clerks
thirty thousand tailors, forty thousand
chair makers, and one hundred. thousand
needle women.
In Horace Mayhew's work land in Others
] of similar character, may be found statistics
as to bow this enormous population Is fed.
London has the richest as well as the poor
/, est people in the world among its inhabi-
tants Thousands of persons get up every
morning without knowing how they are to
/, buy their breakfast. On the other hand,
there are during the fashionable season,sev-
enty thousand people in London who have
nothing to do but altiuse Themselves
! Several wealthy men, most Of them nohle-
men, own whole squares OF houses and
stores. and receive incomes of above mil
lion of dollars annually, from this source -
There is one acre of ground in the British
metropolis which pays the interest, on d
long lease Of four millions Of dollars, and
] several that are worth, estimated ID this
not excessive way, from two to three inll-
lions ?Ancient Rome has always been tho't
to have been the richestandmost pobulous
citythat everexisted. But the best historical
students concede that London already Bif-
passes what that city was,even in its palm
lest days; and even those who Fate the
: population of old Rome at higher figure,
confess that London, before the end of the
century, will be ahead Phi. Ledger.