Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1890-12-20
A Nation of Great Cities.

These United States are destined to be
nation of great cities. Already, only
few years after our first century of
national life, we have cities that are
larger than those Of any other country
that has anything like our population.
Against Russia's 70, 600, 900 OF people we
have to put Ga 900. 600; but against st.
Petersburg's 900, coo and Moscows 600,-
600 we can put New York's 1000 900,
Philadelphia's and Chcago's 1000 900
each. France, with the second city of
the globe, has but that one than can
match either of these three hives of pop
uIation. England has but one London.
Germany and Austria have only their
capitals that can come near the million
mark. Even old Japan has but one city,
Toxic, that has more inhabitants than
any one Of these three young American
cities. Toxic has a population some
what greater than New York, or about
1,700, 900. Only China equals the United
States That ancient empire, of 400, OOO,-
900 souls, has not more than three cities
of more than million each. 1t is often
denied that the celestial empire has more
elusive that it has three. The growth
of the city in America is as wonderful
as it is ominous. What a mighty city
will that "greater New York" be when
Brooklyn's S00,0 900 and 200, 900 more are
added to the / 600, 900, and the city has
added to this number the tremendous
growth of 33 per cent every decade for
half century, 1t will be larger than
that world of London. And in the West
will be Chicago with her two or three
millions Further West will be San
Francisco with 1000, 900. In the central
States, Philadelphia will have her ?, ,OOO,
000 ST. Louis will have more than a
million and q half, and Baltimore and
Washington will lave each a million.
Either Atlanta, Chattanooga, or Birm-
ingham will be the great metropolis of
the central southeast, and have million.
Port Royal will spring up, perhaps, and
have million inhabitants on that finest
harbor of the western world. New
Orleans will have her million as the great
mart of the Gulf coast and Central and
South America and Mexico, and Dallas or
Fort Worth will become a city of a million
souls. Here are, say, dozen cities that
within a generation will have over a
million each. In other words, a child or
young person of this generation may
hope to see in this country 10 cities with
an average population of 2, 900, 900. We
have said that the growth of the city in
this country is ominous. There is a
steady movement of the people from the
country to the village, from the village
to the town, from the town to the city, and
from the city to the metropolis. Thus the
towns and cities grow by what the
country loses One fourth of our popu-
lation lives in cities now, while a hun
dred years ago only one in thirty found
home in the town. We are growing
from rural people into nation of
communities, big and little. A people
to be free, happy, and prosperous must
be rural to a large extent. With the
mighty cities come for a time greater
power in commerce, and glory in war,
or the dominance of acknowledged
strength, but these are followed by the
sure decay and ruin of the cities and the
downfall of the nations. i Atlanta
journal.