The times., 1901-04-30
The nucoIic village of Chicago.

Some years ago an eminent Chicago
journalist in commenting on the then
acknowledged absence of an art atmos
phere and Of artistic sense in the
Windy City, said with much point and
possibly pathos: 1--WE are not yet ready
for Art When we are. We will make
her how'll" 1t is not definitely known
at this office whether the bowling days
of art have reached the fashionable
circles of which "Bathhouse John" is
the Ward ATcAlIister, or penetrated to
the refined regions included in and
tributary 10 Mr.. Dooley's "Archey
Road" but if progress in that depart
ment of human civilization has not
outstripped local achievement in others,
as represented by a native author Of
merit probably art is yet inchoate and
mute in Chicago.
These observations are suggested by
some remarks made by Mr. Henry B.
Fuller. the novelist. whose recent con-
duct in holding up the mirror of truth
to the Chicagoese has been savagely
resented by them Replying to his
critics, Mr.. Fuller, the other day, made
the retort courteous in a few observa-
tions which viii strike people general
ly-outside of the theatre of war-as
singularly acute and illustrative.
Among other things, he said:
1.-TWO million country people live in Chicago
and fancy they make a city. The c0untryman
is the dominant element in Chicago, which IN
many of its social and material aspects is but
the country town grown big Abundant evidence
OF our origin still clings 70 us.
The freedom with which we make our gut
tiers do service as livery stables relates US at
once to the thousands OF main streets all over
the West Numberless open porches and barless
windows recall the day when we were too young
and too small to have criminal class.
'-Seyen-eighths OF our people are totally with
out the urban tradition. OF the native hall, the
great bulk. drawn from the farms and small
towns of the Mississippi Valley, have never seen
a city in their liyes-there are none west OF the
AIleghenies-and DO not. know what a clty IS,
or ought TO be, what restraints and con-
ceeions are necessary for successful living under
civic conditions. The foreign half, very largely
from the rural districts OF the Continent, are
nearly as guiltless of metropolitan knowledge
as the native.
to corruption in part to incompeteDey, IN part
10 maladroit financing, in part to selfish impu-
dence eager to snap at small personal advantages;
but most OF all it Is attributable TO a SACK
and fabby good nature the direct product OF the
Western village and town, those methods OF mu-
! tus tolerance and petty license.
"When we were paying dimes, some wears
ago. TO see Dog-Faced Jojo he didn't ask us
what we thought OF him. He didn't pose as q
! host lie was frankly a freak. The question is:
Can Chicago longer afford to rank as the Joio
| among the worlds cities? think not
| Mr.. Fuller has not said a thing which
| in more or less concrete form, has not
| occurred to observing visitors to the
great aggregation of Mexican pueblos
| and village streets which provincial
| pride considers. as constituting an ideal
metropolis: but he is wrong in finding
! fault with his fellow villagers. Remem-
bering that less than single genera
ton separates their highest aristocracy
or most Of it, from the prairie SOC
house. the livery stable the tavern
lunch counter, or butcher shop, ano
that the masses are either of domestic
| or foreign rural origin, the wonder is
that as much has been done in the way
of city making as Chicago has to show
II is better to be kindly and charitable
and to watch the slow but certain
growth of a higher civilization. in the
course of which the great and earnest
community shall free its hair of the
ancestral hayseed, and the aroma sur
! viving early struggles in the stock
| yards. and become as outwardly per-
feet and as inwardly provincial as New
| York itself.