Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-10-29
THECITY OF CHICAGO
An Unprejudicsd Look at the Great Oc-
Cidental Metropolis.
ITS MANY MERITS AND DEMERITS.
Derivation of the Name and Some Sog-
gestions-The Girls Foot Of National
Rcnown-Its Greatness.
Written for the Dispatch.)

NtnIiy tftANOnOOA - 'NhhDOtihs eaah WaN
has visitsd Chicago this summer has print
ed his impressions Of the elories
of the great White City by the lake,
but not much has been said of Chicago it.
self. 1t may not be that this silence was
meant to be charitable, but it is possible
that it was so. A Chicagoen would OF
course resent such an insinuation. To
him his city is the acme of ur ban achieve
ment and felicity. and detraction would be
set down as springing solely from jealousy.
That is proper enough from the standpoint
/ Of civic pride and patriotism, but it does
not prove anything. The truth remains
the truth all the same. Now that the ex-
position is over. and all have had chance
to risk life, limb. and lucie in that garden
spot of the West, let us take an unpreju-
diced look at the great Occidental Me-
| tropolis.
| 1t may be said. like ancient Gaul, to be
| divided into three parts--North Chicago,
South Chicago. and Middle Chicago. (Chi-
cago gall is too impenetrable to be divided
iLto or by anything.) 1t fronts on Lake
Michigan. and is backed chiefly by the
stock-yards and a very bad smell. II is as
fiat as pancake. and its streets appear, to
| n large extent &C least. to be paved with
! the same toothsome artlcle in the plural
number. They are really circular wooden
stumps. It's sidewalks. in some sections.
are pine planks laid transversely, whose
ramshackle effect no amount OF repairing
| could remove. It's atmosphere is filed
with erimy smoke which makes i'm
macrlate linen an impossibilIty for more
than two or three hours at time.
Its buildings are saturated and dis
figured with the same. Excellent black
boards many of them would make. though
u would be impossible to keep chalk
white enough for use on :hem long. 1t
has river running through 1t whose wa
ters are as black as ink, can be cut with a
knife. and emit stencil which would put
To shame a garbage crematory or chemi-
cal works when at the highest level of
odorous activity. It's street-car lines are
highways Of death and its grade crossings
roads to destruction. Its restaurants are
! tawdrv, untempting, and dyspepsia-pro-
ducing. Its men are mad, yoracious,
| money-maklng machines, without senti-
ment suff c ent to lift them boot-high out
! of the mud of their mOney-seeklng sor-
didness. aud who shine with the lardy
| lustre of a cattle killing, canned-beet
polish. Its women belong to the plain
people. or Plain people, 1t can't always be
told which. No doubt. there are pretty
women i'll Chicago, but like as IN the fairy
stories. they have the power TO render
themselves invisible. Its noise is distract
ING. its rush maddening. its dirt indescri-
bahle its air unbreathable. its water un-
drinkable and yet, notwithstanding all
these drawbacks, II Is undoubtedly great
CITY aud one OF the best places to die III
ON this continent. He who would not
rather die there than live there Is not q
properly constituted, rational, RESPONSE.
bIe unimpeachable human being. And
how such a place could ever have pro-
dnced that thing of delight and lowell
ness. the beautiful and marvellous White
City by the lake, Is beyond all the mystery
of mysteries.
ITS TITLE.
An eminent New York philologlst says
that the clty's name WAS derived, or rather
corrupted. from the Indian noun Oheeca-
ana. which means "strOng onion" There
nust be some mistake about this. | dc
nos know what the Indian equivalent OF
strong asafptida is, but l am sure
that il must have been the original
source from which the citys title
vss derived Chicagoans, however. would
doubtless deride both OF these statements.
The city is making great claims to literary
culture lust now. claiming 10 De nte-
rary centre " III fact, and 1t would there
fore be useless TO try TO palm
on ANYTHING so dlaphanous on ITS clti-
zens. ANY one of them would tell you that
the name - derived from chicken and
cargo, though the PRONUNCIATION OF the
latter word has been corrupted. The high
authority above referred 70. VINO IS no
other than the accomplished feline editor
of the New York Sun, evidently IS not Ia
miliar with the local pronunciation or the
city's name. which is Chlcawgo, with the
first syllable as in chicken. Ii he doubts
this let him attend any OF the State-street
concert halls, where native characteristics
and talent are seen at their best. Inc same
critic thinks that the last syllable or the
word would make good enough ana ap-
propriate name for the place: ana that lt5
adoption would save mankind lot OF
trouble and relieve many people from pal !
IN the mouth" The suggestion Is gooA
one. but the name proposed ls too smaIl
for such 6 large and pretentious place e
wouId be much more expressive ana az
proprIa.e with a couple of familiar and
hotiv.suqcestiye monosyllables addedto 10.
and AZ the same time would no DOUBT cH
prophetlc of the city's future destiny sls'I
FEATURES, GOOD AND BAD.
Rut every cloud has a silver lining
even the cloud OF smoke that continually q
movers over Chicawgo, and which has made
It's post Office, for instance. "a black a.
Mayor Carter Harrlson's hat, and almo
A. sloyenly. and also the financial clotr
that now hangs over the country &C larg !:
The cloud FIRST named stops short OF ti}
lake shore, and fails 10 obscure from viot
the really beautiful expanSe OF wattS
which. so far as the eve Is concerned, Is
ocean, and hides not the north side OF "
town, where Mr.. Palmer aud many otn4
pOtential magnates live IN truly magnlX
cent style. and where is found Lncok X
Park. which contains a very good statlS,
of the Martyrea President" put up -
a patriotIc citizen (who has taken goC7
care that he likewise shall not be forgot
ten. and also one OF Grant which Is pry
baby the worst 10 existence.
the great stock-yards and meat packiis
houses, Ch.cawso's glory and pride. %
worth seeing on account OF tnelr mover.
and are also worth gong thousand lnll!
10 get away from on account OF something
else. Had Swift enjoyed this sight oefc :.
manning his description OF city snowy
no would have been able 10 add few r. a
nstic touches that would have improyk
that elegant production immensely.
IFS LOCAL PRIDE.
The Chicawgo girls foot is also matte
of local pride. as well as national reno"E Z
and Is put down on plank walkway
though 1t is meant TO stay there. IL 10 y
GOOD. suuare, honest l2-inch foot. Ia
exclamation of its origin is probably III,
fact that the city, so 10 speak. has "
fuundation--the houses are many OF them
built on pIles-and nature has wisely pr,
yided against the possible danger OF sins
ing in the qusgmIre underlying the 81 /.
face. The foot, therefore, acts ike as W. :
as reserl bles, q pair of snow-shoes. kniS
that this is a threadbare subject-notS e
Iisle-thread bare one, though, 10 Jer3
S,mpson--but IL is an interesting one, az
one that attracts every visitor to ClE
caweo. | had read a great deal about
! but never believed half that 1 read until
saw the reality. and then i knew that
half had not been told. On the princif1
that YOU cant have too much OF eotH
: thing, Chicawgo is certainly blessed y
this ABUNDANT feature OF her greatness.
TO sHUFFLE OFF. &C.
Revertiug to the dark side again. II
man becomes tired of living and has con
sc,eutions scruples against suicide, be col
he reasonably sure Of finding IN the WiDh.
CITY speedy solution of the dificulty
a.. witnessed no less than three narrS
, escapes from injury or death W as msE
blocks on the Souths'de Elevated, ~
more than can remember on the Gag
roads. One Of the three put down a
5 basket and wanted to thrash the RatenS
for saving him from being crushed ~