Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1909-10-31
GROWTH OF ST. J. LOUIS
Changes Made In City's Century
of Existence. 49,.
CELEBRATING ITS CENTENNIAL

Missouri Metropolis, Once Little Set
Element and Now Country's Fourth
City, Rejoices In Its Advancement.
Some Ancient Customs.
st. Louisans are rejoicing at present
over the completion Of the first century
of their city's Incorporated existence,
Naturally the thing that gives them
the greatest JOY is the comparison of
the growth of the Missouri metropolis
from a little settlement to the SPLEEN
did position of fourth among American
cities. st. Louis now ranks after New
York. Chicago and Philadelphia
st. Louis has always been noted for
its civic pride. But rs in 1909 St.
Louis had less than 200 houses it is not
easy to understand now how it's lead
ing citizens could meet on the corners
Of its only two thoroughfares and dis
cuss it then as one of the most impor-
tant towns III the country. This some
Of them certainly did,. They left the
record of their prophecies to be read
now, when in the last. ten years about
half million more people have come
into the United States across the At
lantic than the total number Of 1.-THE
American people" in the year after st.
Louis was first Incorporated. !. 49,
Had Good Opinions Of Themselves.
With not quite 7,250,0O0 people in the
United States and not quite a. thou
sand Of them in St. Louis q hundred
years ago, they were certainly the
most important people in the world
then. Even then the world suspected
it: IT was almost convinced that they
could take care Of themselves and
build up their country. There is no
doubt Of it left when. with over 10000
600 people in the United States, st.
Louis in one year Of its twentieth CEN
fury growth has spent over $20, ZOO, 600
for. new buildings. This is several mil
lions in cash more than the total
amount Of cash in the United States
In 1909. .&.>=
In the st. Louis of 1900 the visitor
by walking up one street and down an
other could see every house in the
town In less than an hour. 1t would
be strange world to return to. but
some might still be charmed with it.
There was no roar and no rattle in 1t
or in thousand miles cot it. There
might have been SO many as half a.
dozen coaches or family carriages of
the kind George Washington used to
ride in. but they were used only on
state occasions. The two wheeled
charctte. or French cart. drawn BY q
single Canadian pony, satisfied the
speed mania in business during the
week and sufficed for most peoples
pleasure on holidays. The very first
Of the first colonial families Of the
town used one Of these same carts
while 1t was in process OF arriving. It
had acquired carriage In 1909 with
out becoming ashamed of the cart or
Of the neighbors who still sat In It, \
with the blouse Of the driver worn over
his trousers-if he wore trousers in
1909. <J.:.. s>s4z 2: 3ll :
i Wore Breechss, Not Treussrs.
4 In that year gentlemen Of the best
and family still thought trou-
yers undignified. They wore breaches,
not "pants. The breaches still had
silver buckles at the knees, and the
shoes had silver buckles. There were
IT'LL old school gentlemen Of great:
dignity who wore their dress swords
when they promenaded IN public. Cen
tlemen Of the Jetfersonian school fol
lowed the .".JacobIn'' fashion OF wear
Ing trousers with legs long enough to-
iall over their shoe tops, and the fash
lon was gaining fast. It was supposed
ID some mysterious way to stand for
liberty. fraternity and equality, and
Iome Federalist gentlemen Of the old
school held out In their knee, breeches
against It as long as possible on that
account. But they were not too naughty
10 stop on the corner and beg the lat
est news from some one who had be.
come prominent by getting q letter
three weeks old from Philadelphia or
New York. The man who knew the
latest national politics was promi-
nent man even IL 1t had been 4 month |
coming by mail from Philadelphia.
they thought two weeks long enough
% wait for q mali. bnt H they had to |
wait 4 month they enjoyed tho news
III the more when Il came.
Not Much Exeitsnssnt Then.
With no paved streets. no water
works. no street lights, no steam willis.
.les, no monographs, no living picture
,hows and nothing modern to excite II |
Turing the day. the town snuffed out |
To tallow candles soon after dark and
went to sleep. IT seldom grew as
much excited about anything whatever
is 1t now does every day on Broad
way during the baseball season when
he score IL being bulletined The
greatest business excitement was seen
rhen some one caught the Noise OF
Iongs and shouting DIS feet d, keel
,oats md canoes returned from the