, 1877-01-26
The Nov UtoPls.
- r<arsH SCIENTISTS PLAN ron A
MoDTL CITY.

.,ls 81 scient1hc city. winch ~ shortly
~. built upon land already secured
- he purpose. All that remains 10
~ 5one Is for DIR. Richan,l.on 10 build
n. ritv and 20 invent a population will
- 40 live in il. II j. 20 bc hoped that
vill succee,l in both theze endeavora.
=, the plan Of this new city. a. set forth
= an elaborate pamphlet, i extremely
;nerniois and attractive.
gvceia, as the model city will be call
"A Z 10 be built on the slope Of n hill,
- a. 10 afford ample facilities for drain
.ce. and for sliding in icy weather. Il
40 be laid out in rectangular form,
and the streets are 10 he paved with
-ood set in asphalt. There will he no
street railways, but underneath each of
re principal avenues will be under
ground railroads. The houses, Of which
there are to be exactly 27,000, will be
built of brick, and placed on vaulted
foundations, without cellars. Each
bouse is to be nicely surrounded with
trees and, in addition to hot and cold
water and gas, will be supplied with
ozone from a central ozone manufac-
tory. The sewage is to be used for
farming purposes, and the corses of
dead inhabitants will be buried in wicker
baskets, wherever they will do the most
good, instead of being wasted in ceme-
feries. None of the residents will be
allowed to drink wine or to use tobacco,
and even the chimneys will be forbidden
to smoke. 1t is DR.. Richardson's opin-
ion that, with the aid of an able munich
pal medical staff, the death-rate in Hy-
eeia will be reduced to eight in every
1000. As the death-rate in New York
is twenty-eight per ], 900 there is no
doubt that the Hygeians will be, in COM
parison, an exceptionally healthy peo-
pie. But how the doctors municipal
medical men are to amuse themselves
in such an exasperatingly healthy city
he might find some difficulty in explain
ing.
In spite of the manifest advantages
which the new city will possess, it is
possible that DIR. Richardson will be dis
appointed in the working of certain de-
tails Of his plan. For example, he has
decided that the population will be
100000, living in 10000 houses, built
on 4, 900 acres of land," and he dwells
with much emphasis on the fact that
the health of his city will depend to
great extent upon this equal distribu-
ton of the inhabitants. Now, at first
he may find no difficulty in obtaining
his 100, 900 inhabitants and distributing
them in families of five each. The
trouble is that after he has thus nicely
sorted and arranged his citizens they
will Immediately proceed to uproot his
equal distribution" What will the
doctor do when a scientific family of
five persons is suddenly increased by
the addition of scientific baby? There
will be six persons in that disordered
household, and the " equal distribu-
ton" Of the inhabitants will be compro-
missed. He cannot build a new house
to meet the contingency, for he has
strictly limited the city to 10000 houses
and even then if new house could
be built and inhabited exclusively by
the intruding infant, his scheme of
equal distribution would be spoiled.
Unless every inhabitant of the new city
is compelled to sign lease containing
covenant against the introduction of
infants, there will be no such thing as
the permanent equal distribution of
10000 people in %, 900 houses. Doubt
less, DR.. Richardson has entirely over
looked this weak spot in his calcuIa-
tons, but he will have it fixed upon his
attention to maddening extent before
the end of the first year of his city's ex-
istence.
Again, the plan of building houses
without cellars, and placing the kitchen
on the upper floor Of each house, is at
trst glance Objectionable, but a little
scrutiny will show that it has its faults.
Where will DR.. Richardson's people
keep their old bottles, and where will
the family cat be placed at night? Nat
nral philosophy teaches that the smell
OF heated dinners ascends. How, then,
can the careful housewife, living in a
city where all the kitchens are on the
top floors, ascertain what the neighbors
intend to have for dinner? Very prob
ably DR.. Richardson imagines that in o
purely scientific city there will be no
crime or disorder, and no use for po-
nceRen. He must admit. however, that
II Is possible for scientific citizens to
quarrel, and even to steal fossils, and
valuable bugs. In such an event, the
ponce, instead of darting out of the
area gate and capturing the offender,
would have to descend from lofty ktch-
ems, where their soup would grow cold
peiore they could carry their prisoners
70 the staion-house and return to their
COOKS hreside. 1t must also be remark
ca that in this ingenious city there is
not the slightest provision for a single
Slothes-line. 1t may be that the inventor
looks upon clothes as unscientific and
objectionable, for he remarks that "from
sne sleeping apartments old clothes,
e'c., are to be vigorously excluded" If
man cannot have his clothes in his
TTeoroom, on going to bed, what is he to