Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-04-12
,GREAI CITIES.
THEIR GROWTH AND PROGRESS in
THE OLD WORLD AND THE NEW.
LOndOn-Paris - New York - Brooklyn -
Philadelphia - Berlin vienna-Con-
stantinopIe-St. Petersburg-The
Advance OF. Population.


Brooklyn Eaglc.l
London stands easily at the head OF all
modern cities, yet it has added five times
as much to its population during the present
century as it did during the previous loo
yearh There is a difficulty about stating
the eNA-t population of Lon1on, because
Englands metropolis is not u city in the or
binary sense, but an aggregation OF towns,
an ever spreading overgrown aggregate Of
houses and streets, which is constantly in
vading new territory and covering it with
buildings. Thus the OLD city Of London has
at the last census but 81, ,526 inhabitants.
London, within the registrar generals tables
Of mortality, had 3,Sl4 57l people; the Lon
don school board district had g. So Al peo-
pie, while the London of the metropolitan and
city police districts had 4, ,76i, 3l2 inhabit-
state Of New York The latter figure may
don. regarded as q community. Its increase
during the previous ten years was 49,, 900, or
at the rate of % per cent
1t is easy to figure up what the continu
ancs of such a rate Of increase would finally
lead to. 1t would give London at the next
census nearly 5000, 900 Of inhabitants, and al
the next succeeding one 1850, 900 OF course
this rate Of increase may not be maintained
but that is q matter In which no one can
speak W tn certainty. When London had
but 1000, 900 inhabitants every one said that
this wonderful growth must soon stop; but
since then London has been growing faster
than ever and with the vigor Of a young
western town. There, if anywhere, will be
solved the problem as to how many people
can exist in one great city.
Paris, once we'll abreast Of London in popu.
lation, now takes second place, and will
have to go down to third before many de.
cadee Its population at the last censu,
was 2. 2.2690Oo, it having increased about
$4,000 during the previous twenty years
Its rate of increase is therefore compare
lively slow, and as the population of France
Is nearly stationary, it must be slow In the
future.
New York is now the third of the great
cities of the world, leaving out of considera.
tions the cities Of China, of whose popula.
tion there is no reliable enumeration The
position Of New York as the mar Of a vast
continent is unequaled, but the narrownex
of Manhattan island and the inferior facili.
ties for rapid transit prior to
the era of elevated railways have
been against 1t Its population Of
l,2Oa. 200 at the last census should have grown
to 1.55O,OO0 at the next census, and to q.
OOO, 900 at the succeeding one. II the popu.
lation of New York was reckoned on the
same basis as that of London it would take
in Brooklyn, jersey City and number Of
small djacent towns, with a united popu-
lation Of the last census Of 2,250, 900 The
aggregated community thus indicated il
growing at the rate of 80 per cent every ter
years 50 that the total population gathered
here at the next census will be nearly 5000.
600, and at the following census nearly
4,OOO.OO0 The population Of Brooklyn is in
creasing more rapidly than that Of New
York, its increase beng at the rate o. so psr
cent between 1860 and 1870 and 43 per cent
between 1870 and 1850, against ~ and IS pei
cont for the same decade, in New York Oh
course, If these relative rates Of increase
should be maintained it would only bs q
question Of time when Brooklyn would be
the larger city Of the two.
Following New York the great cities Of
the world that have a population of more
than 900, 900 are Berlin, l. l22 900; Vienna.
l,10S, 900, and Constantinopie. Los, ,O00
The capital OF Russia has only S75, 900, and
the other European capitals not already
No doubt, S. Petersburg will before the
next census, have passed the ,OOO,U0 limit
and become entitled to rank as one Of the
great cities Of the world.
OF cities which rank as second in their re.
spective countries the greatest is Pniladel.
phia, with 1000 Inhabitants at the last
census, and which will probably reach l, ,U60..
600 at ths next enumeration. The United
States will then be the only country in the
world with two cities Of more than 900.
600 inhabitants, and by the succeeding cen
sus Brooklyn will be added to the list to
form third, and Chicago also probably to
form . fourth. By that time, however,
Moscow will have pa ssed the l, 600 OOJ limit
and also Glasgow and possibly Liverpool
At the last census there were In Great
Britain and Ireland twenty seven cities and
towns with upward Of 100000 inhabitants
an increase Of seven over the number at the
previous census In the United States
there were at the last census eighteen cities
and towns with upward OF 1OO, 900 inhabi.
tants, an increase Of four over the previous
censuA No other country in Europe had sc
many cities Of that size as we can show.
Germany had fourteen, France ten, Aus
tria-Hungary five, and Russia nine. British
India has eighteen cities with 100000 inhabi
tants and upward 1t is certainly remarka.
bic that this young republic should be in
advance Of such countries as France, Ger
many and Austria, with respect to large
cities and 50 close upon the heels of England,
which, however, still retains q good lead
and some Of whose younger towns arp ex
tremely vigorous in their growth.