The sun., 1919-10-28
The city of n million !


to be-not, perhaps, through reasoned
purpose 80 much as by the natural and
inevitable factors in the case.
When the grandfather of the present
Prince Of Wales visited Montreal. points
OUT the Gazette, the population was
10000 people. All was country above
st. Catherine street or Whereabouts. In
1860 the then Prince worshipped in
Christ Church Cathedral; and that
sacred ediice had been built upon
ground over which the boys used to
shoot snipe.
A lady of the time. demonstrating
with her husband for having bought a
house west of McGill Co ,se avenue,
said that she was not gC.ag to live in
the country.
McGill University was the outstanding
feature OF the West End of the city at
the time of the visit of the Prince of
Wales
The grounds originally went down to
St Catherine street. Few. indeed, were
the buildings; but Sir William Dawson
used to say Of 1t, even in the primitive
and restricted days, that It was "a beam
in darkness" adding--'1et it grow"
None Of the great buildings which now
DOT the campus were in evidence at the
time of the Princes visit but, never
theless, the city was finding its soul
Education, which had been neglected.
was beginning to be systematized the
fame OF McGill was spreading music
was cultivated in intimate and charming
circles-small, indeed, but select, and
which, removed from the clamors of
trade, was a means of grace in the resi-
Genital sections. The grcst Competitive
enterprises made possible by confedera-
ton. which came to pass later. had still
to be born; and leisure was possible in
a small world and an easy day.
The City of the old Days.
The citizens struggled home at night
by the fitful glimmer of the gas lamp,
situated at widely separated intervals
on the narrow streets. If one We're at
all under the weather he ran the risk OF
imminent death. People, indeed, who
knew they would be out late provided
themselves with lanterns; and it was
common thing to wear these lanterns
at the side when one got out OF the
theatre and had some distance to go.
The quivering lights seemed to add to
the Cimmerian gloom, while the condi-
ton OF the streets was beyond descrip-
tion.
An "old residenter" remarked to The
Gozette recently that 1t was as much as
your life was worth to slip off the side
walk and be engulfed in the mud OF
the streets. This especially applied TO
Craig street, off which Cote street went
dismal old street where
the Theatre Royal held forth and wit
messed the triumph of a Siddons. a
Sothern (Sen.). Booth. and the lead
ing lights of Themis, in the palmy days
OF the old playhouse. when Shakespeare
and the legitimate drama occupied the
boards when the gods" were critical.
and the general pabulum was the
classics.
The Nights Filled With Music.
When the theatre was over the people.
IL 1t happened to be q dark night, trimmed
and lighted their lanterns and wended
their way homewards; but the younger
loved to stay behind and pay a
visit to the old historic beer garden at
The corner OF Cote and Craig streets.
There the artists mingled with the com
mon herd and inbibed porter and beer
and sausages, told stories, danced and
played and proved that
The best OF all ways to lengthen your days
Is TO steal q few hours from the night, |
my dear.
Had a powerful tramway company
then threatened rise in price of tickets
/ would not have mattered to the people
who lived in what we would now call the
centre of the city.
They could and would walk. There |
was no distance then in a city in respect |
II whose dimensions the Hotel Dieu was
leemed to be out of civic bounds
To-day the threat of a rise in the |
price OF tickets occasions something like |
A panic The city has been made over. |
It is new and adventurous 1t has
pushed out and out, and to-day many |
thousands of people travel from five TO
'orty miles every day TO and from their |
work.
Ste. Anne's is considered at the elbow. |
Hudson. hfty miles distance. is no hard |
ship. st. Eustache Is even considered |
/ suburb. Great populations east and
west and north live in what was the
country a few years ago, and are de- |
pendent on the cars.