The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-08-18
Wrote F ascin ating
Diary Til at 7 ellis
the CITY, Story From
1880 to 1851, Spar
ing Foibles of None
By ARTHUR B. MAURICE.

the particular period OF achievement.
That, for example, of Samuel Pepys.
Pepys, living In the turbulent, densely
populated London of our time and re-
cording day by day the events coming
under his observation, would probably
have his audience of posterity limited to
a little circle Of generating descendants
vino would certainly bore the neighbors.
1t needed the smaller town, the more lin
tied age, the greater intimacy of life to
make Pepys's Diary the vivid human mar
rative that it has been for so many years.
And as with the Pepys of the seven
teenth century London, so with the chron-
icler of events day by day in the New
York of the first half of the nineteenth
century. If there was a Knickerbocker
Pepys it was Philip Hone, who in the
span of his life saw his city expand from
$4,000 to 100000 and whose diary has
been described as one Of the most fasci-
mating personal documents ever penned.
The story of Philip Homes life is SUBJ
stantially the story of the town from
1850 till 1851. When he first saw the
light in Dutch street there were but 25, 900
persons for the occupying British troopers
to keep in order. When, after his re-
turn from Europe in the early Dos, he
bought on Broadway in the neighborhood
of City Hall Park, that was the centre
of fashionable residence.
Saw the Steady March Uptown.
But by 1887 trade was claiming the
section and Hone sold out and built him
self a new home, this time at the corner
of Broadway and Great Jones street.
He saw the residence portion of the city
go beyond that point, saw it grope up
Fifth avenue as far as Twentieth street.
The first entry in the diary bears the
date Of May Is, 1928, the last of April
80, 1851, just four days before his death.
That last entry shows that he felt that
the end was near at hand "Has the time
comeT he asks, and then quotes seven
stanzas from James Montgomery's @What
Is Prayer?" adding four stanzas Of his
own.
Just eleven months to day before the
last entry, under date of May 80, 1858,
Hone commented on the swiftly changing
aspect of the city. To him the renovation
of Broadway seemed to be an annual
occurrence. II the houses were not pulled
down they fell Of their own accord. He
wrote:
"The large three story house, corner Of
Broadway and Fourth street, occupied for
several years by Mrs. Seton as a board
ing house, fell to-day at 2 o'clock with a
crash so astounding that the girls with
whom I was sitting in the library imag-
ined for moment that it was caused by
an earthquake. Fortunately the workmen
had notice to make their escape. No lives
were lost and no personal injury was
sustained.
"The mania for converting Broadway
into street of shops is greater than ever.
There is scarcely q block in ehe whole
extent of this fine street of which
some part is not in a state Of transmuta-
ton. The City Hotel has given place to
q row Of splendid stores.
Stewart's Store World Wonder.
"Stewart is extending his stores to take
in the whole front from Chambers to
Reade street; this is already the most
magnificent dry goods establishment in
the world. 1 certainly do not remember
anything to equal it in London or Paris;
with the addition now in progress this
edifice will be one of the wonders Of the
Western world.
"Three or four good brick houses on the
corner of Broadway and Spring street
have been levelled, 1 know not for what
purpose-shops, no doubt. The houses
fine, costly edifces, opposite to me extend
ing from Driggs's corner down to point
opposite to Bond street-are to make way
for grand concert and exhibition estab-
lishment"
1t is far from being all mellowness and