Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-05-21
The Greatest City in the World.
[Dr. f. B. Robinson.l


London is the greatest city the
world ever saw. 1t covers 700 square
miles and contains 100000 people.
Almost 100000 of these are for
eigners from every nation on earth.
More Roman Catholics live in it than
Rome itself, more Irish than Dublin.
It has birth in it every five minutes,
a funeral every eight minutes. It is
one of the most complicated of cities
and has some 5000 miles of streets
and alleys. There are in London Is,
900 policemen, $4,000 cabmen and
$4,000 persons belonging to the Post
Office. 1t has 400 weekly and daily
newspapers. Gaslight costs it So, 900,
900 year. Statistics show that an
nually 125 persons are killed 1000
injured by vehicles in the street.
One can say that it is more dangerous
to walk the streets of London than
to travel by railway Or. cross. the
Atlantic. The average increase of
London annually is 40 miles of streets
10000 new houses and 60, 900 persons.
Some writer's say that London was
founded 5000 year ago. With such
figures a mental picture may be drawn
Of London's busy world--an intensely
active. cosmopolitan metropolis. A
great contrast lies between the rival
cities of London and Berlin in the
method of the laboring classes. Thou
sands Of people in Berlin and vicinity
work slowly seven days week and
even then do not finish their task.
He spreads his energies without day
of recreation. London shows, sharply,
another state of existence. The lab
oring class work actively for five days
and half or six days a week and
Sunday is quiet and still He con-
centrates his energies for six days and
recruits the seventh. The streets of
London are fairly clean and drainage
very good and death rate low but it
is a smoky, black, dirty city. All
things become covered with the fine
falling SCOT One can see but short
distance in the city on the clearest
day, especially if it is dry. The streets
arc generally narrow and crooked or
very high buildings entirely shut out
the sun. There are few or no wide
avenues. London, fortunately poss-
esses many fine gardens and parks.
These serve for all kinds of amuse-
ments and pleasure. In these, for ex-
ample Hyde Park, royalty aristocracy.
wealth and power display their attri-
butes. Here roll the costly carriages,
in silver mountings, of England $
Nobility. Here may be seen the lux
ury of princes in lavish splendor. The
birth-right of heTedity lends to royalty
an imposing scene, In the DriUe of
Hyde park may be seen unbroken files
of elegant equipages and high bred
horses in handsome trappings, moving
continually to and fro, presided over
by sleek coachmen, powdered lackeys
and occupied by some of the most
beautiful and exquisitely dressed
women in the world In the Roa0 are
numerous lady and gentleman riders
who parade their spirited and glossy
steeds before the admiring crowd
sitting or walking at the side. London
has many attractions; some hoary with
age and pregnant with historical facts.
Among the buildings universally
celebrated are the Tower, st. Paul's
Cathedral, Westminster Abbey.
The Tower, the ancient fortress and
gloomy state prison of London, and
historically, the most interesting spot
of England, is an irregular pile of
buildings erected at different periods
surrounded by battlement wall and
q deep Moat, now drained. 1t stands
on the bank of the Thames, outside of
the ancient city walls. 1t is irregular
FIVE sided and the ground plan covered
an area of Ii acres. A broad quay
lies between the Moat and Thames.
The White Tower is square and arises
conspicuously in the center. The
whole Tower is yet defended, all around
by heavy canon. This is England's
royal blood bought ground. 1t has
a cemetery in it, the saddest one of
all the earth, associated with whatever
is dark in human nature and destiny,
with all the miseries of fallen greatness
and blighted fame. 1t is the sepulchre
of the beheaded, through the long list
from Somerset, the Protester, to
Anne Boleyn and Lady Jane Grey.
The location of ST. Paul's Cathedral
has been the site of sanctuaries from
the beginning of the Christian era.
The present church was begun in 1875
and completed in ITO at cost of about
four million dollars 1t is interesting
TO observe that in the 80 years of con-
struction the whole building was
completed by one architect, Sir Chris
topher Wren and by one master mason.
Thomas Strong under one bishop DR..
Compton. Wren received $1,000 a
year during the building. Wren's
ORIGINAL dps fCD waS thot of q Iraak