, 1874-07-16
Tte Gblfaun U2ibu41e,


The LESION OF TUESDAY.
Tho evonts Of the past forty-ctght hours have
produced probably d profounder impression
upon the minds Of tho citizena OF Ohicago than
tho fire of 1871. When tho ombors Of that
groat con1ag.atlon went out. people said thore
nevor could be another such fire.; and most
persons without much reflection 30 believed.
There mover was q moro fatal mistako. aivent
tho eamo conditions Of wind aud draught
and combustiblo mnteriat and defective
wator supply, and tho aamo reaulta will
infallibly ousuo. People now understand
this. The acalos have fnllon from their
eyes and they now procoiyo that tho only
Providence guarding us from destruction
IL what we furnish ourselves. Providence never
interpoaoB to Bave man from tho consequences
Of his own folly. Providence works on the
visor plan Of teaching man to depart from lis
folly, and. il ono lesson is not enough another ia
suro to come on Its hocls.
Our second lesHon camo on Tuesday, md 1t is
this repetition that has produced tho dcop and
even startling impression we hhyo referred to.
As tho pillows Of hamo rolled along State street
and Wabash avenue, thousands Of men whose
hard earnings were second time threatened
with devastation muttored to thomaolvos,
"What is the uso Of toiIing on here to
accumulate property TO DO swept away iu
IN instant Of timo7 IB There not some
other placo in this wide world whoro man can DO
reasonably sure to keep whit he earne7" Theao
woro the sentiments which most OF tho business
mon Of Chicago carried homoin their breasts aftor
tho fire was subdued. Thoy had seen how groat
q peril had been near them. All superstition ro-
garding the impoBsibility of SECOND great fro
had departed from them. They were facing d
fact Of enormous import-no less than the prob
able destruction Of everything for which they
have laborea on till past tho middle age or tho
evening of llio. Did they not foyolye In their
minds tho meana Of getting what they have
saved out Of this danger? And did they not
mentally ejaoulate that 1t we're bottor to submit
to soma losH
Than on the torture Of tho mind to l1s
In restless ecstacy?
What doea all this imply7 It signiaes tho
withdrawal Of capital from the city, the Do
parturo Of our most energetic citizens, tho d.
vorsion Of population, trade. wealth, and all
things that go to making great city, away from
US, and the dwarnng Of Chicago to the dimen-
Mons OF second or thitd-rate town. All these
thnga will happen unless wo take moro efficient,
FAR more efficient, stops to protect ourselves
against the calamitiea Of fro than wo
have heretofore taken. tt IS true, and
the events OF Tuesday night prove 1t,
that tho buBinesa section is much better
built for fro defensive purposes than the old
city, 4 glauce At tho map will show how small
distance tho fire was ablo to gnaw into tho re-
built district. 80 far so good; but when We cast
cur eyes over tho Western aud southwestern dis
tricts; when We attempt to compute the sum
total OF inhammable material thero collected
inviting the flames; whom we think Of the mis-
cry which even small fro like that of Tueaday
ocoaslons, tho inadoquaoy OF our protection,
r,oaar,red nv thA amn,,ns nf kin6linu-wnoa
within sight OF any observer in two-houra'
drive, seems perfectly appalling.
We must act, aud aot soon, All tho re-
aources Of fire protection which civilization has
invcnted must be brought hithor, and we must
haya some which no other city las, to secure us
against porils to which no other city is EXPOSED,
Our Firo Department must be enlarged and bet
ter olaoered. Walls must he built to prevent
fires from spreading, or perhaps open spaces
muat be laid out at convenient distances by COIL
domning land and converting 1t into parks, LIE.
US hare some parks inside the CITY, instoad Of all
on the outskirts. We must remove ali tho rook-
eres built inside the fire limits by "apooial per-
mltH." 4 notable instance OF this sort can be
seo1 In the heart Of tho business district, on In
9a!ls street, betwoon Monroe aud Adams. We
must have floating stoam dre.enginea on tho
river. We must do thcHo things, aud do them
soon, olse worse will betall.
N.-A.--...-..M
All mon who have hoped that something good
would como out OF the Democratic party In In-
diana Mill bs soroly disappointed at tho rcsults
OF the Convention in indianapolis yesterday. Tha
platform bagins woll In denunclationH Of the
Hanuh1lcpn nartY wlltnh ara daaeruad and Al 1cn1.