Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1897-10-17

ana dearest to the hearts of fine rcou1e is
pHf p;,f'. great connon school system, now in a
frte 70 all children from to 20 years Of
age Tor an average period Of more than
seven months each wear.
In school architectiTTe Missouri ;s nm,
surpassed by any state She is Justly proud
ef her 1850 school houses valued at sIT
Goo 100, while the total public stbcol eprnii
$50 600 pupiiz
She employs annually more than 1900
month
Her permanent interest bearing scho,,
almost Ino ho sst6es @ t fee largssf aeent sum Of
school fund in the Union.
"One new and vital part of this great
system, deyeloped chiefly during the last
len len years. RS = the public high school This
somewhat broader ana % more thorenrS gnrr,eq,u tbn
the old time academy, constitutes the
the masses TO the state university and 10
the other institutions Of higher learning
Our high school enrolment this wear will
minor colleges more than 5.0n forming in
tll an army of more than 2S nho most f,rnro
isinE students, q large part of them prepar-
ing for entrance into institutions of higher
81. louis. Kansas city. St. Joseph
Springfield, Sedalia, Hannibal MoberIv
City are our largest cities I wish nv time
would permit me to speak at length Of each
OF them.
The States Metropolis
. 'Missouri's largest city-st. Louis-ranks
tSrth a.1prg 4 the great municipalities Of
magnitude by Greater New York. Phiiadei 7iI I
pbia and Chicago Founded in 1854 nv
thtqtean and Is2rlede, and named in honor
trading post Of ST. Louis grew into a small
fswq st,y whiss ea 81 ,, ss sPsntng . Of the Rresent
EESsFs E5ay t itafsr a BJ a RoRaflssa Raa s waf : 800 @
fny e. ~ PesapSG 9f the 5 setus p9bmatifon g With
The city Is the center Of the most densely
populatsd as well rs the most fertile region
9Th. q the Ny My World and has more people
journey, than any other city in the coun-
Try In other words. circle with a ra-
includes greater number Of people than
similar circle dragn. around any other city
n the country. This is because St Louis
great rivals it is far from i either "s ocean or
,,akts Il is situated less than days ride
census was taken. was found to he orr
center cf population; and about equally
distant from the historic. monument at
center of the country. The largest city on
about midway between the Gulf and the
Lakes, ana is at once the financial gateway
of the great South and the growing West
st. Louis, half century ago, forged to
tLon facilities afforded by the Mississippi
river, the greatest natural highway of
commerce in the world. It's river business
IS still very large, but the great bulk of its
the greatest raiEroad centers in the world
ana its Union passenger station is by far
the largest on earth. The mileage Of rail-
reads centerlne in St. Louis is 1900, Just 30
per cent more than fifteen years ago. The
mileage of the railroads which are directly
tributary to the city is much greater. eS-
teeding 90 J0. and having been Just dou-
tled in twenty years. These roads haul
about 20 tpG tons OF merchandise q year
anG about 81 900 go passengers. figures
wlich prove better than any mere words
the magnitude and Importance OF the ia
vcred territory Of which the state of Mis-
sGlIri and the city Of ST. Louis are the
center.