Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1889-12-19
THINGS SEEN In EUROPE.
What Ex-President White of Cornell
Observed During a Long Absence
Abroad.
Europe As Seen by a Careful and Cap
able Observer.

The Hon. Andrew d. White, ex-presi
dent of Cornell university, who has just
returned from extensive travels and a pro-
longed residence abroad, was interviewed
a day or two ago by a representative of the
New York Times. In the course Of his
talk President White said:
"As to a great Europeon war, it may
break out at any time, but | differ from
the great majority Of observers who be-
lieve it will come soon. The fact is that
war has become so terrible and its results
so uncertain that every statesman worthy
of the name breads it more and more, and
does his best to put off the evil day. The
very immediateness Of the danger of war
gives me hope that a general European
conflict can be kept off for many years, and
that it may possibly, though not probably,
be prevented.
"As to material progress abroad, | must
say that few Americans have any adequate
conceptian of it. The material, and, in
deed, moral progress IN every European
country except Turkey, since | first knew
Europe, is simply amazing. The leading
cities have grown wonderfully and IN
the most magnificent way. To every one
Of them new suburbs have been attached,
filled with beautiful public and private
DullNlIlBS, dlId bl1Cl oCCII ~ lhfC bCCIA III a
constant study to make the streets, sewer
age, docks, parks, and all other city neces-
sites as perfectly fitted to the public health
and comfort as possible. This is especial
" the case throughout Germany. Berlin,
Leipsic, Stuttgart, and a multitude of
cities have grown with the greatest rapid
ty, splendor, and with economy in admin
istration. At Frankfort Main there
has just been erected a great railway sta
ton ~unequaled in the world, compared to
which our own Wanted Grand Central
station in New York is but a very poor
thing.
GAS to Austria, Vienna has been made
perhaps the handsomest city in the worl d
As to Hungary, the new city of Buda-
Pesth, having about 500, 900 inhabitants,
is, as | can Judge by my own observation
and as | am informed by the foremost
American authority on the subject of city
government, the most perfect specimen of
its size on this planet. As to Italy, the
cities under the old regime were vile, full
of dirt, filth, and squalor. Now they are
clean and admirably organized. Rome is
in every way vastly improved, Naples the
same, and so, too, are Florence, Genoa, and
Milan. In France the lesser cities do not
show a development so rapid and substan-
tial as that of some of the other nations.
But Paris has kept on In a wonderful
career of growth.
I'm England more progress Is seen.
London, since | first knew it, many years
great Thames e~mbankment, perhaps the
most important single city work in human
history, and the great avenues which are
now being cut through various parts of the
metropolis, with the splendid buildings
going up along them are an honor to the
the Anglo-Saxon race.
I'm Egypt, in spite of the wild extrava-
gance of the late khedive, there has come
a new era. The present khedive is Il sem
sible, careful man, and, although his coun-
try has to pay an enormous tribute to Eng
land and other nations in the shape of in
terest upon past loans, Egypt is unques-
~6onably in better condition h it has
been for 5000 years.
"As to Turkey, matters seem to be
steadily growing worse. COnstantinople,
throned ehupon the most magnificent site
for a city on the globe, is in all its recent
civic buildings and its general municipal
system vile. | know of but one other city
which can be classed with it in these re-
spects. As | went through its muddy,
badly paved lower streets, saw the evil
dence of bad sewerage everywhere, and
looked upon its tumble-down quays it all
fairly made me hOmesick, they resembled
so strongly those of our WI city of New
York. As a simple matter of fact these
districts of New York somewhat remote
from the main avenues and centers have
the vilest arrangements | have ever seen in
any part of the world, with the possible ex-
ception of Constantinople, and New York
seems to resemble Constantinople, too, In
wastefulness and prodigality of expendi-
ture, and both differ from the great Euro
pean cities in these respects.
Regarding France, | would say that
while, of course, there are great unsolved
problems which the French republic has to
meet, she is fortunate in having a man
whose practical ability and complete integ-
rity men of all parties freely acknowledge.
While inferior in civic genius to Theirs,
in military genius to Mcmahon, and legal
abilities to Grevy, he Is vastly their super
Tor as a man and in all the main qualities
to be desired in the chief magistrate of a
republic. Each of his predecessors above
named was despised by large sections of
President Carnot is universally respected.
III III lA1C blbAC1CSNo toS LASAN W Bol
tisan French papers upon the government
| observed that the president was spared
and treated with respect, even by those
who most wish to destroy the republic.
think. too, that he is beloved as well as
respected. We may fairly hope that he
will not be drawn into any of the scandals,
or weaknesses, or WEAKNESSES that ruined
his predecessors. | never yet found a
Frenchman, no matter how much he hated
the republic, who did not acknowledge
President Carnot's complete honesty.
''As to the stability Of the French repub-
lie, while there are many thinking men
who prophesy its speedy downfall, there
are many reasons for believing that it will
grow stronger and stronger. The main
point in its favor is that no other form of
government can hope to continue for any
length of time. Boulanger seems to me
to have been quietly and effectually ex-
posed. With all their faults there is one
thing which the French never tolerate in
their leading men, and that is financial
dishonesty, and the revelations made by
Boulanger's trial as regards the diminution
of certain public funds during the time of
war have, ! think, given a death-blow to
his aspirations.