Evening star., 1905-11-04

does not think it would be well to press for
a decisive crisis while Francis Joseph
lives
What the Magyar quoted above says
about the beauty and the progressiveness
of Buda-Pesth is quite true. though. sin
gularly enough, comparatively few Ameri-
cans know about It,
1t is composed OF the two ancient cities
of Buda and Pesth: BuGa lying on the west
ern and Pesth on the eastern bank of the
river Danube, little more than hundred
miles beyond Vienna, and a little to the
south of east from the Austrian capital.
Pesth is the old-time capital of Hungary,
and within the past fifty years the united
cities have taken a place In the front ranks
of the worlds municipalities.
Hungarians living In America who have
done well financially make Buda-Pesth
the mecca of their homeward pllgrimages
often possible. and their tales of Its
progress It's beauty and fits growth fill
their compatriots who cannot return for
visit there with homesickness such as Is
produced by no other cause.
From q material point of view II may
be said for Buda-Pesth that its develop
ment of the electric surface railway WIS
earlier and more complete than In any other
city in the world. For one instance. the
underground conduit system was practically
introduced upon its trolley lines long be-
fore similar system was operated success
fully in any city OF the United States,
the country which. as a whole. has made
by far the best use OF electric transporN
tation.
Buda-Pesth was operating trolleys with
underground conductors years before New
York, the only city on this side. save WASH
il gton, not given over TO the overhead
trolley. was able to solve the problem.
In fact. the Buda-Pesth underground troll
leys had been operating long time when
the street car authorities of New York
were offering 100000 for device that
would make underground trolley conduits
practicable and finally the New York au-
los a ia
notifications, adopted the Buda-Pesth plan.
Buda-Pesth's Beauty and Industry.
Buda-Pesth has outdone. or at least
equaled. this country in another line in
which America is commonly supposed to be
far ahead of all other countries. and that
is in the milling of flour. Our own Mime
apolis still exceeds the Hungarian capital
| in It's output. but experts who have inspect
ed the Touring mills of Buda-Pesth say they
are in advance of anything on this side
of the water in economy and scientific con-
Struction.
In many other lines of manufacture
Buda-Pesth has shown wonderful progress;
adaptation there of scientific knowledge to
practical manufactures is remarkable, and
tile city's industrial growth of late years
has been correspondingly noteworthy.
| At the same time the authorities of Buda-
Pesth, more than most other European
cities including Paris. even, have seen to
| II that the ideal of beautiful city shall
never be lost sight of, no matter how much
is accomplished in the way of material
progress or expansion. Now If Buda-Pesth
were to build an elevated railroad the struc-
ture while lacking no element of utility
and strength possessed by the elevated
structures in New York, Chicago or Bos-
ton would under no circumstances be as
unsightly to the eye as are the elevated
lines in those cities.
1t might be urged for the American cities
that probably. elevated lines run through
their streets at the present time would be
built with more of an eye to beauty or
structure than were those which now as
figure their thoroughfares. But the fact
is that the elevated structures, now near
ing completion, which form part OF the
new rapid transit lines in New York, are
even more ugly If that is possible, than
the trestles of the original Manhattan hhes:
| The decoration of the New York SUBWAY
| stations is as beautiful as any municipal
work in the world. but wherever the me
- b,iiIt in the open air, all idea of beauty
Of structure seems TO have been lost sight
As to cIeanness of streets. Buda-Pesth
leads the cities of all the world