The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-10-07
In BRITISH CITIES
PROF. ZUEBLIN FINDS MUCH
THERE OF INSTRUCTION FOR
AMERICANS
GLASGOW NOT THE ONLY ONE

Especially on Sociological Lines
to to He Given Here on British
Municipal Government.
! The material life of cities, and the
lessons to be drawn by American NUM-
| cipalities from results of experiments
| in British cities, was the subject of an
! interesting and instructive lecture de-
livered last evening at the Central high
school by Prof Charles Zueblin, as
| Soc:ate professor in sociology in the
University of Chicago. 1t was the
initial lecture of a series on British
municipal life, which he is to deliver
in st. Paul, and it was attended by a
very large audience.
Prof. Zuehlin was introduced by E.
| e. Woodward, secretary of the Chicago,
| st. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha rail-
way, who said that the lectures would
! be found naturally related to one Of
mans characteristic tradts-self-con1-
! derce.
"Self-confldence," he said, has en-
abled us to conquer a continent for
/ agriculture; to create wealth; domestic
! commerce, which is the seventh wonder
! Of the world, and only yesterday to
manifest a military and naval spirit
which is the eighth wonder. Whether
! we look at the Red River valley, or
| our wonderful transportation facilities,
or at Dewey, it is all a phase of Amer
lean audecity-this trait that has made
us a people among people; a power
| among powers.
"In another respect it has had a
retarding influence. 1t has made US
| look upon ourselves as the chosen peo-
| pie 1t has made us feel adequate to
| ocly hoe a. fooJ loof
| self-reliance is the only reliance. 1t
! has made us feel that-it is not neces-
/ Sary to look elsewhere for guidance
| and SO we have blundered our own way
to our cost and sorrow, when we might
! have turned TO some other country that
! had improved upon our methods for ex-
ample
I'VE could not believe that the Eng
! lish ard French had evolved anything
| that could be Of use to US in America
! This, however, was a mistaken idea
and it has held us back in some in
stances. But there are exceptions to
| this fe> ling. Some Americans think the
| Canadian banking system better than
| our own; we have adopted the Austria
liam ballot, because we think it super
| Tor to ours; and the Torrens land sys-
! TEN is also considered to have ad-
vantages. We are more open to foreign
| ideas than formerly, and we are more
! wiling TO concede that other nations
! have something to teach u.s."
There is a notion" said Prof Zue-
| bin, that God made the country and
man made the town, and we think the
! divine plan little the better The
great thing we have to do is to put
! ourselves in sympathy with Nature
! II is no. necessary to strive after ideals;
! II we strive for the ultimate attainabe
| we shall achieve our ends. We study
hA o. licO fain
! must be something to borrow from
! them along the lines we can see 1t is
! an American fallacy that our cities
are not perfect, because they are so
young, so new. So are all cities. Rome
is as new as st. Paul. French and
German cities have grown almost as
| rapidly as we. Chicago is not grow
! ing more rapidly than Berlin. London
! is the most remarkable instance Of a
! new city in the world. The old CITY
| fifty years ago, contained population
| OF $4,000; today it has but 1000 The
| outside belt has decreased in popula-
| ton from 1000, 900 to 1000. 600. but the
outer zone, which surrounds both, has
| increased marvelously in population.
WILL STUDY THE BRITISH.
1--WE propose to study British cities
from sociological point Of view.
What are the cities striving for TODAY?
To satisfy six great human needs. Man
| has three primary wants-food. shell
! ter and family life"
Prof. Zueblin proceeded to show by
stereOpticon pictures the various trans
formations through which cities have
| passed in the course of their evolu-
ton to the present condition. In the
first instance, he said, they were built
with reference to protection, as was
! Illustrated in Edinburg, which is
! hIIi all
with a picture Of Edinburg castle
Natural advantages for trade also in
! Huenced men in selecting sites for
! cities. This was shown in the cases Of
Liverpool and London, which were
! built ON rivers, because rivers gave
! them a natural outlet and inlet for
commerce. Maps of London in the
sixteenth century and at the present
| day were exhibited to illustrate the
growth Of that city and the various
problems that had to be confronted
! and dealt with as the city grew. It's
| growth, Prof. Zueblin said, was not
! due to itself, but to the commerce or
! the world. In the first geologic peri
| %, he said, the British isles were part
OF the continent. Had they remained
| so england as a nation never Wouio
have existed and we should not now
! be speaking that language. 1t had
| been demonstrated, he said that LON
| don was the exact geographical centel
! of the land of all the earth, and to
| that natural phenomena it's greatness
/ as commercial center was due
| American greatness did not begin un-
! til the invention of electric power an
| initiated space and distance
Pictures of the Thames and the Pool
| were shown, which gave an excellent
! idea Of the marine traffic in the CITY OF
! London, and they were followed by
! pictures Of the Liverpool wharves The
| bridge of Forth was also shown as an
| instance where the Scotch spent n
! great sum of money to secure rapid
| communication between Edinburg
and the northeast.
Another map was shown which gave
! the many railway lines running into
| London and the ramifications of rail-
! way to all sections of the city The
! Manchester ship canal and the meth
! DDS Of construction were illustrated
| and the advantages to the city of Man
! chaster were explained Prof. Zueblin
| said that the money spent on that ca
| way to the Gulf of Mexico Within
thirty-five miles Of Manchester. he
said, there is a greater population than
within a similar radius Of London.
Glasgow bridge was next shown. and
1t was followed by the Tower bridge
London. The Blackwell tunnel, de-
signed by American engineers, was
also illustrated. A picture was shown
| OF the streets in the vicinity Of the
Royal Exchange
our remedy for such a congestion
of traffic" said Prof. Zueblin, would
| be an elevated railway but NOT IN