Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1901-06-27
.BESANT- ON AMERICANS.
The English Novelist's Views
of Our Cities.
He ESPECIALLY LIKED BUFFALO.
capped Being Another Chicago
Great Cities of the East Not of
Much Account In His Opinion-StOry
Of a. Little BOotbIack.

After the late Sir Walter Besant, the
English novelist had returned home
from his visit to the, United States,
where he had attended the congress of
authors at Chicago in 1893, he sub
United himself to the English inter
viewer. The result of the cross exam.
ination, as published in The Pail Mall
Budget, shows that Mr.. Besant fell a
victim to the charms of Buffalo and
was only saved from an idolatrous
worship of New York states lake port
by the contemplation of Chicago, which
seems to have completely filled his eye
and mind. After sketching his brief
tour through New England and his
visit to DR.. Holmes and the houses of
Emerson and Hawthorne Mr.. Besant
received the following i~nterrogative
round shot and proceeded to give his
idea of the "bounding" west:
Having done all the New England
towns, you went west, ! s~uppose?"
Eyes. We stopped at Niagara for
three or foul days. The place is very
different now from what it used to be.
Lie SIdIl1SS liz LhS A1hC In L ga
there II years ago have been removed
and a lovely park made on each side.
From Niagara we went to Buffalo. a
t IN about as big as Leeds, with a no.
1 that is certainly better than any
thing out of London, IT, indeed, it be
not quite as good as the finest in Lon
don. And here l N remark that
American hotels are, on he whole,
wonderful. Furniture, appointments
and the like are all perfect. The
charges, however, are very much
higher than they are in this country.
An American dollar in an American
hotel is not worth more than a shilling
would be in one here. Nor is the rea-
son FOR this far to seek. The people
who use hotels in the fUnited States
can afford almost anything; therefore
they do not care what prices they pay.
All they ask for is comfort Combined
with magnificence."
ibid you like Buffalo? ~
"It was very. interesting to me, as 1t
was the first place in which I saw
something the extraordinary busi-
ness activ- T. of America. There is a
certain amount of drive in Boston, but
there is no rush like tina which one
sees in Buffalo. This place might, by
the way, have become the Chicago of
America. There are four towns all
situate on lakes-MiIWaukee, Detroit,
Chicago and Buffalo. The position of
Chicago proved the most central, and
she consequently won the place which
she now holds among American cities.
And this premier place she means to
bold, there can be nc doubt about
that"
"What do you think of Chicago?"
"The business part of the city is ugly.
1t consists of vast blocks of buildings.
Three OF these blocks-they are on
tiguous and each is IS stories high-ac-
commodate no fewer than 5000 people
principals, clerks. st~orekeepers, ware
housemen and o~thers-every day. This
part of the town is empty in the even
ing and is silent on Sunday. 1t is in
point of fact very similar to our own
city Outside the region of business
there are beautiful villas, forming sub
urbs like those which Lon
DON"
"And the inhabitants of this great
city, what of them?'
AANAS 40 ~ SASdL punt I AOIC IL
all of these towns said Mr.. Besant by
way of reply, land that is the vast
number of foreigners. In Buffalo, for
example, there are a Polish quarter, a
| German quarter, ar Irish quarter and a
native American quarter"
"But the English. Have they no
| quarter?"
They generally merge With the
Americans. The Irish do not"
"And the other races-the Poles, the
| Germans and the like?"
"These will merge like the English
| do with the Americans. And that will
| be very soon, l think. Listen to this
little anecdote: While in New Haven ]
was asked one day if l would have my
boots shined. 1t was a bright faced,
| pretty little fellow who accosted me. ]
| asked him his name, and he said that
| it vas Bobolovoski or something of the
| sort-spell it in your own way-and
that he was a Polish Jew. He was
only 10 years Of age, he said, and he
/ got up every morning at 6 and went
| ont to shine. From 8 to 10 he was at
school. He shined from - until the
afternoon. when he went to school
again, and ih the evening he shined
once more. Now, this little fellow was,
\ in fact. q perfect Ameican-there can
be no question about it-although by
birth be was a Polish jew"
) "And now, Mr.. Besant, / should like
L few of@your impressions of American
81 ave not overmuch to say" he re
Piled. "The thing which struck me
most was the fact that you have not
seen America at all until 0 have
been to Chicago. New York is not
America-New York is a Cosmopolitan
city. Boston is not Ameriea-Boston
is old. Philadelphia is not America-
Philadelphia is asleep. But at Chicago
you are in the very heart Of the country