, 1874-01-18

and the contractor was to receive No profit TO-
ten years but the excess power Of that engiu.
Nobody had the least confidence in the future
! and the people would not listen to project
which were based upon Al anticipated increas
OF population. In 1849 there
WAS 10 GAS IN THE PLACE.
! Mr. Binckley afirms that "a less enterprisius
population have seldom been found in America
than that Of Chicago, until series Of the mos
unique and irresistible constraints that ever fat
great" 1t vas q people '.dui1, unspiE1tuai
be- necessita9ed to execute the ideas ant
participate the hopes of q more fertile,
polished, and luminous people," There oc-
| CURED "a kind Of translation Of one mans
ideas into another mans motives" This re-
suited from "the extraordinary fact that the
policy Of Eastern enterprise involved as an in
cldent, at national expense. the creation OF a
harbor. the digging Of q canal, and the endow
ment of great railroad, and ths building OF
vas, plexus Of railroads by private enterprise,
! piration for greatness" Mr. Binckley has some
exceedingly interesting observations on the in
Auence Of the first inhabitants OF Chicago, show
ing how it has maintained itself to this day in
various habits and customs winch, oenG aireaay
established in the little town that was called Chi
cago, have perpetuated themselves in tue great
city. We are glad to observe that he sees
BOW NECESSARY CULTURE IS
to the life OF such city as Chicago ia now rap
idl7 becoming. Perhaps he il even too severe
upon its present deficiencies in this respect.
European experience proves two things which
ought to be consolation fer every inhabitant
OF Chicago who has aspirations in this uirection
It proves that cultule does not establish itself
firmly just at first in an entesprising trading
community, and it proves also that any town
men Of European blood. is eure to have cul-
tiyated society in it before long. Tie misfor-
tune is that the cultivated class should
be 80 much apart aud have so little
place. especially on the wealthiest tradcrs. We
do not DOUBT that Chicago is sure to become, IN
the course of generation or two, as cultivated
place as Manchester is now; that. ia to say,
there will exist some cultivated groups Of citi-
zens 10 the place. and few public buildings for
Tor literature, Il museum for science, aud . GAL
lery for art.
BUT THE BULK OF THE COMMUNITY
Will resist cuture there as it does ia Manchester.
The merchants and manufactu1 era and their
wives may have kindly feeling towards culture,
ard be willing to do something fol. it (and
even this is hoping q good deal, for
there is mt to be some jealousy Of cultivated
people) but they are not likely to sec culture
otherwise than from the outside or to have that
perfect and true sympathy with 1t which is only
possible for those who really have share 10 it..
long sustained intellectual labor, and it is diff
cult for men who aro occupied 10 trade. and for
women who arc occupied in the duties or pleas
ures Of q vulgar existence, to set to work stIcnu-
ously for the improvement OF their minds.
Even in great capitals, although tue society
there has the advantage of external polish aud
refinement from the presence during part OF
tie year OF the national aristocracy, the really
cultivated people are q few little groups who
have hot very mnch influence on the general
Ill t1r
ueans OF culture in London. yet how many we'll
to-do Londoners live without making the least
uso of them!
There is . paper in this series BY DR.. Powers,
the wellknown Episcopalian Clergyman, Ill
which he expresses
As1M11An Desire FOB CULTURE,
more especially of an a1tistic kind -
While the reconstruction Of Chicago is such
MARVEL It cannot be denied that its esthec aspect
is disirting. The city as city, does not wear the
entitle her to. No Oh. view her magnitude and
business, read the truthful descriptions Of her
material greatness given in the present humber OF the
Lakeside, without sense Of ineongruty and dispro~
portion. She does not lack brain, but sy1nme She
is brawny Unbalanced, almost grotesque, with all her
splendor The city does not suggest cultivation mud
refinement; but immense material energy.
Whilst fully sharing the desire which DR.,
Powers expresses for better esthetic culture in
Chicago, We think that he cannot reasonably
expect much more for the present tnan what the
:: the idea OF art, OF great multitude, seems to
be limited to fine tailoring, upholstery. and
crockery." ALI this ia very natural; it is not
quite satisfactory, but it is quite IN accordance
with tue usual habits aud tendencies OF human
nature. 4 prosperous business community likes
tailoring, upholstery, and crockery, and likes to
See its wealth reflected in these things.
Even when 1t begins to buy pictures and
engrayines it likes to
SEE SOMETHING FOE IT'S MONEY.
The art that it most enjoys il highly finished
handicraft, such as the gliding and painting on
hne carriage. We think that DR.. Powers gives
an example OF good taste to his fellow-citizens
when be objectk to the modern American Gus
tom Of arranging shops aud counting houses in
such enormous pa1atial blocka- They have con-
siderable grandeur, no doubt: but, as Dr.. Pow
era judciously observes, they interfere with tho
effect OF the real public buildings, which are
dwarfed by them. There is scarcely q church in
Europe which would not be either dwarfed or
at least considerably injured BY tile
immediate neighborhood OF q block like
the new Sherman House Of Chicago. It
would do harm even to tue loftiest cathedral.
THERE ARE SOME INTERESTING STATISTICS
in the pnpcr OIL education by ME. Leandor Stone.
The value OF school buildings and their fu1ni-
ture is nearly. s, 100000. There arc Gfty-ono
with an actua1 attendance Of IS. 1000 pupils. Tho
Bible has been cmoyed from the public schools
OF Cincinnati and st. Louis, but is still read in
those of Chicago, the teachers being careful to
select such potion as are not controve1ted by
any tody Of Christian people; aud up to the
present time no serious objection has been raised
to this coureo." Besides tho children in the
public schools, there are moro than Il, 600 in
private educational institutions. Then there
arc medical schools, . law school, and
university. Notwithstanding all this rich
provision for education, there would still, how
ever, be room for tue action of School Boald,
az %, 600 children ought to be in school, and are
not ''Dut this" says Mr. Stone. though
large number, should be considered In conneo-
ton with tho fact that, in the hustle aud whirl
of our great commercial acti'ity, very many
children arc removed from school and put to
work as soon as they obtain knowledge OF the
most elementary branches"
Mr. Stone tells us that all tho places Of wor-
ship, without exception, that were destroyed by
the great fire have been rebuilt, or are in pro-
cess OF rebuilding, in manner very superior
to their former style. This ia what al
ways happens after destruction by fire, when
q community is wealthy enough to sel2o the oc-
casion. Men seek in the improvement sort Of
CONFIRMATION FOR THEIR Loss,
and find satisfaction in redecting that, il q
great misfortune has deprived them Of what
they had before, st least they have improved |
their condition by erecting in its place struc-
ture either more useful aud commodious or else