The Washington critic., 1886-09-18
TOPICS OF THE DAY.

says. The value Of property in London
outvies the widest dreams of the
wealth of Monte Cristo or the Arabian
Nights. The land in the city Of Lon
don proper, which makes only about
one section (G32 acrcs) Of the roo Sec
tions, or the 700 square miles Of the
city, has, during the day, population
of 100000 business men and their en-
ployes, and 10000 vehicles enter and
leave this territory daily. The traffic
here is one perpetual jam, and the
property is the most valuable in Lon.
don. A piece sold there the other day
which brought price equal to 100000.
600 an acre. The city is constantly i'm.
proving, and all of tho improve
ments are of the most massive and
lasting character. The Old London Is
fast passing away. Whole blocks of
valuable buildings are torn down to
widen streets aud make new ones, aud
some time ago the city paid 81, 500, 900
for an acre Of ground. One of the
short streets of two or three blocks
which leads from the Strand, near
Charing Cross, TO the Thames, was
made by tearing down the Northum.
berland House, and this house cost the
city $4,000, 900. The streets of London
If stretched out in one line would reach
Francisco, and 1t adds to this on an av-
every year. These streets contain
100000 houses, and about 1900
new houses are built yearly.
The steets are well paved, and they are
kept cleaner than those of any Ameri-
can city, outside of Washington. Many
of them are of wood laid in asphalt,
and others, on which traffic as heavy
as that of Broadway goes, are of as
phalt. Still there are no holes in 1t, as
in the streets of Washington, and 1t has
a traffic incomparably heavier. The
Washington streets could not stand
the London traffic one week and be
any smoother at the close than so much
corduroy road. 1t costs $17 ,000,O 600 a
year 10 pay London's gas bills, and 1t
costs her about $G,0O0,000 year for
her police. There are $4,000 police
men in London, and the crime of the
city is one-third of that of the kingdom.
AS to amusement, one can go to diff
ferent place here every night for the
1856 days In the year, and he would yet
have to leave over one hundred places
unvisited.
%*#
The different socia customs in Balti-
more and Washington are odd, says
lOcn Topics. Washington is very
much like New York and Philadelphia
in many of its conventionalities. In
Baltimore, young ladies who go to
places of amusement and dances, go
alone with their male acquaintances. In
Washington, which is but few miles
from Baltimore, no young lady will
visit the theatre or elsewhere of an
evening, unless properly chaperoned.
In this way, Washington follows law
prescribed by society in both Philadel-
phia and New York. AS you so further
South and into the West, you will find
that the manners and customs of the
"best people" are generally at variance
with what New York considers is but
the one and correct thing to do.
~
"New England art" says Cath" Ia
the Boston GloJe, "has had two illustra-
tions, both drawn from the Southern
States, which stand at the head of Its
galaxy. There certainly never was as
much admired and sincerely beloved a
man as Washington Allston in the city
of Boston. Nor has there been in our
time any architect who has made a
more profound impression upon the
building genius OF our country than
Richardson, native of Louisiana, as
Allston was of South Carolina. was
talking yesterday to son Of ex-Secre-
tary Of the Treasury Window, who
studied architecture and building nj
the Boston Institute of Technology.
He said that Richardson had left more
inn ression on construction in America
,ban any ten architects. 1t must be
said, however, as to most Of these men
who take to pure art in the South thai
they fall promptly into line with the
spirit of liberty and put back of them
forever all the traditions and alfecta'
lions Of slavery"
Says "Gath" in the Cincinnati
Enquirer, speaking of General Sheri
dan THE political part of the wal
was all done when Sheridan reached
his climax, and he received no bench
whatever from the politicians, Who
can tell at this moment what politicia,
backed Sheridan? Grant, we nj
know, was backed by Washburne ant
Others until after he came East, wheI
Lincoln himself was ut his back, au,
Stanton and Seward. Sheridan ha
n6thing 10 rely upon but the impres
sion he could make upon Grant by vic
tory. He gave Grant great trophies
and mostly withheld himself, aud neve
permitted his name to enter into
political convention, aud when afte
Grant had followed the igHts .tdtuu
Of. q third term, and could not b.
nominated, Sheridan halted the first at
tempt to Introduce his name as al
alternative. The younger generation
may well desire to see this man while
he is yet among us. Though he i
comparatively young for one of hi
work, The exposures of the war, mt
urrl hoGily ailments, Temperance 1t
etc, Indicate that he may not always b.
at hand. More than any man In CON
mission, he possesses the genius o
broad warfare and loca' warfare to
eetber, The two qualities which sis
nalized Napoleon, who could fire upoi
the mob in the crowded streets of Pari
and save the Government. or charg
with the standard at Lodi when on th
retreat from Russia and guard every
frontier of France at once. Grant
gtneralship was the genius Of con
mon sense and of appropriations
he accepted in three eases olt n
-four proposition made TO him by
another man. When he got to CAl'ti
nooCa Grant found q plan of battle m \