New-York tribune., 1890-01-12
THE RISE or AMERICAN CITIES.
PROFESSOR HART'S PAPER ON THE SUB
JFCTl
NEw-YORK DESTINED TO HOLD TIE CONNER
CIAL SUPREMACY FOR ALL AGES
NATURE's MNGNIFICENT CIFT.

Of Economies Professor Albert Bushnell Hart Of
Harvard College has extremely Interesting, com
prehensive and welIarranged paper on " The Rise OF
American CitieS.' Professor Hart has charge OF
several departments of history in Harvard and he has
devoted a vast amount of time and study to the ac
quirement of facts in detail bearing N particular upon
American history, political geographical and social
Mr. Hart is by disposed tO view the present
or the future with pcsSim,tic eyes At the outset he
calls attention 10 the fact that while many valuable
works have been written on the problem Of city gov
ernment few have attempted to discuss the phenome
nal growth and changes in American cities. He finds
subject worthy of careful consideration in the fact
that while 100 years ago the whole population Of tho
United states was under 100000, hardly 100000
living in cities. there at least $50 cities with
"a total population OF nearly 1GOOO0OO. That Is TO
say while the population of the country has increased
sixteen times the cities have increased in number
sixty times, and the Iii7jan population nearly 100
times And Mr. Hart finds that th, ratio Of city
population Is rapidly increasing.
Taking a series OF carefully compiled and intci-
gently contrasted statistics he seeks to find in this
astounding growth explanation Of some Of the
problems Of municipal government and following thlS
line discusses the causes Which have determined tho
sites and distribution Of cities in the United states.
the growth Of their population. and the noticeable
features of the status and social condition of people
in cities.
The conditions in this century he explains. are 50
different from those OF previous ages that ancient
states would not have chosen any o. the site, which
to-day the richest the most influential and i'm
poItant and the most powerful. Quebec he adds,
stands like lion Its rock, but there Is not and
never has bccn one fir>tcla,, fortress citadel
within our present limits. far is ta, the case
that OF the ten larger cities I'm the United state, >X
probably seven. are exposed to attack by and in
sufficiently protected. (Ncw York, Brooklyn, Phla-
dclpha, Boston. Baltimore. san Francisco and New
orleans are exposed only Chicago. st. Louis and Cn-
cinnau being safel"
shown that is much less important for city
to have the length Of great river
behind it than TO have good harbOr before IL. II
is the harbor that counts most and not the river
navigation. The increasing size and draft OF sea
going steamers have caused concentration OF trade
into the few large and deep harbor, and th is doubt
less cause Of the di>proporOnatc growth Of the
large cities in the United statcs.7
Reasoning from this point Mr.. Hart shows that
New York, in spite Of many obstacles. must always
retain her supremacy and remain the imperial COM
mercal city Of the Western Hemisphere. lie says:
New York, in spite of her masnidocnt haFbor. saf
fcrcd from mistake OF the geologic forces. \ glance
at The map shows that the great lakes meant -
drain into the hudson aud their water, SIN protest.
e., thcy thunder down the Niagara against an un.
natural diversion to an estuary frozen onp half the
TO remedy the mistake Of nature. the state Of
New York constructed the Erie Canal finished in i725
that undertaking Philadelphia. Washington and
Richmond vainly tried 10 initiate mi, triumph Bal.
tmore by the early construction Of the baltimore and
combine good harb0r, Dr cnraI situation with ltc or
artificial means Of transit and with cheap coal. must
more ana more sather To ih.m,cives foreign anG ID
York must always hc The chlct cts in the Wc-' rn
Hemisphere
In connection with the advantage of c.mmcroi1l
sites the article discusses manufacturing iutcrc s
.srf, ff.t la gls.s .r. at ..fpfn % .H..r I'd
at present almost nothing. for where coal is cheap.
either from from good trade routes. ,'"an
power i, more convenient. Here again lie NV
Norhs strength. Added 20 this, the writer says. tA'
people Of great seaport, have alway, the iuc-nabe
stimuli, OF direct intercourse with the world abroad
and at home. Hence, The population of N,w.Norh 0,
more likely 10 absorb new ideas th'u thai If los ID
or Cincinnati. In manufacturing c.,c-. small aud
great. social and political problems more difficult
Another factor which adds - the growth aid pro-.
pcrity Of cities near the is the saui;It posi-.
blitcs. That place which lie, near a good water
supply has better chance Of growth. \ city which >
easily drained ought TO be healthy, and CITY
which has a beautiful ,Itc we'll improved and Il -ys.
Of parS, attlart- people of el-iie 1Ac,c causes
have a smaller influence Than tncy deserve y "n
Illustration Of the power Of material advantage, the
writer goes
New York was first settled because IL an island
state OF thing, which people have rucc attempted
against modern foin, Of attack though at prc-"nt
IL dcfcnces are Attn morc substantial than tiu
craft which aept the British ont ia l-l@. j. h''
the best harbor on the Atlantic coast; easy Of a.
Mecca % most imports. Ii Ac, al ia" end Of "a
magnificent chain Of Internal navigation reaching 10
The greatest railroad system, IL IL" world Further,
it is TIE recognized financial centre Of the United
states Commercially. therefore. il has np rival iu
the United states. aud never have ans I'll
the hills sink down behind Boston and Piladeiphn
t1.t a.. ftt fIts MI1 al ls II
coal and the abundant supply Of labor Of al kind
give II great advantae" aN manufacturing cty.
""G is a,rcady tbr -oroud centre Of popnlatIon I'm
The world. II has f'w artificial advantages, II J,
not the capital Of III" state or Nauon. i !,
the character Of il, government. II j, The largest
city because 1t ma, the largest opportunity.
Concerning the massing Of population, he has 10
say that New York New Jersey Pcnusy yIvanla taken
together contain nfh Of the people of the United
>tates about fourth Of the cities and two f- Of
the urban population. Comparing The growth oi
ci,cs. he shows that OWING 10 the completion Of the
Erie Canal New York's inhabitants leapcd from 10- 900
in 1s2O 20 2O0,OJO in 1870. lie estimates the popu-
latOn Of I7o0 at 100000. and Of 1880 at ltto
short of 100000. in comparing the growth Of rival
cities, Mr. Hart predicted f0r CAcsgO second place.
Baltimore leads her rival boston: -. Loui, also. he
thinks is destined 10 srpa~s Boston in the commercial
race. san Francisco. A. the Ncw York Of the West
is destined to become Of the worlds great citc'
Cite, which have relied chiefly on artificial or TEN.
porary advantage are losing in Tie race some going
backward but New York always must lead item all.
This growth Of the big centres must continue al
this tremendous pace and II IS here that Mr. Hart
finds the Of CON pNca'cd problems OF government
cities. Ike small boy. oltsrow ther suits 81 clp'hc,
The digestive organs Of the civil body are constantly
ovcrtaNcd. The important influence Of foreign popb
latiou j., here considered. New York IN lN-O mad 40
ncr cent Of fore gucr, within her limits proportion
.irce somewhat ncrc8 ed Large Ciilc-, which have
most need of efficient eovcrnncnt are most attractive
IN Immigrants " no are least accustomed to self govern
ncnt and least amcnablc 10 mild restraint But The
citic. draw also the most promising elements. The
assertion of the New England hillside is due chiefly
to the better oppOrtuntic, Of the city. The Nation
gains for the same persons nave larger hcld' MI
..Fronl the statistics snayzcd in the preceding para
erauhs if is evident that In no important American
eity is there any danger that the foreign VIII ont
ll.r,, Dl.t III hNrl