The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1866-03-14
The Future Of Great Cities.


management OF them the most important
Of ali the problems OF social science. II is
a problem, too. which the experience Ol
mankind offers little or no help In solving.
The population Of the most famous cities
OF the ancient world has dwlndlel. m sp.le
OF the romaucing OF The Old writers aud
modern novelties, into what We consider
insigndcauce, under the hammer OF mod
ern criticism. Even ancient Rome would.
IN number 0f Inhabitants. make in our day
only CITY Of the third order. Magnificent
As We're is Appliances for the supply OF
waller and for drainage, its engineers had
no snch demand made on their skill anl
Ingenuity as those Of the great modern
capitals have 10 meet.
The proportions 10 which London. New
York and Paris have already attained
must be ascribed mainly 70 the increased
facilities for locomOtion and for the trans
mission OF news afforded by steam aud the
telegraph; aud Yet We are only just begin
ming 10 see what railways aud steamboats,
may be made 20 accomplish They have
built mp great cities. and are bdilding them
up with q rapiiity which is almost appall-
lng, 10y simply giving persons greater lb-
erty in The choice OF their place of resi-
dence, and enabling goods 20 Oe distributed
over wide tracts Of country from one OF
two great depOts instead OF a dozen.
This tendency TO concentration IN COM
merce Is accompanied by a corresponding
tendency IN society. especially amongst the
wealthy classes. All over the world pe0-
pie who can afford 1t. or can compass IL IN
any way are moving into the great cities.
and the country Is being more and more
abandoned 10 the poorer classes There
was in most European countries even Eall
a century ago what was called " good So
ciety " in every county and province com
posed Of gentry resident on their estates
throughout the year, aud rarely visiting the
capital No such thing is now TO be met
with. Country life in England for the few
families who still cling 10 II has become
insuheraby dull, except IN the hunting
season. Ia France II 40 longer exists at
all Wealth. fashion, Intellect, and indus
try all crowd into the capital.
In America the distaste for cOnutry life
seems 10 increase with every generation.
This distaste has been 20 often comm -nted
on, explained, and deplOred that we need
only mention IT, Every farmers son aal
daughter, many farmers themselves. want
TO get 10 New York, and are willing "a
strive there Tor social preterment in almost
any capacity. We heard The other day. OF
a man sixty years old selling his paternal
acres on the Hudson. an excellent farm. in
cluding the Old house in which he was born.
and coming 10 this city TO ill The place o
conductor on one of The street railroads
Nor is there the slightest probability thai
this tendency will not rather increase than
diminish.
The responsibility of making the neces
sary provision in advance for this stale o
things, seems not 10 be felt IN the slightest
degree. On the contrary, with regard tC
nearly all questions Of city improvement
the most indolent, the most careless, In,
most tempOrlZing policy generally rules
/ The engineers employed 10 plan our city
Improvements are nine times out OF ten
lOahng politicians. both unwilling and IN
competent 10 devise anything original
comprehensive, and forereachng. We arr
not oven beginning To meet the most obvi
Gus demands OF our present population
The means provided for getting rld OF nun
cipal filth, for instance, are, IN every Amer
Ican city. but most OF all in the largest
perfectly contemplate. They do not NEE
The necessities OF the case M the presen
day as well as those IN use fifty years az
meet the necessities Of that day. What j
before Us is better seen la London and Par
is than anywhere else. Large parts o
both of these cities are being completed
reconstructed, at an expense of many mil
lions, 10 remedy faults IN their orgina
laying out. Yet these same faults and IA
worse faults may be found in the street
now being laid cut in New York, Chicago
and san Francisco.
The number OF fares collected on ih
street railroads and omnibuses Of New Yor
last year was much more than the numbe
OF the inhabitants Of the United States
yet the accommodation of vehicles va
cruelty inadequate u the demand and th
whole arrangements were supremely ineiI
Gent, slow. and 10 the last degree uncOn
Portable. Various projects are Giscusse
TOR increasing the amount OF accOmmOda
ton, none for improving its comfort, an
none Of the schemes yet proposed conteu
plate any considerable increase i'm the ds
mands Yet before the least Of them ca
be carried out this demand Is Likely TO q
nearly doubled.
The most serious problem OF all conGeC
Ted with city life is undoubtedly the pro
vision of dwellings for the working classe
in the neighOOrhOOd OF their work. SUI
posing ever 50 many railroads or boats [
Oe provided, there viii always be IN ever
large city an immense number OF person
whose means will not permit them. even
their occupations do 10 live far from tI
scene of their daily toll. And even if the
possess the means. they Will not possess tL
time 10 20 into the country. Two hOur
even, taken out Of a wOrking-man : leisui
for travelling 10 and fro, and thus lost |
social enjoyment, would be a serious bio
10 his comfort, and this Is, nevertheless, u
very least space Of time which IL must
expected 10 take 10 reach the suburbs
any great city hereafter, from the busine
centres, and yet back again
Consequently il seems plain that the pa
Of covering an immense area with separa
houses, and giving each family a larg
number Of feet from the earth up 10 the *
J must ere long be abandoned, if not by a
I. by nearly all. We must 20 up into the a
more than we do now. Families must l'
= above or below each other, and not ne,
door. In other words, We must give I
, owning " houses and lots" and fall baC
! on the system Of flats " so LONG in use
] France and Scotland. The great Objecti,
) 10 it is the common staircase, but al
geni0us suggestion has been made that '
! should have streets in the air-that hOus
should be built immensely high. and II
: iron galleries should run along each stOr
: bridging the streets between the block
: forming 4 thOrOughfare on which eac1 faI
- lily might have al outside door, and
Z which there might even be stores, and
/ which people might saunter, shop, a.
promenade leaving the noisy earth 10 I
! vehicles and more pODderOus kinds OF Oul
I ness There might be omnibus elevate
7 also at certain intervals 10 carry peoI
] up and down The plan is well wor
studying by those who are interested in I
2 welfare, both moral and physical Of I
3 unborn as well as the living millions "
are fated Tor veal OF woe 10 live and die
/ the great cities, aud who must ind tb'
r health aud happiness far away from gre
fields or purling brooks. One thing Is c.
6 tain, that the streets OF New York or 10
! don Will present 4 century hence al appel
e ance widely different from that viii. WLl
: the present generation Is familiar.
@ An army chaplain relates tie folio
: ing funny story: Seeing q dlrty-iaced bl
ternut urchin al the fence in front OF
= house, the preacher stopped and said:
: Is your father at homer
: No; he's gone 10 church
{ i your mother in.'