Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-03-04


Chicago Driving Park-The Win
ter Cholera.
CHICAGO, February s6-Chicago presents the
peculiar attractionof being at once great
summer and great winter resort for strangers.
these being Southerners for the most part in
summer, and in winter anyone who wishes a
busy, actively pleasant time, with much 70 see
and more to hear. This winter the thermome-
ter has stood flxedly at its lowest figures, and
sleighing and skating carnivals have taken the
lead in the outdoor merry-makings Of this i'm
mensely live city. For weeks together the
snow has lain in great frozen drifts In the more
untraveled thoroughfares while each gutter
wasa sheet Of ice, over which the small boy
and the Chicago specimen is a very OBJ
noxlous one-skims In excess Of delight.
The price OF skates went up during
the cold term, and pneumonia and bronchitis
were drug in the market. But Chicago is
one of the gayest cities at all times that can be
imagined. The wealthy classes spend their
money lavishly aud entertain in sumptuous
style. There is such large element OF the
notsveda riche in society here that the pomp
and circumstance Of revelry and feasting are
carried to the most extravaganza extremes
Calumet avenue is the precinct sacred 20 the
beau monde and is q noble thoroughrare,
lined right and left with marblefaced palaces,
and lawns that in summer time are dashed
with flower coloTS.
Potter Palmer last summer bought a hand
some building lot on Cass avenue, on which
he Is to erect magnificent dwelling. The
Mccormick mansion has the reputation
OF being the NEST elegant in the city, but Mr..
Wilbur F. Story, of the Times. has one In slow
process Of erection that bids fair. from the plan
and beginning, to rival all the costly homes In
the Garden City. It is TO be or white marble;
but the only part completed is the beautiful
marble lodge in one corner OF the yard and the
elevation of severel blocks forming the lower
story. Mr.. and Mrs. Story are a very distin-
guished looking couple, he with his snow S white
ly.. They are acknowledged leaders IN the So
cial world.
The Pullman residence, the home of the
Great Mogul of the Palace Car Company. is
another splendid brown stone monument of
taste and luxury. whose surrounding grounds
sweep back in the rear to the railroad.
1t Is almost treat TO walk through the two
great hotels of Chicago, the brag hotels, the
Palmer House and Grand Pacific. These are
the most fashionable elegant and the newest,
and the ambitious traveller, footsore and weary,
will endure many privations that he may ac-
cumulate the requisite number OF shekelS to
lodge him in a sky parlor in either Of these, or
allow him to sink his foot in the velvet pile of
the warm crimson carpet. In the evening. when
everything glitters under Hood OF light, and
beautiful women, in shining silken apparel and
flashing Jewels. trail up and down the corridors,
when the incense Of flowers blooming prodi-
gally on every hand, and the strains of bewitch
ing music rise up and float together, 1t is IKE
q dream of the Feast of Roses and one might
expect to see Nourmahal, with her eyes Of
dark, dark splendor," come forth from behind
one Of the fluted columns and glide among the
promenaders
A novel experience is a visit to the Chicago
Exchange. You Chamber up to what seems TO
be the twelfth story, but is really only the
third, enter door, and are at once in the gal
lery, narrow rallied platform running across
one end of the hall, and from which one looks
down and beholds the inner workings of the
vast machine called the grain market. The
great wide room, with its many windows all
arrow" is filed with an indescrlbable, restless
throng, going and coming with continual
rush OF hurrying feet The row OF telegraph
offices in the corners of the room opposite the
gallery are constantly ticking of messages to
the great martS Of commerce, showing the
brilliant strokes in finance or the crushing
calamitles that happen hourly In this great
gambling place. There are the swinging
biackboards on each side the ROOM with the
prices of grain noted upon them in other
markets There are the mysterious little
tables ranged around the hall, where eager
men dabble in the innocent looking sampl~s
spread over them. and play with Fortune at
haphazard; and there are the pools-one in
the centre and one at the end. 1t is strange
looking place for men to pass so many Of
I'LL. H.
they don't appear particularly miserable
there was no despair pictured in their faces,
and none seemed inclined to rush forth and
commit suicide
Opposite the Exchange is the new court
house, now just about finished. 1t is joint
affair between the city and county, the two
portions being Joined together by cumbrous
stone arch: The county seems TO have fulfilled
her part of the contract with more generous
hand, as that portion of the building is much
more splendid than the city's part.
In the summer season Chicago does not, as a
rule, send her population rushing off to spend
their money in distant pleasure resorts. With
such beautiful lake washing her feet, and
such delicious winds blowing over it, there is
no sort Of reason or excuse for people to say
they are sitting, and must run away for q
breath of fresh air. Summer tourists from
distant places come here for enjoyment and
health, and it is one of the few large cities that
can M AXE this boast.
Across the lake, Just on the Michigan edge.
is Grand Haven, fast becoming a pleasure re-
sort for Chicagoans, who cannot resist the
temptation to go somewhere on excursions
Il Is great market for fruits and vegetables.
supplying Chicago profusely with these neces-
SarieS. 1t has q new and commodiouS
hotel now, and further improvements
are to be made this spri5g.
here and the city, in the warm season, for the
benefit of excursionists. and they receive lib
eral patronage. There are numerous pictu-
rescue villages round about Chicago, where
heated term, pouring back into the city for
every parade or public festival that happens
There are so many Southerners resident per-
maAently in Chicago that they have come to
be generally known as the Southern Colony
They are and have been for years identified
with her most important business interests
and have grown up with the growing city.
Many are KentuckianS, these and Virginians
probably making first in point of numbers:
there are also many old Georgians installed
here and large numbers from other sections of
the South. The Waller family, very numerous.
wealthy and influential, are from Kentucky !:
so are the Honores, Garnetts, Breckinridges
and hosts of others.
Almost all the prominent citizens of Chicago
may be traced back to 8 Southern origin, near
or remote. So much for Southern thrift and
energy and talent in the great Northwest
The First Christian Church, of this city,
probably to be better known hereafter as Gar
fields church, has called TO its pastorate the
Rev Dr. o. A. Burgess, President Of Butler
University Irvington, Indiana, and the Doctor
has accepted the call. DR.. Burgess is one who
believes doubtless in the union of Church and
State, or that the fact of being a minister of
the gospel need not interfere with the little pri
vate transactions Of the politician when a man
wants to claim a place in both professions at
once DR.. Burgess led as dark horse in the
race for the Senatorship in Indiana, and has
the reputation OF being a professional wit
THIS church has been under the charge of Rev.
George Sweeney, formerly of Louisville, Ky
and has fiourished amazingly under his minis
Try. I0efo are TOUR CnurcleS mere
now and all prosperous, where, ten or twelve
years ago, there was but one, supported almost
entirely financially by the H. more family.
OF course no one thinks Of visiting Chicago
without going at least once to the Peoples
Church to hear Rev. DIR. Thomas, and having
gone once the desire is irresistible to go again
He breaches in Harley's Theatre for the pres
ent, as Rev. David Swing does in Music Hall,
the church property being retained by the
ecclesiastical body from which he departed.
One of DR.. Thomas deep-reaching comfort
ing human sermons, that seems preached to
meet the needs of the eager souls that ask for
help in their every day pains and griefs and
disappointments is something to be remem-
bered with happy thoughts ever afterward.
Sunday. and this too in a city where the
ministers of orthodoxy complain loudly of
their array of empty pews and insufficient
support. The congregation is made UP OF peo-
pie from every class and creed-and OF those
the Doctor most labors for the worldlings, the
people without fixed religious ideas, who have
been drifting about In Vanity Fair, and per-
haps given to some mild scoiiing on the sub
ject of Christianity In general Every Sunday
morning DR. Thomas holds an informal recep-
ton at the foot of his pulpit after services,
when all strangers go up to shake his hand
and exchange a word or two. To Southerners
he is specially kind and genial, having a warm
interest in and real love for the South. He is
doing great work for this great city, gather.
ing il by his power OF attraction and the wide.
liberal truth that he teaches. the wayfarers
from the highways and byWays who meet on
one common ground beneath his eve and voice
The Rev George Min, of Brooklyn, has sue
ceeded Rev Robert Collyer in the charge of
Unity Church, where it Is said he will have an
the same place In the affections of his flock
and the community at large as that held he