, 1877-11-11

A1r. WILLIAM BLACK, the well-known
Scotch novelist, is contributing novel in
serial form to3 the columns Of the London
Examiner called "Green Pastures and
pieadilly,' the forty-irst chnper OF which
lands his heroes mud heroines in Chicago,
The impressions which they have OF the
city, aud the very remarkable influence Of
tho city upon them, will have very decided
interest rs we'll as considerable novelty for
our renders. In describing the city, they
find that 's the huge blocks of buildings look
like the best part of Glasgow infinitely e1-
tended" and that "the smoky sky is streaked
with black rectangular spiders web Of telc-
graph wires" Tho heroes and heroines are
very hard to suit, for they find that the ho-
tells are "snmptuous, vast, but garishly fur-
uished" They are very foolish, for they are
possessed Of u desire to speculate in empty
lots. We fancy, had it been known to our
renl-estate dealers that they wanted to specn-
late in lots, they would have been accommo-
dated to their hearts desire. If there are
any fictitious or live heroes abroad who
want to invest in real estate here, there
are plenty Of holders ready to make easy
terms with them. Nothing would delight
them more than to feel that Mr.. BLACKS
heroes were typical Of English feeling
with regard to Chicago corner lots. There
seems really to be no limit to the desires Of
these people. They would even like to build
for themselves ga mansion more gorgeous
than the mind Of man can conceive, with
horses to shoot along these wide drives like
fash of lighting" There is nothing new
in the snblimity OF these ideas, for every one
in Chicago hns them. We all want to build
houses Of that sort aud own horses Of that
rate OF speed, and We come as near to it rs
We can; but it shows how the atmosphere
and "the big, enger genius " Of the city, as
one of the leroines expresses it, Affects the
average tourist. The North Side, however,
BLACKS tourists. We are informed that
they give themselves airs, that they read
books, and talk criticism. The South md
West Sides can rather plume themselves on
this. But what will tho North~Siders
soy to the declaration that they will
have no dealings with "a system
of local government controlled by
sc, 900 bummers, ]oafers, and dead~beets u?
Where are the bum1ners' conventions
usually held: Where is Hthe bar1 kept?
Where is the County Building? Where
do tho rings revolve? Where is the
Hatch House? Where is the old maxim
"Vote early and vote often" more relig-
ions}y observed? For once, DIr. BLACKS
tourists are caught mapping. But we are
not through with the North Side yet, for
they fnd that the North-Siders get some
smattering Of music, drawing, and other
fanciful and fashionable but practically use
less arts, but are utterly incapable of earning
an honest living, because they are rs igno-
rant us South American Hottentots of prac-
tical arts md sciences. As the ln,nented
Ecc1Es was accustomed to say, 'tThis ees
ard - on that strip Of the North Side be-
tween Clark street and the lnlSe. It will rec
oucile the South and Vest Siders. however.
to their more humble lot. They will be
content not to put on Mrs and talk books and
criticism so long as they ere not as ignorant
rs Hottentots Of the practical arts and
sciences Such nre the penalties people
must pay for living in the fashionable and
arlstocratic pur1ieus of Pine and Dearborn
streets. There is one OF the tourists, how
ever, who takes more roseate view OF Chi
cago. She thinks it must be delightful
place to live in, MS most Of the people live
on wheels; referring, we presume, not to the
chariots of the North Side. but to the buses,
street-cars, and express wagons of the South
Side. She likes it because the cool winds |
come in from the lake to temper the summer
heat, aud red sandstone and yellow marble |
combine to please the eye, aud there
are charming rillns in the gardens"
In fact, this charming creature so impresses
The rest of the crowd with her ecstatic de- |
light that "we all begun to admire Chicago, |
and quite envied the ranch won an who was |
able from time to time to leave her home in !
lhe savage wilderness for this centre OF the |
arts and civilization" We do not exactly |
understand who the ranch woman is. but it
IS quite evident from the general tenor Of |
Tho experiences Of Mr.. BLACKS party that |
Chicago WIS too much for them, and that the
IDEAS with which they were inspired were too
oig for them to manage. This is not re- !