The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1901-06-01
The Wold's Greatest City.

Below we copy from the New Or
leans Picayune an interesting article on
the census of London compared with
New York and the different coun-
tries, which shows that the population
OF the rural districts are fast migra-
ting to the thickly populated cities:
"Those who predicted that the
city of London, the worlds greatest
city, would show a relatively small
growth for the past decade may well
be surprised at the showing made by
the official figures. Some people in
sist upon including in the city Of
London only that portion which is
embraced in the inner circle, instead
of the entire area, known as the Me-
tropoltan Police District. 1t might
as well be claimed that Brooklyn,
the Bronx and other suburbs of New
York are not a part of that city.
The official census returns show that
London has a population of $685.
794 souls. OF this immense num-
Der, the inner circle, or older Lond-
on, has 4.52G,0 34 people, and the
outer ring, or the newer portions of
the city, has 2,042, 750.a
AS in all great cities, the main in
crease has been in the outer ring or
suburbs. although the older city has
also continued to grow. The older
portions of all great cities grow but
slowly, owing to the fact that the
area has long since been congested,
and the surplus population gravitates
towards the less thickly settled SUBJ
urbs. Thus, while the old city limits
of London have increased but a frac-
ton less than per cent, the outer
circle or suburbs have increased 43. 6
per cent. during the decade.
!. Great as is our own metropolis of
New York, it has barely more than
half the population of London. 1t is
doubtful if any city in ancient times
approached to anything like the pres
ent population of London; ia fact,
few of the ancient nations had as
great q population as this single city.
1t is true that there are more or less
mythical records of immense popula-
tons in some ancient cities, but there
is no reason to believe that only one
Of them ever had anything like near
the population OF modern London.
Comparing it with modern States,
1t is seen TO be more populous than
Belgium, or Morocco, or Bavaria, or
Portugal, or European Turkey, or
the associated kingdoms of Norway
and Sweden, or Australia, or Cana
da, or any political division of the
Western Hemisphere, save the Unit
ed States, Mexico and Brazil.
The preservation of order and the
protection OF property in this inn
mense city require force of $4,000
policemen, an army in itself. The
Fire Department seems proportion
ally small, with 1000. fremen. The
increase in the population of the city
of London is at a faster rate than for
the rest OF England, showing that in
that country, as well as in the United
States, the drift OF population is to-
wards the great cities, their gain be-
ing largely at the expense of the
rural districts.
Some of our New York contempt
raries who were boasting that ouI
American metropolis would outstrir
the worlds metropolis in another
decade or so viii have to revise their
predictions. They fixed their calcu-
lations on false basis, comparing
greater New York, not with greater
London, as they should have done,