Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-04-06
ANTE-ExPOsIrrON GOSSIP.
Chicago on neutrality-suspicious. for Visit |
ors-RsIs.ng The RAtes.

Chicago on neutrality-suspicious. for Visit
ors-Rsis;pg the Rates.
Special Correspondenee Of The Evening star.
CHICAGO. April 5. 1898.
81 presume tina, the Sunday closing laws viii
be temporarily In allegiance in Chicago long
As the worlds fair lasts?' said the correspond
ent of The STAR to a Chicago man soon after
be had arrived In that city.
The what?'' said the Chicagoan.
The Sunday closing laws, said
Why" said the other. I'VE haven't cot any,
The truth Of this statement was soon dis
covered The worlds fair may keep open or it
NAV close, but the theaters and the saloons Of
Chicago will run along with wide open doors
every Sunday and it will be more than ever the
iveliest day in the week.
There Is really nothing with which the Chi
cago Sunday can be compared-there is moth
ing anywhere else like it. In New Orleans
Denver and a number Of other American cities
everything that IL done week DAYS il done
on SUNDAYS also. but the Chicago Sunday is a
most unique mixture Of gayety and So
lemnity. The churches are all open;
there are open-air prayer meetings and
preachings; there monster SUNDAY
school assemblages; there is the population that
comes Of New England stock and preserves the
most strict New England customs of Sabbath
observance, and side by side with all this all
theaters are in full blast. Who frequent the
theAters and saloons? Why, elements of the
population that range from the dregs to the
nillionaires. At the higher priced theaters
to be found on Sunday evening b good sprin-
King of women. and they are not all foreign
women. either. and they even bring, their chill
dren in some instances.
That the advent Of the vast crowds which
are coming to the worlds fair should cause the
Chicago sunday To change its habits would be
L, -
thetically remarked that the opening Of the
fair that day would simply tempt some OF
the people TO abandon the dance houses and
the saloons and take look at the exposition.
Thus far Chicago appears 10 have managed
tie fair well. Everything seems to be in
badness TO receive the guests who will come
ID they will. of course, be expected TO admire
omething besides the fair. IL is safe to say
that Chicago people will be more apt to ask
strangers how they like Chicago than how they
Ike the exposition.
PERMANENT EXHIBITION.
There is one question about the exposition
mat has not yet been actively cauvassed in
Chicago as vet. and that is whether an interna-
tional exposition of the kind now being pre-
pared Is a source of permanent benefit to the
city in which 1t is held. 1t is always greater
than the city The centennial was greater than
Philadelphia. the New Orleans exposition was
greater than New Orleans. the Paris exposition
was greater than Paris, and the world Column
bisn exposition. beside which all previous
affairs OF the kind have been but small affairs
is bound to be greater than Chicago. Will the
city make plans for permanent existence n
basis which il only justified by temporary con-
diuOns! Already the number of hotels and
apartment houses In the course OF erection is
startling. They literally surround Jackson
Park. and they are. generally speaking, of vast
size and many of them are quite deliberately
built. Can Patronage. even at fancy prices,
for period of SIX months weld a fair return
for their cost? 1t cannot be possible that they
can afford 10 stand unused after the fairI over.
But II tney are not converted into other uses,
IL is difficult to how they can become profit
able in the end.
The city already has anv number of large
hotels. " hat VIII ft do with the surplus which
the crowds leaving tine fair III October will
leave behind them; II they are continued as
houses Of public entertainment the prediction
Is safe that apartments Will be for rent in
Chicago within a year a. an unusually low
figure.
PUTTING Up THE PRICES.
As it Is now one the beginning of that
grasping a, other peoples purses which is only
10 be expected and which always occurs under
these circumstances. A landlady who is accus-
toned to get S35 or : 40 a month by renting
room expects fully TO realize 800 to $500
month for 1t. Ii works hard with the residents
of the city who rent rooms and have none of
their own to rent They are cast out In the
cold almost II they professional men they
get little or nothing from the visitors to the
exposition. yet they are made to pay much
more 10 live and have prospect of getting
any of the money back. While il ia asserted that
some Of the hoteis do not purpose raising their
rates of board this Is due 10 the fact that the
rates are already SO high that they have reached
the utmost linn; Of human endurance; but this
does not apply to most OF the hotels or 20 the |
boarding houses. almost all OF which have In /
creased their rates with very slight considera-
tion for the resident guests. To the latter the I!
coming of the fair Is anything but an unmixed |
blessing Yet there are hardly any residents of
the city who are not willing TO incur the addl- |
tional expense for tie glory of Chicago.