New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-01-30
THE AMERICAN CAPITAL

same The reasons are various, but obvious.
Among them is this. not least important. that
sensations Of pleasant surprise and or suDstah-
,ial profit are aroused at learning much that is
new concerning that which was held to be IA
mliar as a twice-tOd tale. For this cause II
for no other, though others there are in plenty.
The Tribune confidently anticipates the interest
Of its host Of readers in the exposition which 1t
makes to-day Of the century-end romance, the
achievements. the promise. and In all time the
greatness and the glory Of this unchaenged
METROPOLIS of the Western Hemisphere. Good
wine. says the proverb. needs no bush; anu
New-Yorll needs no "boom." The purpose or
this exposition. therefore. Is objective. not sub
iective 1t is not to advertise this city into al
ventitious nOtoriety. 1t Is to give It's own peo-
pie. and the people of the land Of which 1t Is
in the highest sense the centre and capital Tor
their own sake. for their own entertainment.
instruction. profit, so far as may be possible n
lust conception of what New-York Is to-day as
place Of residence. of manufactures Ol
finance Of commerce. of social culture, or IN
tellectual ACTIVITY. of spiritual progress rs
National nervc-cCntre, in which lie, pubic anu
private has its highest development, ana from
which proceed vita! energies and influences
that dominate the Nation and make their Denen-
cence felt TO the very ends of the earth
Statistics are dry. Yet nothing could be
more impressive than some of the hgures H.
dicative of the business greatness or New-1ork'
Those for example. representing the operations
Of the sixtv-six banks of the Clearing House
Association deal with quantities beyond the
power Of the human mind to comprehend Ike
| those astronomers name to describe the naehi-
/, ule of ntcrstCllar spaces. Minor, YET 'here-
1,nv,l
! fore more appreciate. are the savlngs-Dahhs
| statistics. of 1.lUO.OO0 depOsitors with nearly
| 500 600 900 on deposit or more than one-lour'h
of all in The United States. Strange as II
| seems that branch should be greater IMAM
| the parert stem. the SubTreasury ID New
| York. with yearly transactions recXoned not
! by millions but by billions. vastly surpasses III
| magnitude of business the Treasury at wash
ington itself And what could be more In
prcssve in the day Of small things IMAM Tor Il
single retail shop 10 send to the SuD-lreasui!
for $4,000 in cents. all in one order, ana 10 re-
peat that order many times year! Ihree ana
a half tons of cents. in single lot, FOR single
change making till. If, mindful that "con-
merce is the life-blood Of Nation we turn
from banks to railroads. the figures are no less
imposing. Fully 1OO.0OO.000 persons, nearly
equal to the entire population of the Western
Hemisphere. are every year carried into or out
Of NewYork on these steel highways. while
two alone of the many lines having their chief
terminal here have q combined capital Of 5000
.OOO and payroll Of $4,000 employees.
And as for shipping, more than 90 per cent or
the entire import trade of the United States
enters through the Port of New-iork.
Turning to local industries, Imagination is
staggered at the thought Of the mercantile
transactions Of a single city amounting to S4O,-
600 600 600 in one year. But why not? For
single firm shows yearly sales of S2O.OOO.Ooo;
| one firm controls more than half the total cot
| ton goods output of the Nation; and the city
handles fOnrteen-fifteentns of all the silk GOODS
| in the country. foreign and domestic the do
| nestle alone amounting 10 S1OO.OOO.OO0 year
| Insurance companies IN New-YOrk have assets
| Of nearly a billion and half. A single local
| transportation company, the elevated railroads.
| has carried a million passengers day. The
newspapers, of which this present issue is
notable example. use 90 tons of white paper
every day. and thus consume for wood pulp
| 100000 acres of spruce timber every Year. And
so the wondrous figures range through every
department of human enterprise, presenting in
| detail and in aggregate abundant confirmation
| of Ncw-York's financial, commercial and indus
/
above all other American cities, and indeed
above all other cities Of the world, London
| alone excepted.
| But man does not live in and for these things
alone. nor are the other phases Of his existence
neglected in the great city. Here are two Of
the foremost universities Of America and minor
institutions Of learning without number; an
array Of places Of worship of all kinds making
fol,1 Ia -
house. music hall and theatres not surpassed
| elsewhere in the world: museums. art galleries.
libraries parks, such as might we'll be the envy
and despair of any other city; publishing houses
and an output Of books. magazines and papers
that make this incontestably the literary centre
of the Continent; and hospitals and asylums
for the afflicted that belle the timeworn Ia
ment of mans inhumanty to man." Withal,
as n place of residence. NcwYork is incompara-
hly supreme. For the transient guest it offers
hotels that IN number comfort and elegance
are not even Appropriated TO in any other city
of the world For the permanent resident there
are beautiful streets lined with homelke dwell
incs and stately avenues devoted 10 man
sjons fit for royalty itself For all there are
the superb scenes of land and sea, the crystal
atmosphere the genial, bracing. health-giving
climate. and all the advantages Of nature and
of art that make existence here for the rich
fuller Of luxury and for the poor fuller or com
fort than elsewhere in all the land AS a place
Of residence all roads lead TO New-IOik. Men
NAV make fortunes in the West or South, OF
beyond the sea. but they turn to New-York TO
make their homes and to enjoy the fruitage OF
their toll and enterprise as it could nowhere
else he enjoyed; while those Of moderate means
and wage-earners turn hither, too. as to the
place of all places in which industry Is most
remunerative and in which the greatest com
fort and enjoyment will be within their reach.
No labor nor expense has been spared in pre-
senling in these pages truthful, II yet far
from exhaustive view Of this unrivalled me-
tropolls Pencil and pen and camera have