The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-07-06
REAL CITY t|Il
YEARS FROM
SOME LUxuRlEs PEOPLE on II
CENTURY WILL PRosApLy
ENJOY.

clapper OF the photograph alarm tr0
bles and produces sweetIy harmonl
sounds
John opens his eyes aching
his hand he finds an electric Butt
which he presses. Automatically
shutters open. The window closes
the sunlight pours into the room
John Smiths chamber IS furniazf
with taste and even with cert
amount of luxury, not because h6
rich, but that in this twenty first c.
fury, luxury costs little. and no e3
is poor. Il
Through the room the air circulMt
freely Within the walls conduita
water, warmed by a central eIeckN4
furnace, distribute everywherc
equal heat ia the cold season. in eH31
iner the same conduits serve to EN-
the air. S5
SUCH il the apartment occupied
John Smith on the twenty fourth n11
In ST. Louis. Chicago or one ct t.
other great Western cities Of his cei1z
fury.
But Mr.. Smith has not yet risen. E1
IS talking to the table beside his bt4{a
Il want a cup OF synthetic coeG@
very hot" he says.
In a few moments the table 0p4G
and the aromatic breakfast aPpeaS2
/ before the eyes of the hungry ma3
This is no magic table: no spirit 4
concealed in 1t; it is simply provfde
with mtcrophone. by means OF whie
Mr.. Smith expresses his wants to tl11
officials OF the public alimenta4i0m
service which has it's branches on tl1G
ground floor OF every house Of ar3{S
| Importance. M
While drinking his chemically pre-
duced cocoa, Mr.. Smith listens to thMS
morning papers. Every house with
{ modern rnnNenyeU f(N1x5
with central information bureANSA
which gives at all hours the news o1|5
i the whole world
Mr. Smith is something Of a dan0XS3
! He dresses in a fun tunic in Grecia143
I style, which SETS OFF his powerful a4G
| Youthful figure and allows perf9CNS
! ease OF movement. His shoes are poll
/ ished By mechanical brushes. Operates
! by electric buttons.
/ What vehicle shall he take TO 70 e.
! his business The railway that ruM1Ez
| under every street? The moving HfdMS
walk that passes before the shog95
I fronts Shall he go on foot over tho
/ innumerable bridges which unite aIe5
the buildings of the city at all heights
! He decides upon All aerotaxi. L44z
4 as follow him in the elevator. whtC19
sets him down upon the terraces o.
his dwelling. under sky that III
I Swallowed by great WINGS that vihraE4HI
I %,
The sky resembles the harbor OF ~
! great port in which multitudes OF wee
| sells are moving in every directions
Aerocabs. with polished hoods, bnx4s
| about like big beetles. The VentrfpOtAs
ent Iliimolonicai Southwestern AerO@S
/ bus passes like fash In a whirfwindSs
As Ii is scarcely o'clock few prfNs
vate airships. with solemn footmen ilaa
! livery and gauntlets are seen. BAe
many clerks. mounted upon old-mode1
! Bleriots bought at secondhand. has,
ten to their morning work.
The use OF balloon has not beeM
! abandoned. those eumbrous bladdere
inflated with infiammabIe gar. thoao
dangerous toys with which our anc6e-j
tors used to allow themselves to d0afY
not yet knowing how to fly. They are
! TO be seen everywhere, but withouts
! aeronauts.
| Reduced in size and always captive
| they serve as buoys and marks. bearAS
! ing the names of the several street@A
! that lie below or OF the landing sta-s
tons Like baskets. great fncandes-
cent electric lights are hung from them
to illuminate the air routes at night.
! Mr.. Smith mounts cab which has
1 come TO stop beside the terrace. OG#
he goes over the city Some or thM#
small anttqnated buildings of the early
| twentieth century still exist. But these
II
ntficant now in this forest of fifty
/ story buildings. with their spactoUpS
roof -btfi+s~~fcr all time. o.
steel and cement roof. proof agatnMk
/ fire or earthquake. These gigan1tic$
! structures are studios, factories. shops
1 hotels
/ These buildings are tied to each 9TH
er 81 asuaesA sNsrs story. by saispAKirsa
! sion bridges. which give the sky Aa-s3
peet Of fifty cities superiDposed. eacAss
black with moving nultitudes.
/ All ctimneys have disappeared. EtAc.S
! trio light heat and power have long
| since done away with the use Of steaSusz
even for cooking. From the height -
which Mr.. Smith Is flying he lOcAm9
down upon avenues OF trees and noW~
| ers, through which circulate the mOy~a
! ing sidewalks. There Is no dust 1QEs
there are neither wagons nor horeee.S
/ The great cooperative societies ali
/ sorbed the small factories and shOunks
! long ago. Each has tower In WntcHz
all brances Of its industry are CON-
Quoted. 1t liz upon the terrace, OF One
or these that John smiths aerotAx3
sets him down. II Is ,-sfied the Shoe
| House.
On arriving Mr.. Smith registers hieS
| presence and goes to his own compart~%
| ment. where he sits comfortably In 49,
arm chair at a table covered with tn-&
struments Mirrors enable him tcks
watch In the space occupied BY thAx
skyscraper from cellar to roof, thai
particular bit Ut mechanism which tMS
his department.
From time to time ne touches NJ NJ
spring, interrupts or opens q etrcu13 W
receives or sends q message over the8
| telephone, holding In his plump hau4 m
| as soft as that of bureaucrat. the ILL.,
| tie lever which regulates tho move
ment OF a wheel a hundred feet In otakSs
meter that performs automatically Co.
work formerly done by hundred M9~SN
| Mr. Smiths every movement - reGtoSsi
tered by dynamometer. Anotn4R!
machine registers the number OF hC1xk1#
| he fs at work. These records anoa
| transmitted to central machine whtN9x
| automatically calculates his salary. S
/ The clocks OF the city chime not4s
| The workinan's day II over. A fSN#
| hours have sufficed 10 produce WHAT
ever mankind needs in food, clofhe4Ss
! paper. light. heat, etc. for a day s3
| slot above his desk opens and John
| Smiths diurnal salary falls out I'M!
! Appetite guides MIR. Smith to re9kA5
| aurant. No walters are to be eee1n
| He glances over the menu, which IT
a record of the progress OF culinaxks
! chemistry. and selects for his lund1S
| con two scrambled eggs with grAte3a
} cheese beefsteak, a salad and stf4W&#
! berry Ice cream. He speaks hls ueas
der to the table as he would have d0tm|
years ago to an attentive headwo1teg%@
IL. tftxA