The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-12-26
NIGHTMARES OF CITIES.
Mother Goose Story Responsible For
New York's Being Called Gotham.


washington TimesD
Washington is now known as the Ex-
ecutive City, a nickname now more
appropriate than bestowed on it by
cent Distances" by Charles Dickens,
cent Distances" of Charles Dickens,
the City of Magnificent Intentions"
Nearly every large city in this coun-
try has its pct name by which it is
often designated. New York, for in
stance. is known as Gotham, a name
which was first bestowed upon it by
Washington Irving and J. X. Paulding
in their humorous work, Salmagundi,"
in sarcastic allusiOn to the wisdom of
its inhibitants. There is a Gotham in
England, seven miles from Nottingham,
the people of which are usually styled
THE Wise Men of Gotham" The eX-
plot of three citizens of this enlightened
town going to set in a bowl is familiar
to all readers of that juvenile classic,
Mother GOOse's Tales The nick
name, Wise Men of Gotham" has been
applied for hundreds of years, it is
said. in its iTOniCal meaning, and there
is reference made in The Townley
Mysteries" to .''the foles Of Gotham"
g . q
Boston is commonly alluded to as
the Hub. or, in full, Hub of the Uni
verse, because it is said to be the So
ciaI center of the United States, Just
as the hub of the center of a wheel.
The origin of the expression is said to
be in the writings of DR.. Oliver Wendell
Holmes. who. in one of his books, al
ludes to the state house at Boston as
the hub of the solar system" Bos-
ton is also called the American Athens,
the Modern Athens and the Athens Of
America, in virtue Of its Importance as
the chief seat of learning in the New
World. Lowell, Mass, bears the name
Of the Spindle City, from it's numerous
cotton mills which employs no fewer
than 1900 operatives. Philadelphia is.
as the Greek name implies, the City Of
BrOtherly Love; it is also called the
Quaker City. because its founder, Viii
liam Penn. and his followers were Qua
kers. Several years before PENIS ar
rival a band of SWedes had-in further
ance of the long cherished plan of their
hero king, Gustavus AdOlphus, to found
on the banks of the Delaware a colony
where every man should have enough
TO eat. and liberation to worship God
as he chose''-formed a settlement on
the banks of that river. and nOminally
took possession Of the land from Tren-
ton Falls to Cape May But there
proved to be room for PENIS followers,
too; and finding how well the Luther
ans and the Quakers lived together, the
city laid out in 1883 was given the
name of Philadelphia.
q o g
Baltimore is styled the Monumental
City. on account of its many fine mon
uments Brooklyn is the City of
Churches, and New Orleans is called
the Crescent City, from its shape. The
name of the Cream City has been
given to Milwaukee, owing to d pecul-
iarity of the local clay. which causes
the bricks-of which the city generally
is built-when burned, to come out
/ cream colored.
Chicago has several other names
One of these, and not the most poetic
is POrkOpOlis. literally the Pork City,
in allusion to its extensive packing
/ inlustry-a name also applied to Gin
ciunati. Chicago is called the Windy
| City from the fierceness of its Borear
blasts, especially in winter. It is fur
| ther styled the Garden City, by reason
of the number extent and beauty Of it.
public parks and gardens. Springfield
/ H., distinguished for its broad and
shady avenues. is designated the
Flower City; just as Cleveland is ap-
/ propriately called the Forest City, from
! the number of large trees that every.
where thrust themselves upon the view
! Indianapolis is the Railroad City
Pittsburg, renowned for its iron works