The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1894-09-28
GANKATo FREE PRESS.
THE GROWTH OF CITIES.
Paper Thereon Before the So
CiaI Science Club.

A goodly number of the members of
the Social Science Club were in attend
ance at the meeting last evening. The
subject was on ''The Rapid Growth of
Cities: the Causes and Effects" and
the paper was read by 8. A. Flittie,
who presented the subject in an able
and entertaining manner, showing
that he had given it much
study and thought. The paper is one
worthy of reproduction, but with our
limited space we can only give few
of the leading thoughts presented. In
treating the question he confined
himself within the meaning of the
definition of the census reports which
regards cities as those bodies having a
population of 5000 or more, although
he thought the limit high one, as
the distinctive features of urban life
were found in much smaller bodies.
AS to the causes for the rapid growth
of cities, he thought it was found in
the Esprit of the Age" in which the
various phases of social life,
mans desire for closer as
ISOLATION with his fellow man,
his greater education and love of
sports and desire of rapid gains led
him to seek the city. The invention
Of machinery, was another potent
cause of this gathering together of
people in the cities. Through the
use of machinery the agricultural
population had actually decreased ten
per cent, during the last forty years,
while the acreage of farms had more
than doubled, and the machinery
thereon had increased 60 per cent.
The trend of literature of the
present day was also in favor of
the city. Another reason was
that this is an ''age of specialism."
Man no longer masters an entire trade,
but only part of it. The cities are the
natural centers Of great manufacture
ing institutions, hence labor naturally
gathers there. The facilities of travel
affords another reason for this rapid
growth. And lastly was that of i'm
migration. The largest per cent of
our immigration now comes from the
south of Europe, and is of class not
given to farming, but prefer rather
the excitement of city life.
In noting the effects of our great
cities upon our national life, he
touched upon the increased chances
for vice to flourish in the cities, and
the demagogue to meet success. The
gathering of immigration made our
cities largely un-American, and the
forces arising from this worked greatly
to the disadvantage of the best
municipal government. Here wealth
rules to a greater extent than any
where else, and it is not always con-
trolled by men actuated by the best
purposes.
G. NJ. Hobart opened the discussion,
agreeing with the paper as to the
causes for the present rapid growth.
He further pointed out the perilS to
society which comes from the extreme
poverty which seems to grow worse as
the cities grow larger. In these vast
q uarters lies the strength of the dema
gogue and the professional politician
who work upon the prejudices of the
better classes, for the benfit of their
own personal ends.
Prof. KenastOn thought the papers
to pessimistic. He thought there
were more good men in the world now
than ever before, and that the chances
of overcoming the perils better than
at any time in past history. A gen.
eral discussion followed which was
confined mostly to the effect of cities
on our civilization and the work which
is being done to counterfeit the
evils which arise. The general senti-
ment seemed to be that it needed the
cooperation of all good people to over
come the forces which are working
for evil.
The next meeting of the club will
be held on Oct. 10Th, when Rev. Lee
w. Beattie will read a paper on ''Pull-
man and HomeStead-A Municipal
Type"