The sun., 1899-01-29
The City as 1t Is and as 1t VIII Be.

StratlonS as the prosecution or REINACH
provoked2
| The City as 1t Is and as 1t VIII Be.
The rapid growth OF great cities during
| this century, and moro especially during
the last generation, has caused much anx-
iety to certain political philosophers and
produced many evils in their estimation,
which make the problem OF municipal gov
ernment the most serious in modern times
Accordingly. looking to that field as tho
most promising for the display Of superior
wisdom, such spirits have organized them
selves into Municipal League, before
which to read their solemn disquisitions on
the subject, and even the fashion Of estab-
fishing chairs in colleges and universities
to teach theories Of municipal government
has been introduced.
Meantime, however, the elements Of the
"problem" seem to be destined to change
which will come rapidly and render the
learning Of these professors largely IL not
wholly obsolete even II II has any practical
value now. This change will be brought
about chiefly by the application Of the dis
coveries and inventions OF physical science
and mechanics, more especially in cleo
tricity, but also in motors generally. Tho
subject Is discussed in the London Spectator
with reference to English towns more par
ticularly, without any large graspo it, but
in a way which suggests comprehensive
view; for 1t is obvious that the great city Is
about to enter upon new stage of its de-
velopment, and that the possibilities before
it are full Of fascination for the imagina-
tion. The theoretical city of the Municipal
League and the Municipal Science" pro-
fessor is a dreary subject for dreary minds,
but this practical city Of the future. radi-
cally transformed from the town Of the
past, has the interest Of complete novelty.
The Spectator remarks that the necessity
for "large efforts to abate the evils that re-
suit from our town life" has become widely
apparent and it proceeds to recapitulate
some OF the most obvious Of them as they
appear in English towns. These are narrow
streets, brought down from a comparative
ly remote period OF the past, mere dingy
lanes" the deficiency in open spaces and
the nuisance of smoke. None Of these evils
is so notable here as in England, unless
perhaps the absence Of adequate parks, nor
is the Spectators demand for cheaper and
Iuplu LlduDlU nO PicooIllb Ill Jul CiLlC6
as the London paper describes it to be in
England. The progress in that direction,
made in New York, for instance, during the
last few years more especially, has already
given it the cheapest and best rapid transit
system of any city In the world, yet it Is
only the beginning of the progress to which
mechanical engineering expects to attain
in the early future.
Only tho first step In the use Of cleo
tricity and compressed air as motors has
yet been taken. The introduction Of the
automobile carriage points the way to o
transformation in urban conditions which
is likely to be revolutionary and to occur
very early in the next century. In an ex-
ceedingly interesting article published
elsewhere in this paper there Is forecast
of the new development that will occur, and
it is not fanciful merely.
The purchase of the Fifth avenue omni-
bus line by the Third Avenue Railroad
Company indicates possibilities OF radical
changes as great as any that can be con-
ceived by the most extravagant imagina-
tion, the purpose Of the purchaser being to
introduce automobile conveyances, which
will afford comparatively rapid transit
without the necessity of iron rails. Another
promise OF transformation comes from the
organization Of a company to do the truck
ing of the town, the transportation of
heavy merchandise, by means of automobile
trucks. The complete success Of these two
undertakings would be followed, obviously,
by the entire disuse OF the horse for draught
purposes, and ultimately the disappearance
of the animal from the city for any use
whatever and it would be far-reaching
revolution.
1t would involve revolution in the sys-
TEN of pavements, of street cleaning, and,
to large extent, in the methods Of public
and private business, and in the habits and
pursuits of the inhabitants. The ellmina-
tion of the horse would make unnecessary
the rough stone pavements, so productive
of intolerable noise, and would permit OF
the universal introduction OF asphalt or iron
pavements, which could be cleansed of the
vastly lessencd amount OF dirt by flushing
them from the hydrants, thus decreasingand
simplifying the task Of the Street Cleaning
Department, to an enormous extent Tho
automobile trucks would carry loads heavier
by five or ten times than those which can be
drawn by horses. Automobile conveyances
holding as many passengers as the pres
ent street cars. would be moving In all