, 1874-01-18
NEW CHICAGO.
L British Review Of The IS Lakeside's"
Fire-Anniyersary Number.
Our City Pronounced "The Concentrated
Essence OF Americanism."
And Our People Declared to De sNot
Less Clever and Decided than
the Builders OF. Mod.
ern paris.o

the Builders OF Mod.
ern paris.''
From ths London Saturday R<rtsr.
The second anniversary Of the great Chicago
conhag1ation has been celebrated by one Of the
local magazines, the Lakeside Monthly, in epe-
cial number containing seventeen papers, every
one Of which bears tile Of this kind: "The
Chicago ct the Educator" s. The Chicago Of the
Dusin ess Man," 1.-The Chicago OF the Manufac-
tl1rert" and 30 on. In short, VIC have seventeen
special Chicagos considered in review Of the
big general Chicago, whose name has e1ready
been 80 widely ''advertised" Gas the inhabit-
ants themselves say) by tile remarkable rapidity
Of its growth aud the suddenness OF its destruc-
ton.
What the United States arc to the rest Of the
world, Chicago is to tue United States. II ia
the
CONCENTRATED ESSENCE OF AMERYcAN1sM.
The peculiar state OF temper Of the human mind
in which material growth aud extension are it's
only objects, ard all its forces are concentrated
With the utmost intensity On these. has never
been go perfectly developed as in the United
3:ates; and It We we're asked what city in that
country showed that temper in its most euer-
getic form, We hight possibly think Of Boston
Of New York, but should certainly relinquish
Them for Chicago. Just as the Uuired States
ire the newest OF great nations, SO Chica-
60 is tho newest Of great cities; and
- the States look forward to an almost
indefinite increase of wealth and population in
the future, SO Chicago expects in its own mind
70 became the
B1o0csr AND RICHEST CITY ON EARTH.
In this condition Of temper and feeling, it is
not surprising TINT We should hear good deal
Of c1nltaton. 4 people very busy md prosper
cus, and just enough educated to ba capable Of
reading and writing necessarily about Itself in q
multitude ct cheap periodical publications. is
sure to develop continual supply OF brag.
Such people is very much in q condition that
is known to us by specimens in our own country,
the condition OF the clever and active Manches-
:er or Bradford man who, beginning with moth
ng but native strength sud ability, and q very
title elementary education, fights his way to a
brilliant material SUCCESS. and naturally looks
back upon his career with ee1-compIacencT
that exp1essc2 itself in boastlng.
AMERICAN ERA9
hns been long quite familiar to us. aud We imag-
ne that rhere must be use for it, that it must
aaye been ordained amongst the inscrutable in
,eptious Of nature. 1tacis no doubt us stimulus,
and keeps the Americans well up to their work
The Americans are like very strong boys who
Are aluayB wanting to show of their strength,
md who look upon every piece OF physical labor
o be done AZ m opportunity for athletic display.
Ne really believe that when Chicago Was burned
down the inhabitants inwardlv cluc6led over the
calamity as the finest possible opportunity for
proving to the world the pluck and energ! that
was In them. The building OF new city vas
natch against time. So they set to work as il
:hey had made bets With all other cities that theV
Eou!d rebuild Chicago in . couple OF years, aud
hey labored all along With the idea that they
Fere watched by the whole world.
THE Chicago papers of the Lakeside Monthly
begin with poem by Mr. B. F. Taylor, initiated
N some degree from Macaulay's manner, but
Mr. Taylor l,Ad rather peri1ous kind OF subject
10 deal with for it il difficult to do the tremen-
aous in poetry when there is hardly refuge in
lnything else, and this writer, We should imagine
from his graceful beginning, would haso done
more Justice to quleter theme. Here i9 the
CENTRAL PASSAGE OF TIE POEM,
In which the condagration is described but
With rather incongEious imagery:
Tbs ste1y piles Of polished stone were shattered into
And 1nady drove the dread aimoon, End showed them
on tie land.
And 1ained them TIL the sea was red and scorched the
Like thfstie-down ten thousand homes went drifting
through the air,
md dumb Dismay walked hand In hand with frozen
eyed DespaiEI
Tho thunder Of the 1ery surf rolled human accents
dumb:
The trumpet's clansour died away wild bees d1owsy
hum,
And breakers beat the empty world that rmb!ed likes
cities Of the silent landI Graceland md Rosehi
No tombs without their tenantry the pale host sleep
ing stiN7
Tour marble thresholda dAwuing red with hoocausta1
ElkEH
it The waking Angels foot were set upon the stair!
There ia very sensible paper BY Mr.. John F.
Bnckioy, called - The Chicago Of the Thinker"
n which the writer really does try to think out
:ertain interesting queations about Chicago
Nhica suggest themselves to an intellectual
.nhabitant. He gays that ''it is the prevalent
practice 10 aecribe the development Of Chicago
% the uncommon enterprise Of spirit OF its ILL
aabitantB,' and he then Immediately inquiries
whether there is & constitutional difference Of
ehat'a ctcr between the Chicagoans and the in
habitants Of smaller towns in tho Northwest
equal to the difference in the size Ut the towns
they live in. The aus" or is that ''when man
is known to be from the Northwest, there is liz
,la about him to slow whether he lives in Chi
:ago or elsewhere" And then come some Oh
.ery=tions about one point in Chicago character
Ehich are
WELL WORTH QUoTIE1 AT LENGTH:
Perhaps il any characteristic Of Chicago is personal
enough to strike stranger, 1t il tic settled mental
habit Of taking ulterior good for graned-A business
optimism in which solictude il reserrel for larcu-
ar e1pedients and not INDUCED upon comprehensive
3ounts, the sometimes startling possibilities that
generaiiza.ions fo.ete. We're philadelphiau to
perience conviction that manufacturing to become
Improbable in Pennsylvania aud New Jersey, nothing
>ouid rascut his peace Of mind from destruction. But
Il Chicagoan could be convinced Of time when
grain and livestock would no longer seek his market,
think he would accept the event with coiuposurc,
nustin9, with tranquil confidence that by the time it
houa other and better trade would occupy their
lace.