Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1896-05-02

upon the general terms of the lease.
After leaving the lawyers hands the
lease will he submitted to the two
boards for ratification. and should It
prove acceptable work on the new
building would I've begun soon.
Mr.. Billings said the present purpose
Of the bank was to use granite In the
construction Of The building. 1t is to
le story and a half In height. and
will cover the entire lot. which is IT'S
feet square.
ID. o. Mills. the millionaire. has
given orders for the erection in New
York Of ten-story hotel for men. to
cost S1OO,OOO. Each one of its 1.JOO
rooms will he well lighted and ventilat.
cd. furnished with clean. comfortable
beds and let ut the low rite of 20 cents
day. There will he reading rooms ana
lavatorles on the first floor and res
taurant where frugal. well.cooked
meals will be served for and 10 cents.
The hotel, Its protector says, Is not In.
tended to make money. He expects II
to he run rather Mt loss than at
profit. This new departure Of Alr. Mills
Is not charity. 1t Is better. j: gives
the self-respecting poor man an oppor.
tunity to live In great city amidst
clearly and cheerful surroundings.
without exliausting all his scant earn
lngs. To men who come to the city In
search Of employment and whose store
of coin is small. 1t will Offer an asylum
while looking for work. 1ndiscrin,inate
ms.giving is not charity. II Ii rather
a lazy compromise with conscience. TO
prevent the poor and the struggling
from reaching the condition Of receiv.
ing aims Is nObler, wiser, more humane
than nlms.giving. This will he one Of
the aims Of Mr.. Mills new hotel. Those
rich men who bestOw their millions
upon universities to pcrpetuate their
names and feed their vanity could
learn from Mr.. Mills lesson In prac.
ticnl philanthropy. Only those who
have the means to purchase leisure
have time for university training. To
help young men and women willing to
work to earn food. clothing and shelter
and to put aside their little savings by
the way is more humanixing. more
Christ.like than the endowment Of uni.
vcrslties or the erection Of libraries
and nrt galleries. The need Of the hOr {.
Is more practical ilanthroplsts like
ID. o. Mills.
Kruger, Of the Transvaal, seems to
be a cOquettish person. 1t IL hard to
tell when you have him. Now you see
him and again you don't. Although he
was invited to London to talk over the
situation with Mr.. Chamberlain, and
II was reported that he would come.
everything In now In a state of dis.
agreeable uncertainty. The Boer Pres.
ident does not seem to know his own
mind. and the British Colonial Secre.
tary has again telegraphed to Pretoria
complaining Of the delay. Kruger
ought to consult with the members Of
his family In regard to this thing.
Neither they nor his Dutch subjects
would care to spare him for very long.
but somebody might be secured to keep
Ills bench warm until he came back. II
he needs new hat or a pair Of boots,
the English foreign Office would sup.
ply him, doubtless, II he would he gOO,l
| enough to take the rest Of the world
into his confidence. However. he gives
no definite replies Of any kind. and the
impending visit still impends. iherc ID
no way to force pOtcntate Of this
kind. and It would he improper to send
u ship after him; but there must be
some machinery which could he set In
motion that In the end would start n
movement In the inner chambers Of this
great Dutch intellect. Kruger was
raid. and he was also very prompt anil
polite when the German Emperor te,c.
graphed his sympathy. He perhaps
thinks that Mr.. Chamberlain should
visit the Trnnsvaal, which In another
way out Of the difficulty that may moi
have earlier occurred to the Colonial
Secretary. Anything would be prefer.
able to this unpleasant condition OF
doubt and uncertainty.
The Chicago fire Of 1871. whether
considered with regard to the area Of
land covered, the number of lives lost
or the value Of the property destroyed
ranks as tho greatest Of history. Ovcl
$4,000 buildings were destroyed, ri
which 2,4OO were stores. shops or fac
tories, ana about 100000 people wrr,
rendered homeless by the burning OF
their houses. The district over whic!
the cOnfagratiOn swept was three ant
three-fOurths miles In length by NOR,
than mile wide, covering the mos
dcnscly peOpled portion Of the city
1t IL said that go lives were lost by
accidents during the progress Of til,
fire, and the total value Of the propert,
destroyed was estimated Mt $13!.iNO.
900. this estimate not including OvCl
$4,OOO.OOO allowed for salvage on fOun
datiOns and the like. Scores of ilr,
insurance companies were forced to til,
wall by this terrible calamity. thei
losses being 10 great as to drive tn
companies into bankruptcy. The casl
contributions for the benefit Of til,
sufferers Of the Chicago fire amount
cd, within month after the disnster
to ~, DOC, 900, and the contributions il
the way Of supplies, food, clothing nnt
other necessarles to perhaps as mlicl
more.
| For savavol unnnths mat aonso tionol