ILLINOIS HISTORICAL SURVE
THE
WORLD'S FAIR CITY
AND HER
ENTERPRISING SONS
BY
C. DBAN
" As a poet, I am a polytheist ; as a naturalist, a pantheist ; as a moral
man, a deist; and in order to express my mind I need all these forms.
GOBTHE.
UNITED PUBLISHING CO.
1892
Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year eighteen hundred
and ninety-two, by C. DBAN, in the office of the
Librarian of Congress, at Washington.
31
PREFACE.
To present a book of this kind, with char-
acter sketches of living men who are promi-
nent factors in great public enterprises, might
have been criticized fifty years ago as being
somewhat in bad taste. But opinions like
fashions are continually changing. The pop-
ular demand of today is to know the methods
of successful men; and, in order to know them
character must be investigated.
"As soon as a stranger is introduced into
any company one of the first questions which
all wish to have answered is, How does that
man get his living?" And if he has suc-
ceeded in adding something to the general
wealth he becomes at once a sort of hero in
the estimation of the American citizen.
The Chicagoans noticed in these pages are
6 PREFACE.
men of extraordinary ability, and occupy
the front rank in the world of Enterprise.
An effort has been made to give a true delin-
eation of their characters and of their business
modus operandi; but the most important
question is: How much are these energetic
sons doing for the world? Are they using
their force in absorbing that of others, or
in expending their great energies and talents
for the benefit of mankind?
CD.
INTRODUCTORY.
When one reads such authors as Buckle and
Draper, one is impressed with the influence
of climate, soil and scenery; of oceans, lakes,
rivers, mountains and valleys, upon the civil-
ization, the industries, habits and customs of
a people.
Thomas Carlyle finds the history of a
nation or a period in the lives of its great men ;
the rulers, the warriors, the scholars and
reformers, make and direct national and
world-movements; but other writers find in
the existing conditions of a time, the power
that produces the leading minds and actors
and gives shaping to what they do.
When one studies the brief but remarkable
history of Chicago, one finds place and need
for all these theories to account for its won-
derful growth in population, business, wealth,
and the progressive and earnest spirit of its
people in the fields of learning and religion.
8 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
When nature formed the great valley be-
tween the Alleghany and the Rocky mount-
ains, with its long rivers and rich soils, that
fact determined the great agricultural region
of the continent. And when nature placed
such a body of water as Lake Michigan,
stretching three hundred miles north and
south in this valley, with the head of this lake
in the line of the national highway between
the two oceans and the great east and
west, nature determined the location of the
largest inland city on the continent. For
in the nature and needs of the business
of the country, the many lines of railway
would center at such a point of both land
and water communication; and hence one
may affirm that New York, and San Fran-
cisco with their ocean harbors, and Chicago
at the head of Lake Michigan, and on the
line of national travel and commerce, are
where they are, and in a large sense, what they
are, because of these natural conditions.
And it would, in part be true also, to say,
that the leading men of Chicago have made
the city what it is; but only in part; for
whilst they have been making the city,
INTRODUCTORY. 9
the city has been making them, and neither
could have been where they are, and what
they are, but for their determining environ-
ments and for the conditions of the country
and the age. It is in the fortunate concur-
rence of all these conditions that one finds
an explanation of the marvelous growth of
Chicago, and of the great business ability and
success and the intellectual and moral strength
and earnestness of its cosmopolitan popu-
lation.
At a time when all the world is thinking of
Chicago, and expecting to come to Chicago
to the World's Columbian Exposition, it is
only natural that very many should desire to
know something more about the public spirited
men and women who have taken such active part
in its affairs. And hence the opportuneness of
such a work as ' The World's Fair City and
Her Enterprising Sons." And to the praise
of many of these it may be justly said,
that they are planning and working and giv-
ing to make, what must soon be the largest
city on the continent, not only a city of vast
and increasing business and wealth : but a cen-
ter and power of learning; of colleges, libraries,
TO THE WORLDS FAIR CITY.
music, art, literature ; to have here a university
equal to the best in the old world, and to
emphasize the intellectual and moral as well
as the material greatness of its soon-coming
millions.
H. W. THOMAS,
Chicago, June ist, 1892.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
THE WORLD'S PAIR CITY.
Location; Division; Bridges and Tunnels; Boulevards
and Parks; Michigan Avenue; Drexel Boulevard;
The North Division; Lincoln Park; The West
Division; Washington Boulevard; Ashland Avenue;
Transit Accommodations; The Washington Park
Club; The Hotels; Places of Amusement; Com-
mercial and Industrial Activities; Board of Trade;
The Board of Trade Building; Chicago, the Finan-
cial Center of the West; The Lumber Trade; The
Union Stock Yards; The Exchange Building; The
Chicago Live Stock Exchange; The Manufacturers
of Chicago; The Wholesale Dry Goods Trade;
The Educational Advantages ; The Churches ; The
Cemeteries ; History of Chicago ; Chicago in 1837 ;
Chicago in 1870 ; The Great Fire ; The Columbian
Exposition. 17-36
CHAPTER II.
FEED. W. PECK.
The Auditorium; The " Pan Americans; " The Foun-
dation of the Auditorium ; The National Republi-
can Convention of 1888 ; Interesting Facts; Audito-
rium Hotel ; The Observatory; The Stage; Expres-
sion of Paintings ; Dedication of the Auditorium ;
Appearance of the Stage and of the Audience ;
Exercises of the Evening ; Address by Hon.
DeWitt Cregier; Address by Ferd. W. Peck; Ad-
dress by President Harrison ; The Apollo Club ;
The Cantata by Miss Harriet Monroe, "Hail to
thee, Chicago;" Address by John S. Runnells;
Patti, Queen of the Lyric Stage ; Address by Gov-
ernor Filer ; Samuel W. Allerton ; Ferd.W. Peck;
Sketch of his Life. 37-70
ii
12 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
CHAPTER III.
HON. THOS. B. BRYAN.
Resolutions for the World's Fair ; Mr. Depew's Re-
marks before the Senate ; Mr. Bryan's Argument
before the Senate; Miss Frances E. Willard; The
Biography of Mr. Bryan, 75-99
CHAPTER IV.
GEORGE M. PULLMAN.
Mechanic, Financier and Organizer ; The Sleeping
Cars ; The Diamond Special ; The Sleeping Car
Enterprise ; General Grant's Ride to Galena ;
Workshops at Pullman ; The Corliss Engine ; Mr.
Duane Doty; Mr. Pullman's Town ; Biography of
George M. Pullman ; Prof. Richard Ely of Johns
Hopkins University. 110-127
CHAPTER V.
MR. WILLIAM T. BAKER.
Mr. Baker's Characteristics; Secretary Stone's Re-
marks about Mr. Baker ; Mr. Baker's Life ; The
Chicago Board of Trade ; Commissioners from For-
eign Countries ; Operations of the Board of Trade;
Abuses of Privileges; Secretary Stone's Explana-
tions; Future Delivery; Secretary Stone Defends
it; Bucket Shop Trading; Puts and Calls; Van
Buren Denslow's Account of Corners; Excess of
Supply over Demand; Secretary Stone's Appeal;
Educating the Youth in Business Principles; Ori-
gin of Boards of Trade by Lorenzo Sabine; His-
tory of the Chicago Board of Trade; George F.
Stone; A World's Fair Document; The Open
Board of Trade. 130-159
CHAPTER VI.
THE CHICAGO ART INSTITUTE.
Incorporated May 24, 1879 ; Director French's Report
of 1889; The Demidoff Collection ; Quality oi In-
CONTENTS. 13
struction ; Teachers ; Prizes Conferred ; Chicago
Woman's Club ; Philip H. Calderon of the Royal
Academy of London; The Paris Exhibition of
1889 ; Goethe and Carlyle ; Permanent Collection
of the Art Institute ; Cast Collection ; Mrs. A. M.
Hall Ellis ; The Century Collection ; The Chicago
Society of Decorative Art ; The Art Students'
League ; The Chicago Society of Artists ; The Pal-
ette Club ; Wealth gives the Opportunity; Charles
L. Hutchinson ; The Secretan Collection ; The
Chicago University; Mr. Hutchinson's Wealth ;
William M. R. French ; The Art Institute Sold ;
A New Art Institute. 162-193
CHAPTER VII.
CHARLES F. GUNTHER.
Collection of Relics ; Original Letters ; The Mementos
of Washington ; Old Bibles ; Shakspeare Re-
membered ; Other Manuscripts ; Relics from
France; Egyptian Mummy; Libby Prison; War
Museum ; Relics of Lincoln ; All Kinds of Shot
and Shell ; Confederate Money; An Old Flag ;
A Story of Libby Prison ; An Affecting Incident ;
The Grounds Surrounding the Prison ; Life of
Charles F. Gunther ; Portrait of Columbus. 194-219
CHAPTER VIII.
NATHANIEL K. PAIRBANK.
A Man who has Enough of Worldly Goods ; How
He Amassed his Fortune ; Courted Ease of the
Princely Style ; Central Music Hall ; The News-
boys' Home ; St. Luke's Hospital ; Comments upon
the Abuse of Hospitals; The Prussian System;
The Chicago Club. 220-288
CHAPTER IX.
POTTEK PALMER.
An Extraordinary Success ; Pluck, Plodding and Inces-
sant Work; The Fire of 1871; The Palmer House;
Lord and Lady Dufferin ; The Great Kitchen ;
14 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
The Drawing Room ; The Egyptian Parlor ; The
Bar and Billiard Room ; A Conservatory; Fire-
Proof Hotel ; Palmer House Insurance ; Potter
Palmer's Life. 241-254
CHAPTER X.
LYMAN J. GAGE.
Banker and Financier ; Not one of the Millionaires ;
The Panic after the Fire ; The First National
Bank of Chicago; National Banks ; Office of the
Bank ; Economics ; Open Court Discussion ;
Making Bread Dear; Wheelbarrow's Complaint;
Sympathizer's Reply; Wheelbarrow's Defense ;
Sympathizer's Answer ; Banking and the Social
System ; The Organization of Labor and Trusts ;
Life of Lyman J. Gage; Testimonial Book. 258-289
CHAPTER XL
HERMAN H. KOHtSATT.
Fate ; His Biography; Daily Bread Question ; The
Colored Men's Library; Statue of U. S. Grant ;
Governor Hoard's Speech ; Hon. R. H. McClellan ;
Responded ; Silver Punch Bowl Presented to Mr.
Kohlsaat ; Speech by David Sheean ; Chauncey
M. Depew, Orator of the Day; His Address ; The
Monument ; Mr. Kohlsaat's Characteristics ;
Fishin ' Jimmy;" Some Men Born to Own. 290-327
CHAPTER XII.
PHII.IP D. ARMOUR.
His Extensive Business ; Is Mr. Armour a Benevolent
Man ? Michael Cudahy ; Armour's Characteristics;
The Armour Mission ; The Manual Training
School; The Dispensary; Children's Sunday Serv-
ice; Mr. Armour takes no part in the Service ; A
Newspaper Scribe Visits the Sunday School ; His
Experience ; The Armour Mission Visitor; Rev.
John D. McCord ; Busy Bee Covenant and Pledge ;
The Armour Flats ; Mr. Armour's Life ; His Pork
CONTENTS. 15
Deal in Wall Street ; He moved to Chicago in 1875 ;
His Operations on the Board of Trade ; Very Few
of our Race Finished Men. 328-355
CHAPTER XIII.
FERNANDO JONES.
Posted in the History of Land Values in Chicago; Rec-
ords Destroyed in the Fire of 1871 ; Real Estate
of Chicago ; Posting Titles ; First Occupation of the
Land ; Fort Dearborn ; William Jones ; A Circum-
stance of 1838; Loaned $4,000 on Real Estate
and made a Fortune ; Chief Justice Smith ; Inter-
esting BiU of History ; The March of Civilization ;
$250 a Square Foot for Land in this City; Henry
George's Views ; Farmers will not have to bear
the Burden of Taxation ; The Ground where the
Grand Pacific stands ; Investigation of the Sin-
gle Tax Club ; School Lands ; Fernando Jones'
Life. 357-375
CHAPTER XIV.
MAKSHAi,!, PIBX,D.
Amos W. Wright in Harper's Weekly writes ; A Napo-
leon in Commerce ; Building a Nine Story Block ;
When he was at School; His Residence; The
Walls Adorned with Gems of Art; A Description of
some of the Paintings ; Sketch of His Life ; The
McKinley Bill ; Mr. Field's Benevolence; Univer-
sity of Chicago ; His Employes. 383-399
CHAPTER XV.
HONS. CHAS. B. AND JOHN V. FARWBM,.
Their Daring Spirit ; State of Texas ; Capitol Building;
The Parents of Messrs. Farwell ; Hon. John V.
Farwell Regarding the Closing of the World's
Fair on Sunday ; His Biographer writes: A Salary
of $12 per month ; Starting a New Business Cen-
ter ; During the Civil War ; Mr. Farwell's Speech ;
A Colored Prayer Meeting; Board of Indian
1 6 THE WORLD* S FAIR CITY.
Commissioners; Presidential Elector; Young Men's
Christian Association; Chas. B.Farwell; The Arena
of Politics; Member of the U. S. Senate; Brussels
Point Lace; Miss Rose Farwell; The Decay of
Puritanism. 403-426
CHAPTER XVI.
COI,. GEORGE R. DAVIS.
Organizing the Forces ; His Early Education ; Elected
to Congress ; The Director-General ; His Speech , .
on the Exposition. 427-431
CHAPTER XVII.
THE WORLD'S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION.
The Origin and Progress of the World's Fair ; Hon.
W. T. Palmer's Address ; To See that the Republic
received no harm ; It is said that Trial Broadens
a Man ; A Sentimental Aspect : Board of Lady
Managers : Remarks of William T. Baker ; Na-
tional Commission to Europe; The Second Com-
mission : Pope Leo. XIII. letter ; Paris Edition,
New York Herald; The Churchman; Cordial Re-
ception of Mr. Bryan ; Departments of the Expo-
sition ; Agricultural; Horticultural ; Live Stock ;
Fisheries ; Mines and Mining ; Machinery; Trans-
portation ; Manufactures ; Electrical ; Fine Arts ;
Liberal Arts; Ethnology; Forestry; The Woman's
Building; Publicity and Promotion ; Buildings well
Protected ; The Battle Ship ; Congress of Relig-
ions ; The Congress of all Nations ; Visitors Pro-
tected. 440-512
THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
CHAPTER I.
"'See two things in the United States if nothing else
Niagara and Chicago,' said Richard Cobden, the famous
English statesmen, to Goldwin Smith, who was about to visit
America."
Niagara is a specimen of nature's won-
derful works, but Chicago, the World's Fair
City, is one of the wonders of civilization.
It is the metropolis of the great West, and
the largest city, in area, of the world. Lo-
cated midway between two oceans on the
southwest shore of Lake Michigan, the head
of navigation, and backed by a vast and fruit-
ful country, which is reached by a system of
railroads that has no equal in any other -por-
tion of the globe, makes it the stopping place
for passengers from all parts of the world,
and the greatest market on the continent for
grain, lumber and live-stock. Eight hundred
and fifty trains arrive and depart here daily.
2 I?
1 8 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
The city extends north and south along
Lake Michigan twenty-four and a half miles,
and from east to west its greatest width is
fourteen and a half miles, embracing an area
of about one hundred and seventy-five square
miles. It is divided by the river and its
branches into three distinct parts, known as
the North, South and West Divisions.
These are connected at nearly every street
by swing bridges so that boats may pass
and by three tunnels built under the river-
bed for the passage of vehicles and pedestri-
ans. The principal thoroughfares, which are
estimated to be one thousand three hundred
and eighty-six miles long, are regularly and
beautifully laid out. Streets and avenues are
from eighty to one hundred feet wide. Wooden
pavements are generally in use on account of
their elastic and noiseless qualities.
Chicago is noted for her beautiful boule-
vards and her magnificent and extensive
parks, which cover two thousand and thirty-
eight acres of land. It is rightly named the
Garden City. No expense has been spared
that could contribute to the beauty or comfort
displayed in these delightful public retreats.
THK WOMAN S TEMPLE.
THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY. ig
Nature and art seemed to have combined
forces, in order to have a perfect effect.
Michigan avenue, stretching for a mile along
the lake shore, affords a drive which, in
splendor and extent, is without an equal in
America. Every day, from morning until
night, handsome equipages pass up and down
this elegant thoroughfare; ladies and gentle-
men on horseback and in carriages of every
conceivable style are enjoying, in the ex-
hilarating lake air, an everlasting holiday.
Mounted police are in constant attendance to
to prevent the passage of heavily loaded
teams, or other obstructions.
Drexel boulevard, which is laid out after
the model of the famous avenue L'lmper-
atrice in Paris, is a magnificent drive. It is
two hundred feet wide, extending from Thirty-
ninth street to Fiftieth street south. Parallel
with it, five blocks west, Grand boulevard
affords a charming return trip to the throngs
of pleasure-seekers.
The parks represent an immense amount
of labor, money and artistic skill. Washing-
ton Park contains one of the largest unbroken
lawns in the world, besides a fine conserva-
2Q THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
tory, somewhat resembling the celebrated
Kew Gardens near London.
In the North Division, Dearborn avenue,
LaSalle avenue, Rush and Pine streets, ex-
tending north and south, are the principal
thoroughfares for driving. There are many
fine residences and attractive churches on
these streets, all of which (except one) have
been erected since the great fire of 1871.
Lincoln Park, on this side, is one of the most
popular resorts of the city. Located near
the lake, where there is always a refreshing
breeze, the great variety of flower beds, artifi-
cial lakes, and different species of animals in
the zoological collection, make it exceedingly
attractive and interesting to the great throng
of visitors. Clark street is the main business
thoroughfare of this portion of Chicago.
The West Division contains several spacious
parks, Garfield, Douglas and Humboldt, are
the principal ones; but there are smaller parks
situated where they are easily accessible to
any one wishing for a free, open space to
breathe the fresh air. Washington boulevard
is one of the leading residence avenues, where
beautiful homes, fine churches and artistic
THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY. 2 1
surroundings prevail. It is a popular drive
which extends from the business part of the
city, passing 1 through the tunnel to Garfield
Park at the extreme western limits. Ashland
avenue, running north and south, is also a
delightful drive. Many wealthy citizens have
elegant homes here. Madison street, which
runs parallel with Washington boulevard, one
block south, is the principal business street of
the West Division. It is also a direct road
to Garfield Park, besides leading to Garfield
Park Club.
The city, on all sides, is well provided with
transit accommodations; six hundred and
thirty-seven miles of street-car lines lead in
all directions from the business center. The
greater part of these are run by means of cables
kept in motion by stationary steam-engines.
This mode of locomotion is very interesting
to the stranger who first beholds cars moving
so rapidly without any apparent living or
mechanical effort. It is related that a negro
once called his sable companion's attention to
the phenomenon, saying: " Lordy mercy! jist
see heah, Jinny ! see heah how de blessed
22 THE WORLD'S FAIR VJTY.
Mas'r Lincom dat freed de niggahs have gone
and freed de mules demselves!"
Chicago, with all its other advantages for
recreation and amusement, has one of the
finest racing tracks in America. The Wash-
ington Park Club, which was organized in
1883 for the purpose of providing a club-
house and pleasure-grounds for its members,
where they might meet for social amusements,
and view the exciting scenes of a horse-race,
has now an elegant club-house, surrounded
by a beautiful park consisting of eighty
acres. Its membership is composed of a
class of gentlemen who are not "professional
sports," but interested in the raising, training
and speed of fine horses. Its first president
was Lieutenant- General Phil. H. Sheridan,
and its board of directors comprise many of
the most earnest and wealthy business men
of the city.
The club-house is a very attractive
structure in its architectural design. The in-
terior arrangement, with its rich and elegant
furniture, surpasses anything of the kind in
America. The cost of the building is esti-
mated at $56,000, and the furniture $20,000.
THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
The grand-stand affords ample seating ca-
pacity for ten thousand persons. Each one,
when seated, has a clear view of the passing
horses. The track is wider than the popular
Saratoga course, and has, besides, a practice
track. The steeplechase is so arranged that
the water-jumps are performed over natural
lake-necks. The stables comprise five hun-
dred stalls, which are perfect in drainage and
ventilation. They are very attractive to
horse owners who desire wholesome and
convenient places for their favorite animals.
The hotels in this city are not only
very extensive, but, in design, architecture
and management, are not surpassed by the
oldest and most cultured cities in the world.
Members of the royal families from across
the water have frequently expressed surprise
that a city so green in age could have such
magnificent edifices. Travelers, who are on
missions of business or pleasure, can be ac-
commodated in an expensive or economical
style; nearly all hotels being carried on in
both American and European plans.
Places of amusement are scattered all over
the city. Besides the world-renowned Audi-
24 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
torium, there are numerous theaters that are
splendidly equipped and elegantly finished.
Talent histrionic, musical, or oratorical
has here ample opportunity for effective dis-
play; and no city patronizes artists more liber-
ally or with greater satisfaction to the perform-
ers, than the metropolis of the great West
Many European celebrities and Oscar Wilde
upstarts have replenished their coffers and
brightened up their conceit by the patronage
of Chicagoans. However, these amusements
are only a part of the city's great enterprises.
Her commercial and industrial activities are
unprecedented. Every essential element for
success is manifested; courage, pluck, nerve
sometimes called cheek and dashing enter-
prise, pervade the very atmosphere; the new-
comer, if of the right temperament, easily con-
tracts the "pushing spirit," and enters buoy-
antly into the life that knows not ennui.
The immense extent of fertile land, which
is highly cultivated by a vast number of in-
dustrial population, with its numerous rail-
ways all pointing toward Chicago, has made
it the leading grain market of the world;
THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY 25
and its facilities for handling, storing and deal-
ing in produce is, without doubt, unparalleled.
The system of the Board of Trade, which was
the first commercial institution in this country
to establish and put in practice a method of
grading cereal products, is very successful;
similar methods have been followed all over
the country. In 18/2 it was formally adopted
by the Legislature of Illinois. Now, officials,
acting under State authority, known as the
the Board of Railroad and Warehouse Com-
missioners, see that all rules are observed.
The established rates of commission for re-
ceiving and selling grain facilitate business
transactions, while the settlement of dis-
putes, which is governed by fixed laws, are
regulated by justice and equity. In 1885 a
newbuilding, completed at a cost of $ i ,700,000,
was opened for the use of its members, the
facilities for handling grain enlarged, and the
elevator capacity increased to twenty-eight
million one hundred thousand bushels.
The Board of Trade Building, located at the
foot of LaSalle street, is an architectural mon-
strosity, with a great tower, tapering up to a
pinnacle two hundred and sixty-five feet above
26 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
the sidewalk. The balcony, which is sixty-
five feet below the pinnacle, is surmounted by
a circle of thirty electric lamps, having two-
thousand candle power each. The interior
is very elaborately finished. Strangers visit-
ing the city always inquire for the Board of
Trade, and they are more than surprised when
they witness the veritable pandemonium
within.
Chicago is recognized as the financial center
of the West. Other Western cities depend
on it for Eastern exchange, and for assistance
in times of emergency. The Chicago banks
are recognized all over the country, and in
the financial centers of Europe, for their sta-
bility and solid character. The conservative
and practical policy with which they are man-
aged, without speculative investments, recom-
mends them as superior to Eastern financial
institutions in holding the funds of other
banks. This is the only inland city that
shares with New York financial relations
with foreign countries.
The lumber trade here is gigantic. The
great pineries of Michigan and Wisconsin,
which grow on the other side of Lake Michi-
THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY. 2 j
gan, furnish most of the supply. The num-
ber of laborers employed in this business
would make a strong army. No single
branch of trade or manufacture has more
capital invested than this industry. In 1869,
articles of incorporation were obtained from
the legislature for the "Lumbermen's Ex-
change of Chicago," which represents a
membership of about one hundred and fifty,
with a capital of about $45,000,000. It has
a great influence over the trade and com-
merce of the United States.
The Union Stock Yards, situated in the
southwestern part of the city, is the great
market of live stock for the world. They
occupy three hundred and sixty acres of land.
Cattle, hogs and sheep are prepared here for
the market. It also affords complete accom-
modation for the sale of improved breeds of
cattle and horses. A large pavilion, with a
seating capacity for six hundred persons, is
erected for the purpose. There are large
and commodious buildings in which this vast
business is transacted, and a first-class hotel,
erected at a cost of $250,000, where stock-
men are accommodated for two dollars a day.
2 8 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
The Exchange Building is a large brick
structure located in the center of the yards.
It is divided into apartments for the Board of
Trade, offices of the company, National
bank, telegraph office, post-office, restaurant,
commission firms, and other necessary de-
partments. Two large artesian wells, one of
which is eleven hundred and the other twelve
hundred feet deep, are sunk in the center of
the yards.
The Chicago Live Stock Exchange was
organized in 1884 for the promotion of the
interests of the stock-raising fraternity. A
competent veterinary surgeon is employed
for the purpose of preventing the introduc-
tion of diseased cattle in the market. The
system in which stock is prepared for sale is
perfect in exactness and economy. It is said
that there is nothing wasted but the squeal
of the only animal known in nature's econ-
omy whose highest expression of happiness
is a grunt.
The manufacturers of Chicago engage in
almost every variety of productions, which
are distributed all over the country, and
exported to foreign lands. Although it does
THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY. 2 Q
not rank first as a manufacturing city, the
rapid strides which it is taking in that direc-
tion may soon reach the point. It is esti-
mated that products to the value of over $ 1 80,-
000,000 are now manufactured here yearly.
More than fifty-five thousand men are em-
ployed in this art. Among the most impor-
tant products are clothing, musical instru-
ments, liquors, block-paving, jewelry, drugs,
safety-vaults, stoves, carriage varnishes, toys,
artificial limbs, butterine, oleomargarine, etc.
The wholesale dry goods trade in the city
is mainly in the hands of five immense estab-
lishments, which are, to the highest degree,
prosperous. Having superior advantages in
location, unrivaled transit facilities by water
and land, manufactories, ample capital, skill-
ful, energetic business men, it is no wonder
that the results are satisfactory. The whole-
sale merchant gives the retail dealer the
advantage of fluctuations in the market or
change of fashions, for he only orders what
is needed from time to time, thus avoiding
any risks of outlay.
The educational advantages of Chicago
rank high; but the public schools, which are
30 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
gigantic in proportions and exact in require
ments, are the pride of the city; in fact, they
are the schools of the city; rich and poor,
alike, enjoy their privileges. At present,
thirty-two hundred teachers are employed,
and there is an enrollment of nearly one hun-
dred and fifty thousand pupils. The manage-
ment is in the hands of a Board of Education,
consisting of a president, vice-president, secre-
tary, and twelve members, making fifteen in
all, who are appointed by the City Council.
The schools are in charge of a superintendent,
with eight assistants, elected by the Board of
Education. Two hundred and three build-
ings are conveniently located throughout the
city, each of which is in charge of the princi-
pal, thus dividing the duties involved upon
teachers, principals, superintendents and
Board of Education.
There are also a large number of colleges,
universities, and seminaries in the city and
its suburbs, some of which have a wide rep-
utation. Many of these are devoted to
special branches, such as theology, music, in-
dustries, law, medicine, dental surgery, liter-
ature and art. Rush College is the oldest
THE MASONIC TEMPLE.
THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY. 3 \
medical school in Chicago. It was estab-
lished in 1837, when the city was incorpor-
ated. Now it is the largest, and most influ-
ential of its kind in the country. A depart-
ment for the treatment of rabies by Pasteur's
method and remedies, has been recently
added. It is located at the corner of Wood
and Harrison streets, opposite the County
Hospital. There are also one Eclectic and
three Homeopathic Colleges.
' ' Dr. Fairweather's Electro Vacuum Cure, "
where pneumatic therapeutics takes the place
of medicine, is located in this city, Spinal,
nervous and paralytic diseases are treated by
the equalization of the circulation. Brain
exhaustion, which is largely due to the rest-
less activity of the age, yields to this treat-
ment. Locomotor ataxia, a form of paralysis,
which has baffled the skill of the most learned
physicians, it is claimed can be cured only by
the vaccuum method. This institution, which
has been in successful operation for several
years, is specially and wholly devoted to the
cure of these diseases.
The religious privileges of the city are
various and numerous. Five hundred and
THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
sixty -four churches, consisting of all denomi-
nations, are scattered through the three
divisions, all of which compare favorably with
those of other cities, in beauty, comfort, and
completeness. The most celebrated of these
is the great Tabernacle, on the North Side,
where Moody and Sankey held great revivals
some years ago. It will seat about ten
thousand persons. Mr. Moody visits it fre-
quently, and is always welcomed by a full
house, that appreciates that divine's wonder-
ful gift of oratory. The pulpits, generally,
are ably occupied by ministers, some of whom
rank the highest in America. Among the
most distinguished are Prof. David Swing,
Dr. H. M. Thomas, Dr. Burrows, Dr. Gun-
saulus, and others. Although there are many
church attendants, in no other American city
are there so many persons who spend the day
in festivity and pleasure. All laws for Sun-
day observance have been repealed; but, in
appearance, it is as orderly and quiet as any
other large city.
Chicago cannot yet boast of a crematory,
but it has twenty beautiful cemeteries, the
finest of which is Graceland, situated near
THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY. ? 2
o o
Lake Michigan, five and a half miles north of
the center of the city. By a great amount of
labor, skill and a lavish expenditure of money,
this ''city of the dead" rivals, in landscape
effect, the famous parks. Its monuments are
conspicuous, costly, and varied in sculpture;
many of them are original and striking in de-
sign. The Hon. Thomas B. Bryan, of
World's Fair fame, founded this cemetery in
1861.
But Chicago has not yet gained its em-
inence. Its fine immense business blocks,
elegant residences, public libraries, institu-
tions of learning, and the great industrial
force, with its invincible energy of commerce,
speak very distinctly of a living, growing
and progressive city that has not yet reached
the climax of its greatness.
The history of Chicago is brief; only a
little over fifty years. Formerly it was sit-
uated upon a level with the lake, and stairs at
nearly every block to mount and descend
familiarized the early settlers with the ups
and downs of life; but now it lies fourteen
feet above those waters, having been raised
to that grade entirely by the skill and energy
34
THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
of her citizens. Nearly all this labor has
been accomplished since 1856. The city now
is on an inclined plane, rising toward the west
to the height of twenty-eight feet, giving
excellent drainage. Under this surface is
represented an enormous amount of labor, in
the extensive sewerage system, water pipes,
and gas pipes, together with electric and tel-
ephone wires, all of which form an under-
ground network.
In 1837, Chicago, numbering four thousand
one hundred and seventy inhabitants, became
a city, with an area of about ten square miles,
containing six wards. Three years later
(1840) the United States census disclosed a
population of four thousand four hundred
and seventy-nine. From this period to the
date of the great fire in 1871, the city con-
tinued to grow in population, wealth and im-
provement. Its progress surprised the world
and developed pride and energy in its own
citizens.
The United States census of 1870 gave
the city a population of two hundred and
ninety-eight thousand nine hundred and sev-
enty. But the great fire of October 8, 1871,
THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
35
which destroyed about $190,000,000 worth of
property, and rendered homeless ninety-eight
thousand five hundred persons, interrupted
its progress for a short time. In a year after
this destruction a large part of the burnt dis-
trict was rebuilt, showing great improvements
and more substantial structures than before.
On July 14, 1874, another fire consumed over
six hundred houses, the larger number of them
being wooden shanties, but fortunately did
not destroy the magnificent buildings of the
rebuilt section. From that time on the city
has grown in wealth and population, reaching
the mark of the second city in population of
the United States, and the largest in area of
the world. Despite fire, storms and commer-
cial perplexities, it is marching onward, evi-
dently with the prospect of being the Paris of
America. Already it has been suggested that
Chicago is the natural seat of government, be-
ing located in the central part of the country,
and more convenient to the people. Why not ?
The World's Fair City is a beautiful city.
Everything seems to be provided here for the
welfare and happiness of the people; but,
despite this fact, there is much sorrow and
THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
suffering which it is not pleasant to record.
The restless and selfish energy of the times
has its results, always, in frequent downfalls
and misfortunes; but there is a spirit of enter-
prise manifested here that may attack the
monster Injustice with a grip that will trans-
form the city into a model city. Utopia!
you say; but greater things have happened.
The great Columbian Exposition, which
celebrates the four hundredth anniversary of
Christopher Columbus' discovery of America,
will be held here in 1893.
FERD \V. PECK.
CHAPTER II.
FERD. W. PECK.
" Under the shell there was an animal, and behind tha document
there was a man. Why do you study the shell, except to bring before
you the animal? so you study the document only to know the
man." Taint.
MR. FERD. W. PECK, to whom the country
is indebted for the idea, formation, and suc-
cessful attainment of the greatest private
enterprise ever accomplished in the world, is
among the most liberal of all the numerous
patrons of art in Chicago. He is the man
who gave his attention and efforts to the
erection of the largest and grandest conven-
tion hall in America, the work of which was
accomplished in a comparatively short space
of time, and in the most thorough manner.
In this way Chicago secured a magnificent
structure, and the American people can boast
of having the largest audience-room on the
surface of the earth.
The idea of an auditorium was conceived
by Mr. Peck some time before he presented
37
38 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
it to the public; and the necessity felt during
the great opera festival of 1885, which he
organized and carried through so successful-
ly, further developed the project. In May,
1 886, he presented the subject before the Com-
mercial Club of Chicago in a carefully pre-
pared speech, in which he called attention to
the demands of the country for an assembly-
room for the accommodation of political and
other conventions, reunions of army societies,
and operatic or other musical festivals; he
also referred to the fact that seven national
political conventions had already been held
in Chicago, and that for six of them tempo-
rary halls had been constructed at a large and
necessarily wasteful expenditure of money.
Thus was demonstrated the desire to promote
a sentiment of fraternity among the people of
the United States by providing a common
place of assembly for the deliberations of vast
representative bodies of men, and for the
amusement of the masses at reasonable prices.
This magnificent building is the pride of
Chicago's citizens, and the admiration of vis-
itors from all over the world, not only on ac-
count of its great size and architectural finish,
THE WDITORIUM. 39
but also because of its artistic construction,
which is nowhere impaired by excessive dec-
oration. Hon. Chauncey M. Depew, of New
York City, said: "I have traveled through a
great many cities in this country, and across
the ocean, but this is the most wonderful
building I have ever seen; in fact, it beats
anything in the world."
The "Pan Americans," who visited Chi-
cago October, 1889, were given a reception
in the Auditorium before it was finished. They
were very demonstrative in expressing their
admiration of this beautiful structure. Mr.
Selaya, of Honduras, said: " I think I never
saw so fine an interior in my life. I have
traveled all over the world, and I have seen
most of the great buildings, but I have never
seen a building which was intended for so
great a purpose which could compare with
this. It is grand in the most complete sense
of the word."
It was erected within three years; and no
building was ever watched over with more
care or looked after with greater interest.
For a year or more ways and means for its
erection were discussed; and the elaboration
40 THE WORLD'S PAIR CITY.
of plans progressed slowly, but successfully.
It was decided to build not only a grand hall,
but to combine in one building a magnificent
hotel, and an office block, rivaling any in exist-
ence. Finally, the ground was selected and
secured, with a frontage on Wabash avenue,
Congress street, and Michigan avenue. The
ground was broken for the building January,
1887. The excavations were made twelve
feet below the sidewalk, and the trenches
were dug out to a depth of from seventeen to
twenty-five, feet. Over fifty thousand cubic
yards of sand, loam, and clay were removed,
in order that the foundations could rest upon
solid clay.
For the foundation of the main building,
two transverse layers of twelve-inch timber
were first laid; above these a five-foot layer
of concrete; and in this, three layers of rail-
road bars and beams were imbedded. The
foundation of the great tower was made se-
cure by a double thickness of timber and con-
crete and five layers of iron. To guard against
unequal settlement eight hundred tons of pig
iron, and great loads of brick were used to
weight the foundations until the masonry was
THE AUDITORIUM. 41
put in place. When it was completed, the
tower and the main building stood perfectly
level, without settlement in any part. At one
time one thousand men were employed in the
work and nearly one hundred contractors were
engaged in different parts of the building.
Before the building was half finished the
Auditorium was used by the National Repub-
lican Convention of 1888. All who were
present pronounced it perfect in acoustic prop-
erties, convenience and capacity. It covers
about one and one-half acres of ground,, which
is more than half of an entire block in
area. The main building is ten stories, or
one hundred and forty-five feet in height ;
and the great tower is as large as an ordinary
business block, reaching two hundred and
seventy feet upward. The first and second
stories of this great edifice are built of granite,
and the upper stories of Bedford stone. The
weight of the entire building is one hundred
and ten thousand tons. The weight of the tower
alone is fifteen thousand tons. The building-
was completed February, 1890; and the en-
tire structure pronounced absolutely fire-
proof. The cost or investment represented
42 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
in the whole structure, including the ground,
amounts to over $4,000,000.
Other interesting facts, for the purpose of
reference, or to satisfy the curiosity of readers
and tourists, are recorded. Fifty thousand
square feet of plate-glass were used in the
windows ; and seventeen million brick for the
interior walls. One hundred and seventy-
five thousand feet of wire lath, and eight hun-
dred square feet of terra-cotta were also used ;
the latter being appropriated for decoration.
The mosaic floors are composed of fifty thou-
sand square feet of Italian marble, which con-
tain over fifty million separate pieces, each of
which was placed in position by female hands
in France and Italy. The arts represented by
mosaic work, marble, onyx, and plaster casts,
together with ceiling and wall decorations,
are not equaled in extent in any other build-
ing in America. The iron work cost $600,-
ooo. For illumination and water supply,
twenty-five miles of pipe are used. Ten thou-
sand electric light globes are distributed all
through the building, in order that the most
remote places may be made brilliant with light.
Two hundred and thirty miles of wire and
THE AUDITORIUM. 43
cable are used for this purpose. The inter-
nal appliances for the working force of this
great structure consist of eleven dynamos,
thirteen electric motors for driving ventilating
apparatus and other machinery, four hydraulic
motors for driving machinery, eleven boilers,
twenty-one pumping engines, thirteen elevat-
ors, and twenty-six hydraulic lifts for moving
stage platforms.
Besides the great audience-room this build-
ing contains Recital Hall, which has the
capacity to seat over five hundred persons ;
also, the Auditorium Hotel, which is the finest
hotel in the United States. It contains four
hundred guest-rooms. The Grand Dining-
Room, which is one hundred and seventy-five
feet long, and the Kitchen, are on the top floor.
On the sixth floor is a magnificent Banquet
Hall, which is one hundred and twenty feet
long; it is built on steel trusses, spanning
over the great theater below. The Tower
Observatory is one of the most interest-
ing, and certainly the highest feature of
the building. The United States Signal Ser-
vice occupies part of the seventeenth, eight-
eenth and nineteenth floors. The Lantern
44 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
Tower is two stories above the main floor.
The Observatory, to which the public is ad-
mitted, is thronged with visitors nearly every
day. A view of the city and the beautiful lake
greet the eye. On a clear day a distance of
nearly thirty miles may be seen on the land ;
across the water, Michigan City, which is
forty-five miles distant, is plainly visible.
Two elevators, which are constantly carrying
visitors to the Observatory, consume twenty
seconds in the trip. The business portion of
the great building consists of stores, on the
first floor, and one hundred and thirty-six
offices, part of which are in the Tower.
Adler and Sullivan, the architects of the
structure, occupy several offices in the upper
stories.
The Auditorium has a permanent seating
capacity of over 4,000 ; but, for conventions,
or other great mass meetings, the stage will
be utilized, so that about 8,000 may be accom-
modated. The stage in both breadth and
depth rivals the most famous of ancient or
modern structures. In harmony with every-
thing about this grand theater, the stage ap-
purtenances are of the most magnificent style.
THE AUDITORIUM. 45
Furniture of the sixteenth and seventeenth
centuries contrast with the latest designs of
the nineteenth century artisans. Among the
pieces constructed for the stage are a cabinet,
chair, and chandelier modeled after the Eliza-
bethan style. The banquet furniture is, like
the seventeenth century designs, finished in
old gold and sienna. Brackets on either side
support odd vases and antique bric-a-brac.
Spectacular effects can be produced on this
stage that have never been seen elsewhere.
These equipments cost $175,000, all of which
are fire-proof. The seats, which are arranged
so that everyone can have a clear view of the
stage, are both elegant and comfortable.
Three large mural paintings one placed over
the proscenium arch and one on each of the
side walls express, allegorically, growth and
decadence, the two great rhythms of nature.
The central painting consists mainly of figures,
and the side paintings are out-door scenes,
each containing but a solitary figure. Mr.
Louis H. Sullivan, one of the architects, says :
The direct expression of these paintings tends toward the mu-
sical, for that " the utterance of life is a song, the symphony of nature "
is the burden of the proscenium composition; in its " allegro " and
" adagio " are expressed the influence of music. The side paintings are
46 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
further expressive of the symphony of nature; for in them her tender
voice sings joyously or sadly to the attentive soul of the poet, awaken-
ing there those delicate, responsive harmonies whose name is inspira-
tion. On the side corresponding with the allegro of the central
painting is the " Spring Song," a scene at dawn within a wooded
meadow, by a gently running stream. The poet is abroad to greet
the lark; the pale tints of sunrise suffuse the landscape; the early tinge
of green is over all; the joy of this awakening life deeply touches the
wandering poet, who sings in ecstasy: " O soft, melodious springtime,
first-born of life and love."
The scene then changes to the side corresponding with the adagio.
Here is depicted the natural and calm decline of life. It is an autumn
reverie, the twilight, the symbol of decadence. The scene is of path-
less wilds, in gray, subsiding autumn, where brown leaves settle
through the air, descending one by one to join the dead, while winds,
adagio, breathe shrill funereal lamentations. Tired nature here, her
task performed, divested of her lovely many-colored garment, with-
draws behind a falling veil and sinks to sleep. Sadly musing, the
poet turns to descend into the deep and somber valley, conscious that
" A great life has passed into the tomb, and there awaits the requiem
of winter's snows."
Thus have all things their rise and decline, their dawn and twilight,
their spring song and their autumn reverie; and thus by their symbol-
ism do these mural poems suggest the compensating phases of nature
and of human life in all their varied manifestations. Naturally are
suggested the light and the grave in 'music, the joyous and the tragic
in drama.
The central painting, on its more conventional background of
gold, expresses in its many minor figures the manifold influence of
music on the human mind the dance, the serenade, the dirge; while
a deeper meaning, conveying the rhythmic significance of life's song,
is embodied in special groups and figures wholly symbolical in char-
acter. At the right is an altar on which burns the lambent flame of
life. Before it poses an exultant figure typifying the dawn of life, the
springtime of the race, the early flight of imagination. At the left
another altar is seen on which a fire is burning low and flickering
toward its end ; near it the type of twilight, of memory, tenderness
and compassion, stands with yearning, outstretched arms. The cen-
DEDICATION OF THE AUDITORIUM. 47
tral group signifies the present, the future and the past. The present,
a lyre in her hand, sits enthroned, the embodiment of song of the
utterance of life. Towards her all the elements of the composition
tend, and at this focal point is developed their full significance and
power for the present is the magical moment of life it is from the
present that we take the bearings of the future and of the past
It seems almost useless to attempt a minute
description of the details of this great build-
ing. On account of its vast size, it would re-
quire a week to inspect it thoroughly. How-
ever, it may be said that nothing essential to
utility or beauty was neglected. It is said
that the artist, the poet, the capitalist, and the
matter-of-fact business man are alike satis-
fied.
DEDICATION OF THE AUDITORIUM, MONDAY
EVENING, DECEMBER 9TH, 1889.
The dedication of this now celebrated
structure was a great event in the city of Chi-
cago. The President and the Vice-President
of the nation were present, and the Governors
ofseveral States; besides prominent Canadian
officials who honored the occasion. It was
not only a triumph of American progress, but
it celebrated a success in American architect-
ure, and gave to music an appropriate abode.
The hall, with its arched roof of old ivory and
48 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
gold, made more brilliant with electricity, was
a scene of grandeur. The stage looked like a
mite in comparison with the vast assemblage
before it; and when you turned from the foot-
lights and looked back, the parquet presented
the appearance of a rare flower garden dotted
with reflecting dewdrops. Above this ranged
the curving balcony with thousands of faces,
looking eager and expectant upon the grand
scene; next the straight line of the second
balcony with its rows of sightseers, and high-
est of all the gallery, the occupants of which
seemed but specks of humanity.
The forty private boxes which adorn the
sides of the theater were occupied by Chi-
cago's loveliest and most fortunate matrons
and daughters. Beauty, jewels, costly and
unrivaled costumes, and happy faces reigned
here supreme. These seats were bought at
high premiums at the public sale of tickets,
and were secured by Chicago's more wealthy
citizens. Eight temporary boxes, which were
arranged on either side of the stage, were
occupied mostly by distinguished people from
abroad; but the dense mass of singers and
musicians made invisible any distinctive lines.
THE AUDITORIUM.
DEDICATION OF THE AUDITORIUM. 49
In the right hand box President Harrison,
Professor Swing, Mr. Ferd. W. Peck and Mrs.
Peck were conspicuously prominent; but the
occupants in the boxes back of them were lost
in the throng. A beautiful bank of red and
white carnations and roses with the inscrip-
tion, " Welcome to our honored guest, " was
placed on the right hand side of the stage.
Governor Fifer and a party of friends occu-
pied the first box on the opposite side.
The exercises of the evening were all choice
and ably rendered. The first number on the
program was a Triumphal Fantasie, com-
posed for the occasion by Mr. Theodore
Dubois, of Paris, at the request of the Au-
ditorium Committee. It was performed by
the Grand Italian Opera Company, and lo-
cal musicians, with an accompaniment on the
Auditorium's grand organ by Clarence Eddy.
The music, a variety of strains, many of which
were pronounced delightful, served to bring
out the peculiar adaptable features of the
great organ.
The next number introduced Hon. DeWitt
C. Cregier, Mayor of Chicago. He was
greeted with a roar of applause, which he
tjO THE WORLDS FAIR CITY.
acknowledged with dignity, and then ad-
dressed the great assembly as follows:
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, FRIENDS AND FELLOW CITIZENS:
I am impressed with this scene here represented and am deeply
sensible of the honor conferred in being permitted to welcome within
this spacious and magnificent temple this large and distinguished
audience. This important and interesting event is graced by the
presence of the chief executive of the nation (applause), by the vice-
president, by members of the national administration, by the chief
executive of our own commonwealth (applause), by the governors of a
number of our sister states, and by thousands of ladies and gentlemen
from abroad and from our own metropolis, to all of whom it is my
grateful privilege to extend in behalf of the Auditorium association
and in the name of the city of Chicago a warm and cordial greeting.
(Applause. ) To the President of the United States I desire especi-
ally to convey assurances of the high respect for him personally of the
people of Chicago and of their devoted loyalty to his high office.
(Applause.) Chicago appreciates justly and fully the honor accorded
this great enterprise and the magnificent national and state recognition
given it and your generous presence here, who have accorded so
magnificent a recognition.
In this structure is symbolized brains, labor and intelligence,
from which instrumentalities the crude elements of nature have been
found and fashioned by the hand of man into a thing of beauty and
a joy, if not forever, at least for generations to come. (Applause.)
Permit the eye, that masterpiece of nature's work, to serve the
outlines of this grand structure, and we shall see everywhere in trained
symmetry and art the children, so to speak, of that noble and ancient
science, geometry, on the basis of which this grand structure was
erected, beautified and adorned.
Here, too, my friends, we may discern the train of evolution
practically illustrated. The site of this building was, a little more
than a half a century ago, land almost in a state of nature, occupied
here and there by the rude Indian wigwam, no more. Less than two
decades have passed since this spot was surrounded by a charred and
blackened debris of a ruined city, the only legacy left to a ruined and
heroic people. (Applause.)
DEDICA TION OF THE A UD1TORIUM. 5 1
The mind who conceived and carried to completion this master-
piece of architecture, unlike the men of other ages and of other lands,
built not for personal power nor simply for material aggrandizement;
they had higher aspirations, the chief among which was the honor and
glory of their city and the culture of our people. It is by such deeds
and by such designs that true wealth reaches its best estate. Hoarded
wealth is base metal, mere dross; it is that wealth that is used and
devoted for the best end, for the greatest number, that is precious and
has intrinsic value.
The Auditorium is an illustration of this sentiment, because
within its walls may be found thorough and ample facilities for the
masses of the people to enjoy the display and portrayal of art, science,
literature, poetry, music, and the drama. Here Shakespere, Milton,
Webster, Clay, a Forrest, a Cushman, a Lind may metaphorically
speak again, and the works of those great artists and other great artists
may be carried out here and delineated on a scale of elegance and
magnitude that cannot be found in any other structure on this con-
tinent.
But whether this great building be regarded from an artistic,
scientific, or utilitarian point of view, it surely stands out in the broad
sunlight of day an enduring monument to the projectors of it. I am
sure I shall but voice the unanimous sentiments of an appreciative
public when I extend to President Ferd. W. Peck (applause), and his
wealthy associates the^hanks of the general public, not only the people
of Chicago but elsewhere. I desire also to extend congratulations to
the architects and engineers (applause) by whose skill and ability this
grand edifice has received its majestic proportion and has arisen suc-
cessfully from foundation to cope-stone.
Let us not forget also to recognize the artizans and laborers who
have been engaged on this great work (applause), and whose fidelity
and zeal have contributed so much to its success, and without whose
brain and brawn the wealth of the world and the crude elements of
nature would remain dormant. As a conspicuous example of what
wealth, art, and labor may accomplish, behold the great Auditorium !
May the great building be preserved and be handed down unimpaired
to future generations.
Ever since symmetry began and harmony displayed her charms,
music, that elevated and reviving science, has affected the feelings and
tj 2 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
heart of mankind. Few who have not felt its influence; it is an at-
tribute of Deity.
My friends, I have tried in these few simple words to comprehend
these magnificent surroundings, conscious, however, that there still
awaits this grand audience still greater charms. Here in our midst is
the queen of song, Patti (applause), whose God-given graces and
melody and inspiring strains of music are to be the first to reverberate
through this great chamber and add additional luster to the already
brilliant Auditorium.
And now, my friends, one more word and I will retire. With
all the beauty of surroundings and all the joy that there appears to be
here, there is just one little regret flitting through my mind, and that
is that Chicago's Auditorium stands alone. Solitude is not desirable
on any occasion, but where so grand a creature as this exists it is to
be sorely regretted. Hence the people of Chicago, recognizing this
fact, are making an honest effort to secure a mate. The bride is a
little timid yet; she has not consented; but we hope to win her hand
and heart. And now I avail myself of this opportunity to invite his
excellency the President of the United States to the wedding which
will occur in this city, on the banks of this matchless lake, in 1892.
(Great applause.) We invite the people of all the states, all the
governors, and all the peoples of the world to come here, and under
the auspices of the memory of that matchless and intrepid navigator,
Christopher Columbus, perform the ceremony.
The Mayor's allusion to the greatness of
the enterprise and the energy of Mr. Peck,
created great enthusiasm. The speaker's
invitation to the President to attend the
"grand wedding" in 1892 created a stirring
applause.
When Mr. Cregier retired the audience
called loudly for Mr. Peck. He was fanning
himself with a souvenir program, when he
FERD. W. PECK.
53
listened to repeated calls, hesitated, and then
finally yielded to the demand. His remarks
were appropriate, and delivered in clear, full
tones that were distinctly heard in all parts
of the hall. He said :
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: It is impossible for me to express my
feelings to night. This recognition of our work forms a proud
moment in my life's history. As I look upon this audience I am
reminded of a similar occasion nearly five years ago, at which time a
prediction was made. I then said that occasion would prove the step-
ping stone to a grander and more enduring temple, where the rich and
the poor and all classes could meet together upon common ground
and be elevated and enlightened by the power of music, now typified
over this arch. How well that prediction has been fulfilled, this hall
and this surrounding edifice can best answer. This has been done out
of a desire to educate and entertain the masses. This has been done out
of the rich man's largeness and the poor man's mite for the benefit of
all. (Applause). This achievement is the result of a cohesion among
public-spirited men, who have stood together for a common cause in a
manner that has no parallel in history. Where else on earth could it
have been done? In what other city but Chicago^would it have been
possible? (Applause).
In behalf of the citizens of Chicago I desire to thank these men.
In behalf of myself I desire to express my profound recognition of
their splendid support and of the confidence which they have reposed
in me. (Applause). I never can forget it. It has been to me the
brightest spot during the four years of toil and thought involved in
this undertaking. These men in a le~gal sense own this building, but
in reality they are trustees for the people of Chicago (applause), for
this structure belongs to Chicago and stands for the benefit of our
community and of our country.
I desire to express my recognition of the cordial co-operation of
the board of directors and of the executive committee, who have stood
by me so gallantly.
The architects of this building are entitled to a large share of
54 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
credit. (Applause. ) These men have faced successfully unprecedented
problems. These men should never be forgotten. The manager of
the Auditorium and his staff have fought a hard battle that you might
be here to-night and during the ensuing season. Over one hundred
contracting firms have shown an interest in this work that is rare, and
have met every demand made upon them. We must not forget the
army of workingmen who have labored with their hands day and night,
and have shown a zeal which is without precedent. (Applause.)
They knew that they were erecting an edifice for themselves and their
associates, as much as for any class. They knew that the Auditorium
stood for all.
Ladies and gentlemen, we are surrounded to-night with distin-
guished guests. The chief magistrate of our nation is with us.
(Applause.) The Vice- President of the United States is here.
(Applause.) The governors of many of our sister states are here.
(Applause.) The representatives of the Canadian government are
here. (Applause.) We are, indeed, honored. The Auditorium is
indeed magnificently indorsed. The Auditorium -is from this day a
government building. It is nationalized. (Applause.)
In conclusion, Mr. Peck turned from the
audience a moment, took Mr. Harrison by
the hand, and leading him to the front of the
stage, said: "Ladies and gentlemen, I have
the distinguished honor of introducing to you
the President of the United States." Presi-
dent Harrison was received with great ap-
plause. Hundreds of people arose and waved
their handkerchiefs. Enthusiastic expres-
sions came from all parts of the theater. He
was not on the programme for a speech, but
his ready wit proved equal to the occasion.
PRESIDENT HARRISON. 55
He stepped slowly to the front and bowed.
Once more there was silence while he ad-
dressed an attentive audience, as follows:
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: Some of my newspaper friends have
been putzling themselves in order to discover the reason why I had
left Washington to be here to-night. I do not think I need to set in
order the motives which have impelled my presence. Surely no loyal
citizen of Chicago who sits here to-night under this witching, magnifi-
cent scene will ask for any other reason than that which is here pre-
sented. (Applause).
I do most heartily congratulate you upon the completion and
inauguration of this magnificent building, without an equal in this
country, and, so far as I know, without an equal in the world.
(Applause. ) We have here about us to-night in this grand architect-
ure, in this tasteful decoration, that which is an education and inspira-
tion. (Applause.) It might well attract those whose surroundings
were altogether pleasant to make a longer journey than I have made
to stand for an hour here (applause), and if that be true surely there
is reason enough why the President may turn aside for a little while
from public duty to mingle with his fellow-citizens in celebrating an
event so high and so worthy as this. (Applause.) Not speech, cer-
tainly not the careless words of extempore speech, can fitly interpret
this great occasion. Only the voice of the immortal singer can bring
from these arches those echoes which will tell us the true purpose of
their construction. (Applause. )
You will permit me, then, to thank you, to thank the mayor of
Chicago, to thank all those good citizens with whom I have to-day
been brought in personal contact, for the kindness and respect with
which they have received me; and you will permit me to thank you,
my fellow-citizens, for the cordiality which you have witnessed here
to-night. I wish that this great building may continue to be to all
your population that which it should be, opening its doors from night
to night, calling your people here away from care of business to those
enjoyments and pursuits and entertainments which develop the souls
of men (applause), which will have power to inspire those whose lives
are heavy with daily toil, and in this magnificent and enchanted
2 6 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
presence lift them for a time out of these dull things into those higher
things where men should live. (Applause. )
After the President returned to his box, the
Apollo Club, consisting of about five hundred
members, under Professor Tomlins' direction,
and about two hundred of the Cecilia choir of
young ladies, sang "America." The effect was
very impressive; the great volume of tones
filled the immense space completely. The
second stanza was sung by the ladies, with
an accompaniment played very lightly. The
third stanza was given by all the voices, with-
out accompaniment. It was sung accurately,
and with great fervor and effect. The audience
was captured; each one seemingly filled
with patriotic enthusiasm as the triumphal
words and tones rolled and echoed through
the immense arches.
The third musical number was the work of
Mr. Frederic Grant Gleason, and Miss Harriet
Monroe, residents of Chicago. It was Mr.
Peck's intention that, so far as practicable, the
Auditorium should bring out Chicago's liter-
ary and artistic talent. The text of the can-
tata was composed by Miss Monroe. The
introductory stanza opened with "Hail to
MR. JOHN S. RUNNELLS. 57
thee, Chicago"; and the final chorus began
with " City of freedom, city of our love ! the
golden harvests of the world are thine," and
closed with the words, "Out of the dark an
eagle to the sun speeds on; awake! 'tis day!
the night is done." Musical critics pro-
nounced it a credit to the composers; as
"having accomplished a difficult task in a sat-
isfactory manner." It was well rendered by
the Apollo Club and the orchestra, meeting
with a cheering reception from the audience.
Mr. John S. Runnells, of Chicago, who
was the orator of the evening, followed. He
said:
The age of wonders has not passed. There is nothing in history
like the splendid scene which I see before me. There are people
beneath this roof who were busied with their school books when the
place whereon we stand was but a wilderness. A little more than half
a century has passed away. Lo, the spot has become like enchanted
ground.
Macaulay's famous picture of the New Zealander standing on the
broken arch of London bridge and sketching the ruins of St. Paul has
b^en more than surpassed. Far less improbable would have been the
picture in 1830 of a man standing here, as I stand to-night, in such a
magnificent building as this, with these gleaming arches above him,
with these thousands of electric lights flashing back the beauty of such
an assemblage, with the roar of a great city all about him which is
hushed to rest, I do not wonder at Edmund Burke, matchless orator
as he was, feeling once the occasion to be greater than words, falter-
ing, becoming mute. There is an eloquence in this scene before me
which no speech can rival, no tongue surpass.
5 8 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
I stand in the presence of the highest officer of the grandest
nation on earth. (Applause. ) Thrice welcome to this hall and this
occasion is the President of the United States. (Applause.) I voice
the feeling of every patriot who is before me when I say, may his Ad-
ministration be so wise and just, so fair to all, without distinction of
party, that it shall live as resplendent upon the pages of history as
gleams the gold upon these encircling arches.
I stand in the presence of the second in political rank in this great
country, a man whose career calls to my mind those merchant princes
whose sagacity and liberality made Venice the Queen of the Adriatic.
I stand in the presence of others of national fame, whose coming
from afar has invested this occasion with a national significance.
Lastly, I stand in the presence of these representatives of the city
of our pride and our love, conscious of the miracle of her history, re-
joicing in her past and confident of her future, gratefully welcoming
to her treasures this new gem upon her bosom. Ambitious for her
growth, not so much in wealth and numbers as in mind and zeal and
purpose, so that wherever the name of Chicago shall be mentioned it
shall be said she is less great for her silver and gold than for the char-
acter which makes golden the lives of her sons and daughters.
And what shall be said of the scene of this temple ? I stand in
the grandest hall upon the face of the civilized earth. Oratory never
had such a magnificent scene. Could Demosthenes come back to
earth to-night and stand upon this rostrum and make that plea for his
fame which has sent it down through the ages, who shall be able to
measure his eloquence under such an inspiration ?
Italy has been the favored home of music for a thousand years,
but Verdi and Rossini never listened to music in such a royal temple
as that in which we shall hear the queen of song to-night. Germany
is illustrious as the birth-place of Beethoven and Mozart, but the
fatherland never reared so fit a shrine for their worship as has arisen
here beyond the sea. Talma, the actor, divided with Napoleon, the
emperor, the dominion of Paris ; but Talma never walked in mimic
majesty across such a stage as this.
Oratory, music, the drama, human hearts in all generations have
been won by your charms and conquered by your power! Into your
hands to-night we intrust the cause of this structure. Let them never
be turned save only for the best fruits of your vineyards. May this
MR. JOHN S. RUN NELLS. 59
curtain never descend, may it never rise save upon the play which
makes the heart better, save upon the song which makes the soul
purer, save upon the speech which shall lead the thought upward to-
ward the summit of human knowledge,
This building was born of an idea. It was not the idea of Acrop-
olis; it was not the idea of the pyramids; it was not the idea of the
dome of St. Paul's. No; it was a higher idea than that of pyramid or
dome or temple.
Chicago includes in her treasures and she has many treasures
she includes in her treasures a citizen of large public spirit and broad
philanthropy. I shall not name^ him, I need not name him, but if
you ask for his monument look about you. (Applause.) Born upon
Chicago's soil, imbued with its energy and its life, he conceived the
idea of erecting here a large public hall for the amusement and instruc-
tion of the masses. His generous-spirited fellow-citizens sprung to his
aid, and to-night you behold the completed result. The motive that
animated him, animated them. It was not per cent, but public spirit.
There is not a stone in this immense structure from lowest foundation
to topmost tower that has not been laid without gain as its propelling
motive.
As the walls of Babylon were under that darkened curtain, so
these walls are adorned with the spirit which shall far outshine its
gold decorations, the spirit that seeks to make man wiser and better.
It was his idea that this should be national in character. We have in
this country few national monuments. We have few public buildings
of a national character. We have no Westminster Abbey in which to
bury our mighty dead. We have no holy temple such as the tribes of
Israel used to gather in and view the sacred scenes that commemo-
rated the triumph of their fathers. We have no hall of William
Rufus which has witnessed the crowning of thirty kings and reverber-
ated to the eloquence of Sheridan. These things are products of
older lives than ours.
People build houses before they rear temples. They make laws
before they rear monuments. The generations before us had more
imperative work than cultivating the arts. The national monuments
which in other countries represented their national pride, with us
have been the desire to honor the individual man. " I am the State,"
said Louis the Fourteenth. " I am the State," says the American
60 THE WORLDS FAIR CITY.
citizen. The national monument in which he takes pride is the Con-
stitution and the laws of his land; that Constitution which whispers in
the ear of the humblest workman, concerning the work of his hands,
that even if it be seed sown in tears, if decay and the destroying ele-
ment shall spare it, government shall spare it also.
We have in this country, as I have said, but few national monu-
ments. Washington has one, from whose lofty height the perpetual
benediction of the Father of his Country descends upon its Capitol.
Illinois has another, which commemorates and is therefore blessed
forever the immortal Lincoln. (Applause). I hope this hall and
this stage shall be in years to come like the rock of Horeb of holy
writ. I hope to see constantly going out from it abundant streams of
the newest and best thought to beautify not Chicago only, but the
whole land. I hope to see it a pillar of cloud by day and pillar of fire
by night to light us nearer and nearer to perfect manhood and woman-
hood. It was the prayer of Ajax:
" Dispel this cloud, the light of heaven restore,
Give me to see, and Ajax asks no more."
I wish this building to help answer that prayer, I wish it to help
dispel the cloud, to be a light set on a hill, shining into human hearts
to make them happier and better; shining out upon bad laws that good
ones may replace them; shining out upon the public taste and teaching
how it may be improved; shining in the homes of the poor and show-
ing how they may be made better; shining into the homes of the rich
and revealing the grace of the homely virtues; and wherever it shines,
on high or low, on rich or poor, on hearts or homes, carrying healing
upon its wings. (Applause.)
I hail this new educator in our midst. It will make our lives
richer and better, not only by what it is but by what it shall do. Our
hearts need educating as well as our heads. We need an antidote to
selfishness, a stimulant to self-forgetfulness. The man who is moved
in the play or the opera from imaginary sorrows, whose heart is stirred
within him at the sight of the suffering of some child of fancy, takes to
his home a heart full of love and sympathy for those of his own house-
hold. Something of the feeling that has gone up in the play is carried
PATTL 6 1
away to lighten and beautify his own fireside. An American poet has
well said of the drama:
" Never did poesy appear so full of force to me as when
I saw how it did pierce through pride and fear to lives of coarsest men.
I thought, these men shall carry hence firmness, their former life above,
And something of a higher reverence for beauty, truth, and love."
In the history of a place like this there is much of interest. Beau-
tiful as it is to-night in all that taste and skill can do, not many years
will have passed before it will be more beautiful still in associations.
When the old Drury Lane Theater burned and Sheridan, its owner,
was receiving the condolences of his friends, he said, " we can build
another Drury Lane Theater, but it will not be the one in which Kean
triumphed or Garrick won immortal fame."
As I look into the future to-night I can see passing before me a
panorama of figures illustrious in eloquence, in the drama, and in
song. This hall shall yet reecho to the sound of voices which have
moved the world by their eloquence or their beauty. This stage shall
yet be occupied by figures which fame has crowned with garlands.
These seats shall yet be filled with audiences sitting spellbound beneath
the magic of some master mind. Scenes will be enacted beneath this
roof which may change the fortunes of parties, mold the policy of the
government, and affect for weal or woe the destinies of a hundred
millions of people. And the great'master of the drama shall yet
look down from the seat of his immortality upon the production of
his works upon this stage, before audiences more appreciative of him,
with higher admiration of his marvelous genius, than those who felt
the touch of his hand or heard the sound of his voice. (Applause.)
Then came the " Queen of the lyric stage,
the adorable Patti." Every one now prepared
for the great treat of the evening. She sang
"Home, Sweet Home." As she came for-
ward the house gave her a hearty greeting.
Ladies waved their handkerchiefs, and the
gentlemen cheered. Of course she sang per-
62 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
fectly, and with that admirable simplicity of
expression that is characteristic of her artistic
skill. The audience applauded almost wildly
until she returned to answer the encore by
singing a Swiss song, that showed the mar-
velous quality of her voice. Although per-
sistent applause followed, another draft on
the voice of the cantatrice failed ; but was
only abandoned after repeated calls acknowl-
edged by her appearance on the stage in
graceful recognition of the compliment.
After fifteen minutes' intermission, in which
the audience was invited to leave their seats
for recreation, Governor Fifer delivered the
dedicatory address. He said :
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: We are met to-night to dedicate
this magnificent temple to the muses and to man. The enterprise
which conceived and the liberality which patronized this vast and truly
philanthropic undertaking stand as proof that the diamond of Chicago's
civilization has not been lost in the dust of the warehouse, nor tram-
pled beneath the mire of the slaughter-pen. This Auditorium proves
that culture and art are here keeping pace with a material develop-
ment not surpassed by any in the world. (Applause. )
Amid this blaze of magnificence, where invention and art mingle
in such rare usefulness and beauty, we may well be impressed
with the wonders of that far-reaching triumph wrought beside this lake
by the pioneers of our State, acting under the stimulus of free popular
institutions. Little over half a century ago a few traders camped in a
bog about old Fort Dearborn, at the mouth of the Chicago River,
and bartered trinkets for furs with the Indians of Northern Illinois.
GOVERNOR FIFER. 63
Following came the main army of sturdy, conquering pioneers, and in
place of every wild prairie blossom they put an ear of corn. Old Fort
Dearborn has by the touch of the enchanter become in half a century
the great western metropolis, "with spires and turrets crowned," the
greatest railroad center in the world ; the granary of the broadest and
richest agricultural expanse beneath the sun ; seat of a yearly manu-
facture reaching hundreds of millions, and site of the great World's
Fair of 1892. (Applause.)
" Amid all this material progress we praise God it has been remem-
bered that man has an immortal| spirit not less important to be fed
than his animal body. Material wealth is but the soil of civilization ;
culture and taste its fruitage and its crown. This hall is a splendid
blossom upon the tree planted here by the pioneers in the days of old
Fort Dearborn. We have passed in half a century from the war-
whoop of the savage to the ravishing strains of Patti. (Applause. )
This event is of more public significance than any ordinary theatrical
opening, as is evinced by this vast and intelligent assembly, including
as it does the executive head of this great Republic. I am well
assured, however, that this splendid audience chamber is meant to
popularize high and costly entertainments. It is to be a resort pre-
eminently of the people where the increased number accommodated
will bring prices within the reach of those of small means. I am
assured it has been built to supply a need of the laboring people
rather than an investment for capitalists. This fact justifies me in
pronouncing, as I now do, a few words of dedication, and in behalf of
the people, whose interests my position and my past life entitle me in
some sort to represent, I heartily thank the builders of this demo-
cratic institution.
Perhaps injustice I should mention all who have contributed to this
enterprise of their money and energy, or else mention^none; yet there
is one man with whom the opening of this popular resort has been so
supreme an object, one to whose dauntless energy and sleepless indus-
try this great result is so much due, that I feel his name may, without
implied disparagement to any, be pronounced at this dedication, and it
is with no small pleasure to me personally that I now, in the name of
the people of Chicago and the commonwealth, thank above all others
Ferd. W. Peck, for his great efforts, his energy, and his enlightened
liberality, without which this enterprise might have failed. He labored
6 4
THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
and he triumphed. His reward is the gratitude of his fellow-citizens.
He has helped to prove that however swiftly the star of empire may
take its way westward, the star of intellectual progress is able to keep
pace with it. (Applause. )
May it be his to verify the poet's words:
The drying up a single tear has more
Of honest fame than shedding seas of gore.
Henceforth within this spacious hall, with its diamond lights set in
arches of gold, will gather the beauty, the culture, and the wisdom of
your great city. Here will be a refuge for the anxious and a haven
of rest for the weary. Care will here nightly cast its burden at the
feet of the muses. The vexations of the shop and the ennui of repose
will at this shrine find equal solace, while peace and joy and laughter
will assuage all the pangs of the restless working day. Nor will this
be a place of mirth alone, but also at times of tears; not tears of bit-
terness and sorrow, but tears that fall between the rills of laughter or
that come in those high and holy moments when the rapt soul can find
no other language.
We then dedicate this temple of the people to the muses of art and
song, and may they in turn be here dedicated to the use of man, and
let their sister Clio, too, with unerring pencil, write the just praises of
all who love and serve their fellow-men. (Great applause.)
When Governor Fifer referred to the energy
and enterprise of the Chicago people, and the
beauty and purposes of the hall, great appre-
ciation was manifested by the audience; and
his warm commendation of Mr. Peck brought
forth vigorous applause from all parts of the
house. At the conclusion of the address the
Apollo Club sang the "Hallelujah" chorus
from "The Messiah. " Then the audience dis-
persed, while the tones of the great organ
sounded through foyer and corridor.
THE AUDITORIUM. 65
Two hours before the time for the formal
exercises to begin, a crowd commenced to
gather in the vicinity of the great building,
and at 9 o'clock a solid mass of human-
ity, and of vehicles, blocked the surround-
ing streets. Splendid equipages, every-day
coupes, and shabby cabs mingled indiscrim-
inately. A strong force of police kept the
throng under control; however, there was
but little disturbance, and the whole event
closed satisfactorily.
This immense structure will remain for
generations a monument and token of Mr.
Peck's ideas of educational, moral, and artistic
progress; and it has given him, not only a
national, but a world-wide reputation. He was
assisted in his plans by the cooperation of
many public-spirited citizens of Chicago, there
being about three hundred stockholders who
have rallied about him, and thus shown their
confidence in his integrity of character and
skill in leadership. The plan of the building is
unique in design. Although many copies of
architectural plans of other buildings in Eu-
rope and the United States were examined,
none of them suited the democratic, but
66 THE WORLLfS FAIR CITY.
esthetic, taste of Mr. Peck. Let us compare
the plan and cost of this great Auditorium
with the Grand Opera House in Paris, which
has only half its seating capacity, occupied
thirteen years in construction, cost $9,000,-
ooo, and has no source of income except the
theater.
Samuel W. Allerton, one of the stock-
holders of the Auditorium, said : " When
Ferd. W. Peck first solicited me to take stock
in the Auditorium, I believed it a foolish in-
vestment; but after passing through the build-
ing I felt like thanking him for including me
as one of the stockholders ; for I feel pleased
that I have aided in the construction of the
finest building in the world, and am connected
with one of Chicago's greatest enterprises.
No thinking young man can pass through
this grand, massive and beautiful building
without profit, for when he looks from the
foundation to the tower he will see that
master minds must have spent days and nights
in bringing it to perfection. It is a work of
art, and American boys can see in Chicago a
structure surpassing any building in the old
world. Its value to Chicago can hardly be
FERD. W. PECK. 67
realized. All great cities after a time reach
their commercial standing, and their further
growth must depend on their ability to
make their homes desirable and pleasant.
Our great public-park system was the first
great move in this direction ; the Auditorium
is the next. The property owners could well
afford to donate its cost ; the lovers of art
have a feast in its symmetry and perfection.
Every man and woman may say, we are glad
Chicago had a man capable of conceiving and
completing so great an enterprise."
During the erection of this great edifice, a
slender form, in dark clothes and shining silk
hat, was always somewhere about the prem-
ises. It was Ferd. W. Peck. His manner is
calm and collected as that of a gentleman of
leisure, but he has as many cares on his mind
as the busiest man in Chicago. He says:
"This building is not erected solely for the
accommodation of the people who are able to
pay extravagant prices for amusement, but
for the masses that they may enjoy the higher
order of entertainments at a price within
their means."
Besides the first named enterprise Mr.
68 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
Peck is prominent in many other public in-
terests. He is president of the Chicago
Atheneum, in which he takes great pride. It
was organized for philanthropical education
of a practical kind; many worthy students
having profited by this valuable opportunity.
He is vice-president of the Chicago Board of
Education, vice-president of the Illinois
Humane Society, and director of the Union
League Club; also a member of the World's
Fair Directory, and Chairman of the Finance
Committee. He was one of the chosen dele-
gates who visited Europe in the interest of
the great Fair of 1893.
Although yet a comparatively young man
Mr. Peck has a record that is exceedingly
praiseworthy. But this fact does not satisfy
the student of human nature who longs for a
Boswell to record every trait, propensity, and
peculiarity of character. Now the interviewer
of the present day is not daunted by obsta-
cles, for whatever he wishes to know is
obtained from acquaintances or friends of the
subject; so that it is not difficult to secure
facts that are satisfactory concerning a man
FERD. W. PECK. 69
who is prominent in about every interest for
the public welfare.
A gentleman who has been associated with
Mr. Peck in his fishing and hunting expedi-
tions in the woods and along the lakes says:
" Mr. Peck is one of those genial, whole-
soul men who can best be studied and most
appreciated for his personal qualities, when
joined with a troop of his friends, or camped
in the woods ; or entertaining his guests in
his hospitable club house at Lake Koshkonong,
or his summer residence at Oconomowoc,
Wisconsin. These houses are ornamented
mostly with the trophies of the hunter and
fisherman when the labor of the day is over,
it is the ideal of restful life. Gathered about
the great fire-place, six feet long, piled with
hickory logs, Mr. Peck is seen by his friends
at his best. He makes every guest feel at
home, and is full of mirth and jollity. No
man loves to throw off his cares better
than Mr. Peck, upon such occasions. He
equally enjoys roughing it in the woods.
He is ready for sport by the rising of the sun
and never lets up until dark. He has not a
spark of selfishness and is always as anxious
;o
THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
for his associates to have a good time as for
himself. With the woodsmen and guides he
is very popular, because his treatment of them
is kind and courteous. There is no place
where the real qualities of a man are more
fully tested than in just such outings, and Mr.
Peck is upon such occasions always a man
among men. "
The subject of this sketch was christened
Ferdinand; but not since his school days has
that royal appellation, suggestive of the event
of Christopher Columbus' discovery of Amer-
ica, the full name, been applied. Another
idea is suggested by the theory of reincarna-
tion that the royal Ferdinand may be living
another career and fulfilling another mission.
Such might be the interpretation of the
theosophists, and they claim God-wisdom.
Historians say: "Ferdinand of Spain pos-
sessed a clear and comprehensive genius, and
great penetration, equable in temper, inde-
fatigable in business, and a great observer of
men. " He is extolled by Spanish writers as
unparalleled in the science of the cabinet.
Now don't understand this to be flattery to
this Ferdinand, for he would have been just
FERD. W PECK. Ji
the one to favor the enterprise of Columbus;
and he may do much to make amends for that
monarch's lack of enterprise by substantial
assistance in the celebration of the great dis-
covery of four hundred years ago.
Mr. Peck is very democratic in his ideas;
he has no sympathy with the assumption of
aristocracy, his interests being wholly with the
masses. He treats every one courteously;
and, despite the demands on his attention,
never shows impatience or lack of sympathy.
If he finds himself at fault in any way, no
one is more ready to acknowledge the error
or to make the necessary amends. Although
holding no decided views regarding religious
belief, he may be seen with his family at Cen-
tral Music Hall nearly every Sunday, listen-
ing to the logical and symmetrical discourses
of Prof. David Swing.
Lack of appreciation has never been his
fate; for he has received many elegantly en-
grossed testimonials from societies and peo-
ple who admire his efficiency and generous
nature.
Among the many decorations placed on the
walls of his office in the Auditorium building
72 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
is an embalmed fish that has a history.
Peck is particularly fond of shooting game
and fishing; as he never does anything on a
small scale, he was off to the Florida coast
trying his skill with rod and reel, when, after
a vigorous struggle of several hours he ac-
complished the great feat of catching a tarpon
(not a tartar), weighing 146 pounds. Now
Mr. Peck, realizing the prevalence of doubt-
ful fish stories and their general acceptance
by the public, had the fish embalmed, thus
preserving it as a proof of the event; so that
he who heard the story could see the fish.
He owns two yachts, one of which is named
"The Tarpon" and the other " Arline," in
honor of his daughter. He has, also, the
distinguished honor of being commodore of
the Wisconsin Yacht Club.
In Chicago, where the Grand Pacific Hotel
now stands, the subject of this sketch was
born in 1848. He was educated in his native
city; graduating in the high school, univer-
sity and law school. Afterward he was ad-
mitted to the bar, and for several years was
actively engaged in the practice of his pro-
fession. His father, P. F. W. Peck, who was
FERD. W. PECK. 73
a far-sighted and judicious business man,
made investments in land which proved very
profitable, thus enabling him to leave a large
estate to his wife, who is still living, and to
his four sons, one of whom has since died,
leaving Clarence, Walter and Ferdinand,
who is the youngest.
In 1870 Ferdinand married Tilla C. Spal-
ding, a charming young lady eighteen years
old. They are now living on Michigan avenue
in a beautiful residence, with six promising
children, four sons and two daughters. Mr.
Peck is a kind husband and affectionate
father their interests are his interests.
They give him their full confidence, knowing
him only as a friend, adviser and protector.
Ferd. Spalding, the eldest son, is attending
the University at Ann Arbor; and Buda, the
eldest daughter, is at Princeton Young Ladies'
Seminary.
Mr. Peck may be described as tall, slender,
of dark complexion, thoughtful countenance
and serious expression. He has a nervous
temperametn, and the appearance of being
strong, but not muscular. He is possessed of
fine intellectual faculties and broad culture.
74 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
Being- of an active, generous and noble dis-
position, his princely fortune did not impair
his usefulness as so many others have been
spoiled but made him stronger to carry out
his ideas of public wants in a practical manner.
To diffuse happiness and promote prosperity,
are privileges greatly to be desired by every
noble character. This work seems to be
Ferd. W. Peck's mission, and he has demon-
strated a fitness and harmony with the en-
vironments which have been provided by Fate,
in carrying out faithfully the work for which
he is so admirably equipped.
HON. THOMAS B. BKYAN.
CHAPTER III.
HON. THOMAS B. BRYAN.
"So happy a life one would gladly repeat,
And bright may it keep to the last."
That the World's Columbian Exposition is
held in Chicago, is attributed in a great meas-
ure to the efforts of Hon. Thomas B. Bryan,
who, from the beginning of the first movement
of the enterprise until it was settled through
national legislation, was actively engaged in
the organization of plans, and in the execution
of the most important measures necessary td
success. He is the author of the resolutions
proposing the World's Fair, offered by him at
the first meeting of Chicago citizens, in the
Common Council chamber, on August i, 1889.
His arguments before a special committee
of the United States Senate in support of the
application of the citizens of Chicago for the
location of the World's Fair in their city, is a
specimen of his rhetorical skill, when placing
in strong contrast the excellent facilities
75
76 THE WORLDS FAIR CITY.
afforded by Chicago, with the hopeless and
helpless defects of New York as he presented
them. Despite the fact that New York's cham-
pion, Hon. Chauncey M. Depew, is regarded
as America's greatest orator and ' ' after-dinner
speaker," Mr. Bryan displayed an ability in
opposing his arguments that was greatly appre-
ciated by the distinguished listeners, and cred-
itably acknowledged by the Washington press.
The audience consisted of a large number of
Senators, besides the committee, and members
of the other branch of Congress, with delega-
tions from New York, Chicago, Washington,
and St. Louis, embracing among them men
representing hundreds of millions of dollars in
their own individual ownership.
Mr. Depew ingeniously prefaced his remarks
by showing that in order to place the United
States properly before the world, the fair
should be made international, and that New
York was the only place where such an exhibi-
tion could be successfully held. ' ' All the vis-
itors from abroad will come first to New York, "
said he. "If in addition to the three thou-
sand miles of ocean travel, there is presented
to them the further necessity of breaking bulk
HON. THOMAS B. BRYAN. 77
and traveling with their goods a thousand miles
into the interior, it would deter many of them
from coming." He adds: " At the threshold
of this discovery we must dismiss the fallacy
which has been urged by the advocates of
Chicago. * * * No fair has been success-
ful unless held in the metropolis of the nation
which authorized the exhibition."
He proved the fact that New York is the
metropolis of the continent, by quoting its
population, resources and commerce, summing
up this argument by saying, ' ' The conven-
tions of all the trades, which are annually held
for mutual benefit, take place in New York,
and are all closed with an annual banquet,
which I invariably attend."
In order to show that arguments presented
by St. Louis and Chicago were fallacious, Mr.
Depew drew in imagination, circles around
different points in the United states, showing
the many inhabitants it contains, but, on ac-
count of its deficiency in hotel accommodations
and internal lines of travel necessary to carry
vast masses to a fairground, and to take them
comfortably away, they would not be suitable
locations.
7 8 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
In conclusion he said, ' ' If the government
should today appropriate to every family in
the United States the money which would
carry them to one place, with the distinct
understanding that they could select no other,
the vote, with a unanimity unequaled in the
expression of desire, from Maine to the Gulf,
from the Atlantic to the Pacific, among farm-
ers, ranchmen, mine-men, merchants, artisans,
professional men, journalists, artists, would be
' Take me to New York. ' '
Hon. Dewitt C. Cregier, Mayor of Chicago,
followed Mr. Depew with a short speech, and
then introduced Mr. Bryan, who delivered the
following address:
Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen of the Committee :
Before entering upon the discussion of this question I
desire to felicitate the competing cities at the wonder-
ful metamorphosis which the last few days have
wrought in their relative positions before the country.
It is only a short time since that imperial I do not
say imperious city of New York, the words of lauda-
tion concerning which just uttered it affords me the
greatest happiness to indorse most emphatically, hesi-
tated, and made known that hesitation throughout the
length and breadth of this land, to say whether it
comported with her imperial dignity to leave that
grand city and come to the capital of the nation to ask
the favor of Congress. We all hesitated and wondered
whether the coy maiden could be induced to join us in
HON. THOMAS B. BRYAN. 79
this competition, and we are very glad at the last
moment to meet her here in the spirit of the greatest
kindness and heartiest fraternity.
Mr. Chairman, I had very great hesitation in
attempting any other than a written address before
this committee, for the reason that I knew New York's
claims would be championed by that prince of ban-
queters, that wonderful son of New York, whose every
utterance seems to be an inspiration, and this morning,
when I observed the grand procession as it entered
this room, of one hundred and three or a hundred and
more New Yorkers, and noticed the delight with which
their countenances were illumined, I hoped that the
representatives of that great city would not be ungen-
erous, would not be selfish.
But the proceedings here remind me of an anecdote
that is told of a Southern community where there were
two colored churches, and both were about to have a
fair just as we are competing for a fair and finally
there was an agreement entered into between the
representatives of the rival churches that if one gave
up to the other the holding of the fair the party releas-
ing its claim should be entitled to a pew in their own
church. When the white people attended their bap-
tisms and weddings they wanted to provide a special
place for their entertainment, and one pew to be set
aside was the acme of their ambition. That agree-
ment was cordially entered into and carried out. After
the pew had been set aside and the congregation had
assembled the colored clergyman ascended the pulpit
and said:
Bredren, on dis occasion dere will be no hymns, no sermon,
but de whole congregation will join me in de little lines I has
wrote for dis occasion:
Glory hallelu-yoo;
We's got de pew
We's got de pew.
80 THE WORLDS FAIR CITY.
When a certain Atlantic steamer arrived at its dock
in New York recently, that great city joined aye, the
whole of Manhattan Island joined in the grand
acclaim, " we has got Depew, we has got Depew! "
Up to that instant there had been apathy, and indif-
ference, and languor, and inertia, but from that
instant the inspiration came, and the wonderful assem-
blage here is the greatest evidence of the result. But,
sir, carrying out the analogy, they ought to give us
the fair, and keep Depew. [Laughter.]
The task assigned me in this discussion is an
enumeration of some of the more prominent reasons
for the location we advocate.
For their more elaborate and statistical treatment I
rely on my associate, who is to follow, as an accom-
plished expert.
The matter under consideration being of a business
character, should, in my judgment, be treated in a
business way.
This country is unique among the nations of the
earth in having four cities eagerly competing for Gov-
ernment recognition as candidates for the location of a
world's fair. That fact alone is a significant com-
mentary upon the progressive spirit pervading the
land, the discovery of which the fair is designed to
celebrate.
The claims of three of those cities have already been
presented to you: of St. Louis, the pride of the great
Father of Waters; of Washington, this queenly city of
cherished name, with its peculiar charms and historic
associations; and of New York, the commercial
metropolis, to whose growth and greatness we bid God-
speed, sincerely proud, as we are, of her front rank
among the great seaports of the world.
In this quasi-nominating convention it behooves
each of those appointed to present the names of
HON. THOMAS B. BRYAN. 8 1
"favorite" cities to abstain from all disparagement of
the competing candidates, except such as results
inevitably from comparisons instituted, and such as
may be justified in response to what may have gone
before. For the sake of economizing time, allow me
to outline the argument by introducing here a series
of questions into which I endeavored some time since
to condense the main features of the discussion.
What are the indispensable requirements of an
eligible location for a world's fair? The answer is,
Are not chief among them abundant supplies of good
air and pure water, as well as ample space, accommo-
dation and transportation for all exhibits and visitors,
together with convenient access to the greatest num-
ber? Can any fair-minded and well-informed man
pronounce Chicago deficient in a single feature of these
essentials? Confining our questions to cities of over
a million of inhabitants, has any other than Chicago
so cool, comfortable, and wholesome a summer
climate ?
You will observe my caution. I said to confine it
to cities of over a million inhabitants, for the gentle-
man who faces me, and who represents that great pride
of the Mississippi river, remarked here the other day
and we were so glad to hear it that by the invent-
ive ingenuity of those desiring to get the fair a weather
clerk in St. Louis had been found to discover that the
summer climate of St. Louis was as cool as that of
Chicago. We want them to lay that to their bosoms
in the dog-days. So in our comparison we confine
ourselves to cities of a million and more of inhabitants.
Has any other city than Chicago so cool, comfortable
and wholesome a summer climate ?
Can any offer to millions of visitors in the dog-days
equal immunity from sun-stroke and disease? Has
any so limitless a supply of fresh air and fresh water
82 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
as the works now in progress of construction insure to
Chicago ? Has any equal hotel accommodations and
railroad facilities, with assurance from hotels of no
increased charges, and with like assurance that the
inland transportation of foreign exhibits will not
exceed the cost that would be incurred in the unavoid-
able breaking of bulk with extra handling and carting
elsewhere? Has any such city an equally accessible
location as Chicago for the great bulk of exhibits and
visitors ?
The answers to these questions are suggested in the
questions themselves, and they will be more accu-
rately and elaborately replied to by the gentleman who
succeeds me, Mr. Jefiery, an accomplished expert.
We sent him to Paris as the representative of Chicago,
and how any one man could have accomplished more
than he did in the brief sojourn he had there, it passes
my comprehension to say.
Mr. Depew said this morning that he had a great
disregard for all arguments that were confined to
circles, and yet without the use of the word ' ' circle ' '
almost every orator who represented New York has
been discoursing today upon features within a radius
of a certain city called New York, and therefore it is
the circle in imagination and in thought, although
they may not use the word ' ' circle ' ' ; and I leave it to
my friend Depew if we cannot show within a reasonable
circle of Chicago a propinquity of population as large
as that which the gentleman discoursed upon for the
vicinage of New York so eloquently this morning.
As to the grounds themselves for the fair proper
Chicago is thoroughly in accord with the views ex-
pressed by Mr. Astor, to the New York committee, in
these words:
"In the first place we must have two or three hun-
dred acres of thoroughly level ground, that must be
HON. THOMAS B. BRYAN. 83
clear of buildings, and that we must be able to oc-
cupy free of cost."
I repeat this in order to emphasize the wonderful
conformity of his absolute requirements to the site
chosen. "In the first place," says Mr. Astor, "we
must have two or three hundred acres of thoroughly
level ground, that must be clear of buildings, and that
we must be able to occupy free of cost."
As to the success of New York in obtaining such a
site, I did not intend to institute any inquiry. I did
not come here with any such idea, but inasmuch as
throughout the whole of the arguments the compar-
ison has been instituted between the cities in one form
and another, in the kindliest feeling I will respond
to them. I examined that site. I tried to walk over
it; that was impossible. I tried to ride over it, and
that was still more impossible, if there can be an ex-
treme to impossibility.
Now, gentlemen, let us state facts today. I know
full well that you gentlemen are here for facts. But
first let us look at the sites in Chicago and the sites in
New York. Can any honest man any straight, fair-
minded, dispassionate man tell me that the site se-
lected in New York is a proper site for a fair, or is it a
dernier resort ?
I observe the restlessness of my friend Mr. Stokes,
for in a large degree to his indefatigable efforts the
New York movement has been carried to its present
position, and I know his mind is set upon that site ;
but notwithstanding that, the truth is, and every man
and every woman in this great country examining the
facts will tell you, Mr. Chairman, that that site is not the
proper location for the World's Fair. It has physical
obstructions; avenues cut through it in all directions.
It has difficulties of unevenness. It requires a vast
expenditure of money to purchase and tear down
84 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
buildings, and it requires the expenditure of a vaster
sum to blast out its rocks.
It needs professional dynamite to blow up the con-
stitution of the State, to occupy that site legally for an
exposition. I know that I reflect some legal minds of
New York City when I say this. I know that it re-
quires an act of condemnation to occupy some of that
land and by the right of eminent domain for individ-
ual enterprises. I know more, that one gentleman in
this room, in this distinguished body from New York,
followed the announcement of the selection of that site
with a deliberate and true report, and to what effect ?
That it was utterly unsuited; that it was physically
almost an impossibility to use it for the purposes indi-
cated, and he gave figures to show that throughout
the entire domain so selected there was not room
enough for the erection of a machinery hall of ade-
quate proportions and capacity. But how the bland-
ishments of the distinguished orator of New York could
change the physical conditions of that ground is
more than I am able to say. The New York
Times gave at length the article of the then critic
of the site, and pronounced him as skilled an ex-
pert m real estate matters as any other man within
that municipality.
Grounds to the extent of one or two or six or ten
hundred acres on our broad plains in and around
Chicago are at our service. There is not a house to
buy, and not a rock to blast, and not a cubic yard to
grade. Not a dollar of rent to pay out of this guar-
antee fund. Throughout the length and breadth of
this land there can be found no city of adequate pop-
ulation and adequate resources that can present to the
Congress of the United States such plans and such
adaptability of ground to the purposes of the great Ex-
position as can Chicago. [Applause.]
HON. THOMAS B. BRYAN. 85
Passing from that to another point, I agree again
that vast congregations of people in the immediate
center and focal point of an exposition is an essential
requisite to its financial success. What have we in
Chicago? We have within five or six minutes, or
possibly ten minutes, to the most remote of our prom-
inent hotels, a park which seems to have been made
and left there unoccupied for this express purpose.
The refrigerator that my facetious friend spoke of is
close and over-looked by it ; and where upon the face
of the globe is a better site for a fine art or machinery
hall than j ust that ? Dispensing entirely with any other
conveyance, there is the old-fashioned "shanks' mare,"
which the great bulk of us in the West love to ride.
(Laughter.) Is not that essential? Is it not essential
that the artisan, and the farmer, and the shop-keeper,
and the man of humble means may be able to reach
that exposition without the expenditure of a dollar,
and walk in and walk out, and get to his home with-
out resort to any means of public conveyance?
Precisely that condition of things must there be, and
based upon it is the calculation of what is necessary
to the success of such an enterprise.
It has been my privilege to spend years abroad, and
to study these expositions in London and in Paris and
in this country, and never yet have I seen the site of an
exposition so physically unsuited for it as the chosen
site in the city of New York, before, at least, its topo-
graphy is changed at a cost of millions. We may rely
that Mr. Astor told the truth when he laid down the
essentials of an eligible location. Beautiful scenery, 1
grant, from some of the rocky summits. So there is*
splendid scenery from the crowning point of Pike's
Peak. Why do the farmers of the land echo the voice
of their representative in the cabinet favoring Chicago
as the location for the exposition, which is tlve
86 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
"center of the greatest stock-raising region of the
globe?"
And here again I listen with intense interest to the
speech on that subject by the gentleman who addressed
you in reference to the agricultural advantages of lo-
cation at New York, led by that distinguished ' 'friend
of the grangers," of whom I can only say Chicago is
very proud, and whom she would have been willing to
have elected to preside over all the granges of the
United States.
Now, what are the facts in regard to the farmer?
It was my privilege a short time ago as delegate to the
St. Joseph convention to talk among the farmers of
the West. They had assembled there from several
States. What did they say? I will tell you what
they said : ' ' We have been treated most abominably
at every great fair held in this country."
And I would like to ask that gentleman how long
has it been since there has been an agricultural expo-
sition in New York? Some gentleman said "two
centuries and a half ago," but that is beyond my time.
That wonderful agricultural State (New York) has
permitted centuries to pass without a single suitable
representation of that interest. Does Chicago act like-
wise? Chicago and St. Louis circles were handled
delicately by Mr. Depew this morning. He has a very
happy faculty of insinuating and driving in the needle
so dexterously that no man complains, but it stings
just the same [Laughter]. I saw a smile playing on
his countenance as he drove in his points. I know he
is very adroit in handling these matters.
Mental adroitness sporting over disjointed facts and
fallacies reminds me of the squirrel sporting over the
top of a ramshackle fence; the agility we admire, but
not the fence.
For illustration, that gifted orator has just coupled
HON. THOMAS B. BRYAN. 87
with his mention of subscriptions to the fair fund the
satirical comment that ' ' the chromo business is impos-
sible in a fair. ' ' He credits Chicago with four millions,
instead of five, which is its actual bona-fide subscrip-
tion, with reserves following that amount. And then
he facetiously adds: "I believe they have assessed
the population within the circle several hundred
millions. ' '
Mr. Chairman, no one objects to the pictures how-
ever highly colored, nor to monuments however colos-
sal, in honor of New York. But I insist that Chicago
is at least entitled to a simple shaft of truth upon a
pedestal of facts.
To the imputation today, and often before, that
whilst New York has moved forward with dignified
and majestic step, Chicago has been sedulously occu-
pied in "brass-band and trumpet- blowing perform-
ances," allow me to say that the truth is precisely the
reverse, as a comparison of the official circulars will
show, and as further proven by this very matter of
fund raising in the respective cities.
Chicago's press has been free from any urging of
subscriptions, relying, as well it might, on the public
spirit ever dominant in that young giant of enterprise.
New York's press, on the contrary, well nigh
exhausted its editorial ingenuity in oft-repeated and
urgent appeals for subscriptions, and at last resorted
to direct goading by name of the non-responding mill-
ionaires.
Even that harsn expedient failed, and the despairing
committeemen applied in frantic appeals to their
Chauncey to save them lest they perish. He went to
the rescue, he went to a banquet, he went for the dilly-
dallying and, amid sparkling wine and sparkling wit,
he cried aloud: "Down with the dust, or we are
gone!"
88 THE WORLDS PAIR CITY.
What is the truth? The farmers of this country
overwhelmingly want Chicago, and I speak advisedly,
for I have watched the agricultural journals of the
country on that subject, and they want the fair at
Chicago, and why ? Simply because in the magnifi-
cence of New York's appropriation for the agricultural
exhibit, as I had occasion lately to say, they devote to
it ten acres, and any strong, spirited, high-mettled
animal of the West would paw the earth and snort his
contempt for such a pitiful appropriation.
Ten acres for this magnificent agricultural site !
What for? New York? No! What for? For the
vast domain of America? Oh, yes; South America
and Mexico as well. Ten acres ! !
Answering this suggestion for making ample pro-
vision for the most extensive farm and stock exhibits,
the New York official circular of the world's fair com-
mittee attempts to turn it into ridicule. Chicago,
whilst projecting an exposition on the grandest scale
possible for this countay, embracing the fine arts and
the most delicate products in every department of
human skill, is not unmindful of the most ancient and
the most useful of all the vocations of man. Nor does
she propose to stint such rural exhibitors, as at the
New York exhibition of 1851, and, indeed, at all
expositions hitherto; but, on the contrary, offers
hundreds of acres for those exhibits alone. Doubtless
there may be some dainty souls who dread to encoun-
ter "country bumpkins and mammoth pumpkins,"
and yet who are partial only to live stock, such as
snub-nosed pugs, with ribboned necks and heads
pillowed in their masters' laps in frescoed chambers.
But the people prefer to see the live stock such as
Webster loved, and Clay loved, and Grant loved:
superb horses, with arched necks, flashing eyes, and
faultless forms, sniffing the morning air, and neighing
HON. THOMAS B. BRYAN. 89
as if in consciousness of nobility of blood, flying like
the wind over broad fields under the canopy of heaven.
Why do the lumbermen, the ironmen, the miners, and
manufacturers of mining machinery, and many other
industries, join in the demand for this central and con-
venient location?
Why not accede to their united preference, offering
the amplest space and the greatest facilities for their
several exhibits, to enable them to show, as never
before, the boundless natural resources of this country ?
For instance: our inestimable mineral wealth in the
richest conceivable display of ores, and of machinery
for their treatment, enlightening our people generally,
as well as home and foreign metallurgists ?
Why should not all Americans and attending
foreigners have an opportunity of judging of the
country as a whole, not by mere inspection of its outer
edge, but by coming into its body, and witnessing its
phenomenal success ?
Why should they not all come to its greatest inland
city a fair in itself, as a marvelous growth in a few
years from a frontier camp to a metropolis of immeas-
urable destiny and see for themselves whether it is
true or false that she is the focus of the greatest inland
commerce of the world; has the most extensive park
system, the longest and most beautiful drives, includ-
ing that named after and worthy of Sheridan, to be
found on this continent; and in the absence of an
Eiffel Tower, another structure, the Auditorium, of
several times its cost, and incomparably greater
utility?
The argument against holding the fair in the interior
based upon the supposed loss of both foreign visitors
and exhibits, because not held at the seaport, has been
completely exploded by the prompt and hearty
responses from leading merchants and the ablest
QO THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
journals of Europe in favor of Chicago. Mr. Jeffery
can relate his personal experience in that matter, and
I need not detain the committee beyond the briefest
mention of a few reports from abroad indicative of the
very general preference expressed in our favor.
t* *r* ^K *r* H* *f^ ^!*
As world's fairs and national celebrations have hith-
erto been held in the extreme East and South, is it not
the West's turn now, by the rules of rotation, and by
every consideration of comity and fairness?
Should I dwell, Mr. Chairman, for a few moments
in the consideration of this final question, it will be
because it suggests, to my mind, by far the most im-
portant reason for the location of the fair in the inte-
rior, its tendency to promote harmony between the
East and the West.
The great body of the people of the West know that
the first suggestion of the fair was in the West and for
the West. Three years after the close of the Philadel-
phia Exposition the subject was first agitated in
Chicago, articles published in the newspapers, corre-
spondence instituted with people at home and abroad,
and application duly made to the Illinois Secretary of
State for articles of association. Ever since then the
subject has been renewed in one form or another in
Western cities until the present competition arose.
Not long after the New York world's fair commit-
tee's first publications, Missourians issued a circular to
a number of Western States for a convention at St.
Joseph, Mo., to unify the sentiment of that section,
and "setting forth why the Columbus Centennial
should be held in some western city as against any
eastern point."
The unanimous action of that convention, including
an exceptionally large St. Louis delegation, was most
emphatic in favor of the object of the call. Since
HON. THOMAS B. BRYAN. 91
that time the conviction has been steadily growing
throughout the entire West, and from Oregon to the
Gulf, that, in view of the holding hitherto of all the na-
tional fairs and celebrations at the extremes of the
country, the Columbus Fair is due to the West, and
to Chicago, its chief representative city. In this mat-
ter Chicago is for the West in the interest of the entire
country, and the West is for Chicago.
The press and the people of that section were never
more nearly unanimous upon any subject lhan that
the forthcoming fair belonged of right to the West.
A distinguished citizen of Nebraska, Mr. Thurston,
in a recent speech declared that having during the
past few months traversed every State and Territory
of the West, and carefully noted the preferences of the
people, he could unhesitatingly assert that there was
scarcely any difference on the subject, nineteen-twen-
tieths being united in desiring the fair to be so held.
Outside of Missouri he heard of Chicago only as the
appropriate place.
The strongest confirmatory evidence of this is the
official action in that behalf of municipal, commercial
and industrial bodies all over the land, and especially
where most hotly contested by competing cities.
The mail of this morning brings me the formal an-
nouncement of like emphatic action of the Denver
Chamber of Commerce, and also of the Common Coun-
cil of Dallas, Tex. , the last of the contested Western
cities. The accompanying letter mentions that Dallas
is ' ' deeply impressed with the benefit to accrue to
Texas by the location of the fair at Chicago, the great
Western metropolis. ' '
Does it never occur to our Eastern competitors that
the foreign visitors, characterized by the New York
committee as the ""elite" from abroad, would in
any event visit those cities as well as others of the
92 THE WORLDS FAIR CITY.
East, thus distributing .the resulting benefits from the
fair?
Would not Washington derive more benefit from
such a gradual influx of strangers, for whom it could
adequately provide, than from a congregation here of
hundreds of thousands, to overtax the already crowded
and expensive hotels ; to overtax the water supply
already insufficient ; to overtax the transportation
facilities, even now a source of constant complaint ; to
overtax the modest means of many thousands of sala-
ried and other citizens by the increased cost of living ?
Many of us, born and raised in the District, and
most anxious for its continual growth and prosperity,
judging from our observations of world's fairs in Eu-
rope and America, are sincerely of the conviction that
because of the summer heat, the want of a vast popula-
tion, and adequate provision for millions of visitors,
Washington would suffer from a world's fair.
A conviction prevails in the West that a denial now
by Congress of the fair to the only great section of the
country that has helped others and patiently waited
for its turn, would be an act of injustice and sectional
favoritism. Meanwhile, the rule early adopted and
rigidly adhered to by Chicago's world's fair com-
mittees (misstatements to the contrary, notwithstand-
ing,) still obtains in the avoidance of all intemperate
language, all harshness or severity of criticism, all
undue noise and display. In all their earnestness, zeal
and activity they have uniformly observed every pro-
priety of discussion.
Mr. Chairman, an Episcopal prelate quoted in this
city, last Sunday, when mentioning in his sermon the
prevailing ignorance or want of appreciation of the
West, the singular utterance of Daniel Webster in the
same direction: "What do we want with this vast
worthless area, this region of savages and wild beasts,
HON. THOMAS B. BRYAN. 93
of deserts, of shifting sands and whirlwinds of dust, of
cactus and prairie dogs ? To what use could we ever
hope to put these great deserts, or those endless moun-
tain ranges, impenetrable and covered to their very
base with eternal snow ? What can we ever hope to
do with the western coast, a coast of 2,000 miles, rock-
bound, cheerless, uninviting, and not a harbor on it ?
What use have we for that country?" This was the
erring judgment of the greatest statesman of the age,
the highest of the illustrious trio, pointed out to the
children of that day as Webster, the thunder, Calhoun,
the lightning, and Clay, the rainbow, of the Senate.
And yet, even he, as well as ninety-nine hundredths
of the plain, sensible people of this country, came
within the scathing of the New York World's commit-
tee, for he was wont, to my certain knowledge, "to
sit upon his front steps," and the Healy portrait
shows his wife "opening the door for him."
"He knew whose gentle hand was at the latch
Before the door had given her to his eyes.*'
As I passed through yon Supreme Court room, the
bust of John Marshall recalled the historic fact he was
noted for "primitive simplicity." He, doubtless, sat
on his front steps; and then sat on the bench of that
great tribunal, first made illustrious by his unerring
and luminous decisions.
Who of us does not recall the misgivings expressed as
to Grant's rapid promotion because he had once
"driven his own wood-cart in the West?" Granted,
and he mounted a chariot of glory worthy of a Caesar.
He commanded the mightiest host that ever trod the
earth; and still more, he commanded himself. When
roaming over the world as a private citizen he pre-
served his imperturbable self-possession, and received
in quiet dignity the willing homage of the peoples and
potentates of the earth.
94 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
And yet another son of the West occasioned doubt;
for I well remember the gloom of the New Yorkers in
the Chicago Wigwam at the defeat there of their can-
didate by "a Western backwoods lawyer," Abraham
Lincoln. He, too, had "large hands and large feet,"
but also a large heart and a large brain, whence issued
words of surpassing eloquence, of tender pathos, of pat-
riotic warning, that ranked among the sublimest of all
human utterances. Having emancipated a race, and
saved the Union, he fell a martyr to liberty, and went
among the stars.
Mr. Chairman, let the people of the East mingle
more with those of the West, and see the land that
disproves the assertion of Herodotus, that "a country
possessed of a rich soil never yields a product of
heroes. ' '
It is that West that wants the fair, and will, I fear,
let its/ voice be heard ere long, if unheeded now.
Surely a general impression of flagrant unfairness,
whether unfounded or not, would occasion New York
incomparably more damage in the end than the fair
can possibly benefit her. No observant man can come
in touch with the farmers, the timber men, the miners,
to say nothing of the rest of the people of the West,
and fail to discover that this matter of their united
preference has become one of pride, and has been taken
to heart. They feel that for the first time, as their
journals tell them, there is a chance for a proper rep-
resentation of their interests.
Senators: The judgment and preference of the
people, I trust, may be yours. Above all, let the great
commemoration be free from any degrading associ-
ation of a purely mercenary character. If it be put
up to the highest bidder, the honor of the country will
be ' 'knocked down' ' with it.
Mr. Depew admits that whatever else New York has
HON. THOMAS B. BRYAN. 95
she has not civic pride. And precisely her want, and
Chicago's possession in an eminent degree, of that
citizen virtue emphasizes the merits of the latters's
candidacy for the fair, and furnishes an assurance, if
in her charge, of its magnificent success. When listen-
ing to him just now and realizing that when he opens
his mouth he opens a casket rich in jewels of rhetoric
and wit, it occurred to me that if the blocks of wit
quarried from his brain could be converted into blocks
of marble, the feet of New York's Goddess of Lib-
erty would not have so long wearied for the want of
a pedestal, nor her eyes so long strained for a glimpse
of the Memorial Arch and the Grant Monument.
Give the fair, therefore, to the West where it belongs,
and New York and Washington will thank us for
sparing them its cares and embarrassments, whilst they
profit by its visitors. Then will the people of the
country, and especially the farmers, believe that there
are in the councils of the nation true friends of the
grangers. That mighty empire of the West points to
Chicago as her trysting-place for the Exposition and
fair-dealing.
Like Demosthenes of old, Mr. Bryan's efforts,
as will be observed, were aimed to^^ the votes of
the assembly. Note the delicate compliment
given to Mr. Depew's^ rhetoric, while in the
next paragraph he pleads so eloquently for
the fair. He virtually cries, "Give Depew the
applause, but give Chicago the fair T
Mr. Depew's arguments in favor of New
York were effective on account of their inter-
national character, neatness and high color,
96 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
all of which were set in a soft, hazy back-
ground, covering up deficiencies and casting a
hypnotic spell upon his hearers. Mr. Bryan,
with his nervous energy and combative spirit,
draws on his great stock of learning, wit and
legal knowledge, besides the testimony of wit-
nesses from different points in the United
States and Europe, making them a potent
force for dispelling illusions, so called, and
placing his own city in the most favorable
light, directly in the face of his hearers.
The work of satisfying Congress as to the
eligibility of Chicago as a site for the World's
Fair was pursued with unremitting diligence
by a committee of which Mr. Bryan was a
member, and conspicuously and effectively
active. When the decision was made the
champions of Chicago celebrated with great
demonstrations the splendid victory which
made Chicago the World's Fair City.
A brief description and history of Mr. Bry-
an's life in Chicago, written by one of the
most eminent women of America, Miss Fran-
ces E. Willard, who is an intimate friend of
Mr. Bryan's family, appeared in The Woman s
Magazine of May, 1890. It contains so many
HON. THOMAS B. BRYAN. Q7
facts, and is so well expressed, it is given in
full below.
THE SIXTIETH BIRTHDAY OF HON. THOMAS B.
BRYAN.
BY FRANCES E. WIZARD.
i
One of the chief men of Chicago for well-
nigh forty years, has been, and is, Hon.
Thomas B. Bryan, a Virginian of the very
best birth and breeding ; a lawyer by inherit-
ance as well as profession ; a Christian gentle-
man in the choicest meaning of that choice
phrase. Mr. Bryan is one of those whom the
noblest and best men and women ' ' know but
to love, and name but to praise."
It was he who, when Abraham Lincoln pre-
sented the first draft of the Emancipation
Proclamation to the ladies of the Chicago San-
itary Fair, purchased that priceless relic for
three thousand dollars and presented it to the
Soldiers' Home. Twenty-five thousand dol-
lars were afterward offered in vain for a docu-
ment that ranks with the Declaration of Inde-
pendence.
It was he who, in the financial panic that
followed the Chicago fire, furnished from his
98 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
"Fidelity Vaults," that had withstood tk*
burning storm, the money that set in motion
the arrested wheels of commerce in our stricken
metropolis. He built ' ' Bryan Hall, " of price-
less historic associations in connection with the
war, and established Graceland Cemetery, of
still more sacred association with Chicago
homes. The military order of the Loyal Le-
gion (Gen. Philip Sheridan, commanding,)
made him, though a civilian, an honorary
member in Illinois, because of "specially dis-
tinguished services." Under President Hayes
Mr. Bryan was a commissioner of the District
of Columbia, and filled that office of practical
governorship of the District so well that the
leading citizens of the National Capital, with-
out regard to party, and with the philanthropic
Corcoran at their head, united in a glowing
testimonial to the retiring officer, whom they
sought to retain at the head of their local gov-
ernment. Many other features of his remark-
able life I might depict, but all would be
but preparatory to his recent lines on his
sixtieth birthday. For Mr. Bryan has a rare
gift with his pen, especially in epigram, at
which he has only escaped fame by persistently
HON. THOMAS B. BRYAN. 99
not printing. The summing up of a life in
the following lines is so noble and cheer-
ing to us who follow after, that I begged for
them with a persistence at last rewarded.
Like Epictetus and St. Paul, this fearless pil-
grim sends back word that it grows ' ' better
further on." May we all do the same.
With Time I keep step, and it seemeth more fleet,
As scores of life's mile-posts are passed,
So happy a life one would gladly repeat,
And bright may it keep to the last.
I dread rather more any draughts from the door,
And blink in the face of the blast;
But laugh as before, and yet love as of yore,
And so may it be to the last.
With life so illumined with halcyon days,
With far more of feast than of fast,
My debt, if demanded, of thanks and of praise,
Would bankrupt my soul at the last.
O Father above ! in thy goodness and grace,
My lot thou hast tenderly cast;
Adorable Guide ! as I run here the race,
L,et me cling to thy hand to the last.
No murmurs shall follow thy chastening rod;
No summons shall make me aghast;
No refuge of rest like the bosom of God;
O bliss, to be thine at the last !
The biography of Mr. Bryan has been
written many times, but the verses written
100 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
by him upon his sixtieth birthday reveal more
testimony than any of his biographies could
give. However, a brief outline of so happy
an existence, with a few episodes gathered
here and there, may be interesting and give a
better insight into his character, showing
more clearly the strength of his natural gifts,
his happy disposition, and the force that has
always characterized his acts.
His father, Hon. Daniel Bryan, was a
prominent man in Virginia. He represented
his district in the State Senate, besides hold-
ing other important positions. James and
Philip Barbour, his mother's brothers, served
in the highest offices of the State, in the
United States Senate, United States Supreme
Court, and in the Cabinet, as Secretary of
War.
In his youth Mr. Bryan showed signs of a
precocious intellect. Emerson says, "Where
there is power, there is age. Don't be
deceived by dimples and curls; I tell you that
babe is a thousand years old." In proof of
this theory, a remarkable story is told of Mr.
Bryan: " When he was but twelve years of
age, he was visiting a relative in the country,
HON. THOMAS B. BRYAN. ioi
i
where he heard a traveling minister preach a
sermon one Sunday. After returning to the
house he was asked how he liked the sermon.
He replied very promptly that the preacher did
not understand the text, and that almost any
intelligent child could preach a better sermon
on that text. This answer excited great mer-
riment, and his relative said, ' Well, Thomas,
since you think it so easy, suppose you try it. '
After dinner he went directly to his room, and
was not to be seen until supper was ready.
On being questioned where he had been, he
said, ' I was writing a sermon. ' It was read
by the family who were astonished, and so
delighted that they prevailed on him to read
it in the meeting house in the presence of a
large congregation, who were amazed at such
wisdom from the mouth of a babe."
During the Mexican war, when only a boy
of seventeen years, young Bryan was invited
to address a large mass meeting gathered for
the purpose of raising recruits. He hesitated
before making the effort, but finally yielded
and was so successful that it was said: "So
effective was his boyish eloquence that many
additional names were added to the muster roll. "
102 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
Mr. Bryan was graduated at Harvard Uni-
versity in 1848. While pursuing his college
studies he wrote a book in the German lan-
guage, the aim of which was to make it easy
for Germans to acquire the English language.
It was published by Appleton & Co. Many
editions have been sold, it being pronounced
an excellent work. He is also familiar with
the French, conversing quite fluently in that
tongue. The tendency to make epigrams,
mentioned by Miss Willard, developed during
his college life. He always paid off jokes at
his expense with a pungent retort. It is
reported the students of a Southern school,
where Mr. Bryan attended, frequently
indulged in evening frolics. On one of these
occasions, a reproduction of Rugby school
punishments was given. One of these was
the vigorous use of the rule on the person of
the culprit over his master's knees. Lots
were drawn to determine which should be the
butt of the good-natured fun. The victim,
whilst receiving the humiliating punish-
ment, could only be released by a sally of wit,
replying between the blows with the rule, to
the formula or demand of the tormentor:
HON. THOMAS B. BRYAN. 103
' ' Don't this stir the wit and make you smart?"
Young Bryan, taking advantage of the situa-
tion, cried out: " Why does this resemble an
epigram ? " Punishment was stopped for a
while, waiting for some one to reply. ' ' Give
it up," was heard from all over the room.
Then he answered his own query:
' ' An epigram is defined to be wit regulated
by rule, and, like a bee, with a sting in the
tail. "
This brilliant epigrammatic conundrum was
not soon forgotten, and young Bryan was
dubbed the wit of the school. However, he
was very studious, rising early and retiring
late, in order to accomplish his work thor-
oughly and satisfactory to himself.
It is said that his early rising was a subject
of comment by the students in college, and
when they learned that he had an alarm clock,
the call of which he promptly obeyed every
morning, a joke was planned at once, that one
of the boys should steal into his room after he
retired and set the alarm for one o'clock in-
stead of five o'clock, his usual time for beginning
the day. The next morning young Bryan
promptly obeyed the summons of his time-
104 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
piece, but soon discovered the joke when he
did not hear the breakfast bell ring on time,
and daybreak failed to put in an appearance.
That morning, when the boys with sup-
pressed laughter looked at him, he returned
their glances with a twinkle in his eyes, that
acknowledged the gist of the fun, but he
also recognized the severity of the trick, and
expressed his opinion of the affair in the fol-
lowing epigram, at the expense of an untidy
student whom he suspected of the act:
" With deeds and duds as black as soot,
He sockless showed his cloven foot."
This witty rebuke was appreciated by the
boys who acknowledged that the account was
squared.
Mr. Bryan married, early in life, Miss
Jennie B. Page, daughter of an Episcopal
clergyman. She is spoken of as a most gentle,
accomplished and excellent lady. Their
wedded life, which has already passed the
fortieth anniversary, is very harmonious.
After several years successful practice of his
profession in Cincinnati, in partnership with
Judge Hart, Mr. Bryan came to Chicago in
1852, where he has been engaged in business
HON. THOMAS B. BRYAN. 105
up to the present time with the exception 01
three years in Colorado, and during his
Governorship of the District of Columbia.
Although Mr. Bryan is a very energetic
man, he is not ambitious. He has occupied
many prominent positions with great credit to
himself, and if he had been more eager for
fame, or political power, he might have been
a leading orator, statesman or diplomat.
After the death of Bayard Taylor, Mr. Bryan
was strongly recommended for his successor
as Ambassador to Germany; the leading news-
papers of the United States uniting in the
recommendation. But, when Andrew D.
White, of Cornell University, was mentioned
for the position, Mr. Bryan encouraged the
appointment, gracefully retiring from the
field.
Mr. Bryan is now the first Vice-President of
the World's Columbian Exposition, and it is
asserted that no one of the Commissioners is
better qualified to confer with the people of
the United States or with the representatives
of Foreign Governments.
He has addressed conventions in many of
the States, besides visiting Europe where he
106 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
succeeded in overcoming strong prejudices
against the great fair, and in arousing latent
forces in its behalf. After his successful
efforts at Washington he gained another great
victory in the effort to get the consent of the
Legislature of the State of Illinois to author-
ize the city of Chicago to issue 15,000,000 in
bonds for the benefit of the fair.
Mr. Bryan is a sound lawyer, being a close
student in his profession, and, as a convinc-
ing speaker, unusually gifted. His im-
promptu banquet speeches are always re-
ceived with great applause ; especially when a
bit of humor, or an apt quotation is sand-
wiched between more sober thoughts.
When Hon. Stephen A. Douglas returned
to Chicago after denouncing the secessionists
in the United States Senate, he was honored
by a public welcome from his fellow-citizens.
Mr. Bryan was chosen to deliver the welcom-
ing address. Although a Southerner by birth
he was independent in his convictions, adher-
ing to his ideas of justice rather than to the
customs or prejudices of his former associa-
tions.
Mr. Bryan is one of the few surviving
HON. THOMAS B. BRYAN IO/
members of the Union Defense Committee,
recognized by President Lincoln as of most
efficient service to the Union cause in the
early stages of the war.
Despite Mr. Bryan's suave manner there is
a vein of old-Virginian haughtiness that crops
out at times making him not altogether
agreeable; and his remarkable command of
language, which he often uses superabun-
dantly, is a stumbling block to the genuine
westerner, whose vocabulary is selected with
due regard to simplicity and utility.
His biogragher says: "He is of a cheerful
spirit, liberal disposition, generous and for-
bearing, and in his manner uniformly gentle
and courteous, and yet gracefully dignified."
It is said that there is no man in Chicago
more benevolent than Mr. Bryan. "He com-
menced his work in Chicago, " says an old cit-
izen, "by giving more than half his reserve
funds to a charitable cause, while richer men
responded to the call with a much less amount. "
Mr. Bryan has only two children, a son and
daughter, both of whom have had excellent ad-
vantages in education. The family has spent
some time in Europe, sojourning in France
I08 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
and Germany; besides a longer stay in their
own home at Lake Geneva, Switzerland, and
at Montreux.
Charles, his son, is a journalist by pro-
fession, and is now a member of the Illinois
Legislature; he formerly served a term in the
Colorado Legislature. If he inherits the
talents of his father, with the opportunities
given him, he may distinguish himself in the
future for he has a noble character and is a
devoted son, of whom his father is justly proud.
Thomas B. Bryan has many friends and
admirers in Chicago and elsewhere. Their
expressions regarding him are in substance
what Macauley said of John Hampden : ' 'We
can scarcely express the admiration which we
feel for a mind so great, and, at the same
time, so healthful and so well proportioned;
so willingly contracting itself to the humblest
duties, so easily expanding itself to the highest,
so contented in repose, so powerful in action. "
He has a magnificent residence in Elmhurst,
a suburban town, where he lives during the
summer. In the winter he occupies his
home in the city, on Division street, near the
Lake Shore drive.
HON. THOMAS B. BRYAN. 109
In stature and weight Mr. Bryan is not
great, but his capacity for accomplishing a vast
amount of work, and, at the same time, for
keeping posted in the current literature of the
times is, probably, unparalleled. In his
address he is very affable, in fact, so much so
that a young enterprising reporter whom he
dismissed by cordially shaking hands with
him, quoted:
" He kicked me down stairs with so gracious a mien,
I thought he was inviting me up."
The couplet was well applied, for the
Chicago reporter does not usually mistake a
snub for a cordial greeting.
Such versatile talent as he possesses, with
an energy that not only does his work well,
but attains his purpose, is rare. He is not a
millionaire; his disposition is not favorable to
that condition; his mind is too broad and too
compact to concentrate his energies upon mere
money-getting, but his skill has great money
value ; therefore, he is well equipped with that
which substantially fortifies one from the
pangs of poverty, but with his open and sym-
pathetic heart, he would never pile up a mill-
ion dollars, for the sake of holding on to it.
CHAPTER IV.
GEORGE M. PULLMAN.
" He looks like a piece of luck; but is a piece of causation. "
Emerson.
George M. Pullman is one of the millionaires
of Chicago: one of those who have worked their
way through the vicissitudes of life, gathering
around them the material riches of the world.
He commenced early his pursuit for profits,
and by his persistent efforts, with the assist-
ance of others, he has succeeded in satisfying
his ambition.
How to get money seems to be one of the
great secrets which mankind is trying to find
out. This fact accounts for the destitution
which is on every side ; for those who have not
the faculty to get money suffer from the greed
of those who have it.
"Therefore, if at great things thou wouldst arrive,
Get riches first, get wealth, and treasure keep."
As mechanic, financier and organizer, Mr.
Pullman has taken his place with the pro-
moters of great enterprises. The power of
r
GEORGE M. PULLMAN.
GEORGE M. PULLMAN. 1 1 1
mind over matter, as manifested in the bridge,
which has made the river passable ; in the loco-
motive, which has shortened space and time;
in the telegraph, which carries messages with
lightning speed ; in the telephone, which makes
it possible to hold conversation with persons
many miles distant, is exhibited, in a degree,
in the palace car, that has made it possible for
travelers to cross this great continent of Amer-
ica without hardship or deprivation of any sort.
In Chambers Journal, dated March, 26,
[879, a correspondent, who has evidently trav-
eled in this country, writes : ' ' We know of
nothing in Europe in the way of railway trav-
eling that affords so much of convenience,
comfort, ease and elegance as the Pullman
hotel express train on the Union and Central
Pacific railroads, between Omaha and San
Francisco. In it the science of locomotion has
been reduced to a system, as orderly, conven-
ient and economical as are the management
and accommodations of any home. It has
taken away the fatigue, ennui and actual loss
of health while journeying, and has given in-
stead the home surroundings of the parlor and
cuisine. * * * On the Pullman cars the
112 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
room is ample, conveniences for eating, sleep-
ing and leisure are of the best; the cost less
than the charges at hotels at the public resorts ;
and the scenes hourly changing from hill to
dale, from river to lake, from prairie to moun-
tain, from the affluence of the tropics to the
snows of the Sierra Nevada."
This enthusiast, who has enjoyed the sump-
tuous apartments of the Pullman dining car
twenty years ago, described to his countrymen,
through the Journal, the process by which
passengers are served meals, as follows: "En-
tering the commissary car, you take your seat,
and at your side you find a clock bell [electric
bells are now used] ; you ring it, and a sable
waiter, neatly clad in white jacket, bearing the
monogram of the Pullman Company appears,
and presents you a bill of fare. The waiter
spreads your table with a neat linen cloth, and,
touching a spring, opens the mirror between
windows at your side, disclosing to view the
silver service belonging to each quartette of
diners. Then a savory steak of beef or ante-
lope, mountain trout or broiled chicken are
placed before you smoking hot. Wine, tea,
coffee or fresh milk are at your command. "
GEORGE M. PULLMAN. 1 13
He describes the other cars with the same
exactness, and due appreciation, as follows:
"Next comes the drawing-room and sleeping
cars, which roll both smoothly and safely.
Sofas and easy chairs line the side; double
windows exclude heat, cold and dust; stout
ventilators pump in, without unpleasant draft,
a constant stream of fresh air. At night,
sofas and chairs turn into bedsteads; a hair
mattress drops from some impossible hiding
place, clean sheets, blankets and pillow cases
slide out of table and folio, and, by magic
springs, sliding screens and curtains make up
a couch for rest as comfortable as your own
bed chamber.
"Next comes the elegant saloon car, the
general rendezvous for the passengers of the
entire train ; where, especially at evening, they
may gather as one family for enjoyment. In
the center of the car is a parlor organ of the
best construction; when required, this car
also, like the drawing room coaches, affords
sleeping accommodations with double berths.
"There is complete protection for passing
between cars on the whole line, and the whole
running gear and adjustment of springs is so
8
114 THE WORLD* S FAIR CITY.
noiseless and perfect that reading, writing and
talking are uninterrupted during motion.
' ' The. cars are heated by hot salt water in
pipes under each seat, generated from Baker's
patent heaters, which diffuse an equable at-
mosphere of heat through the coaches." [In
some states there is a law prohibiting stoves
being used in railroad cars; in such states
steam is generated from the engine by pipes
extending into the coaches; but the Baker
heater is still used where permissible.]
The Pullman Palace Car Company is now
one of the largest and most successful corpo-
rations in the world. If the able correspond-
ent who wrote the above article twenty years
ago could see the Pullman palace car of today,
he would acknowledge that the many improve-
ments embodied in its construction have ex-
ceeded his most sanguine expectations; for its
equipment, consisting of a magnificent display
of fine woods, plushes and silks, in artistic
combinations and designs, is as near perfection
as human ingenuity and skill can make it.
A visit to the Pullman car works was rewarded
by the privilege of inspecting the new cars
manufactured for the Diamond Special of the
GEORGE M. PULLMAN. 1 1 5
Illinois Central railroad, for night service be-
tween Chicago and St. Louis. It is a vestibule
train, lighted by gas throughout, and equipped
with a compartment buffet sleeping car, a
drawing-room sleeping car, reclining chair
cars, and a combination coach and smoking
car. The smoking room of the buffet car is
finished in African vermilion wood of exquisite
grain, relieved by embossed gold-leather pan-
els and frieze, with carpeted floor and finely
decorated ceiling to match. A five-jet gas
chandelier of deflecting mirrors bring out the
silk draperies and the vermilion and gold finish
with fine effect. The buffet is finished in light
mahogany, and the staterooms are specimens
for the study of artistic effects. Stateroom A
is square in form, and contains a double lower
and upper berth. It has all the conveniencies
of a dressing room, and is finished in bright
pea green stippled with gold, broken by em-
bossed and decorated plush panels of tint to
match. The upholstery, carpets, and the dec-
orated ceiling, in the center of which is a gas
chandelier of deflecting mirrors, are all in har-
mony with the green and gold tints.
Stateroom B is finished in white mahogany,
1 1 6 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
with plush upholstering and embossed plush
panels; the tints of both wood and fabrics
blend into a delicate shade of canary. Another
room is upholstered in Spanish red plush; the
woodwork is mahogany, with embossed and
decorated terra cotta plush panels.
Stateroom C contains a single lower and
upper berth, with a complete toilet room sep-
arated from it by heavy draperies. It is dec-
orated in steel gray plush upholstery and
figured panels. The woodwork is white, stip-
pled with gold and gold mouldings. It is
called the ' ' Ivory room. " The beveled mir-
ror has a white and gold frame of rich classic
design.
The drawing-room sleeper is equally elegant
in design and finish, also the chair cars and
combination baggage and smoking car. It is;
impossible to give a graphic description of
the effect of the marvelous artistic workman-,
ship as exhibited in these modern cars. They
are like palaces on wheels. This train, ' ' The
Diamond Special, " is rightly named, for it is
evident that the owners of diamonds may have
a monopoly here, and not be annoyed by the
contact of uncongenial travelers.
GEORGE M. PULLMAN. 1 1 7
Mr. Pullman became interested in the sleep-
ing car enterprise in 1859. At that time
sleeping car berths were furnished with only
common blankets and hair pillows; the floors
were bare, and the conveniences were few; a
condition that would not attract the numerous
travelers who patronize the palace car of
today. He conceived the idea of adopting the
sleeping car to purposes of a drawing room,
and of furnishing to those taking long journeys,
the comforts and necessaries required, without
leaving the coach.
With this end in view Mr. Pullman set to
work to materialize the ' ' air castle, " and he
obtained permission of the Alton Railway
Company to use a repair shed, located near
their Chicago station, hired skilled workmen,
and then commenced the work. It was one
year before his model car, which cost $18,000,
was constructed. On account of its width,
the new car could not be run upon any rail-
road without slight changes in the bridges and
station platforms, but, although the press
lauded its usefulness, convenience and beauty,
no opportunity was given for a trial of it,
until the death of Abraham Lincoln, which
Il8 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
occurred in 1865. The railway company then
realized the necessity of such accommodations
and secured the car to make part of the train
that brought the remains of the martyred
president to Springfield, Illinois.
Soon afterward General Grant was about to
visit his old home in Galena, and, the people
desiring that he should travel in a right royal
manner, another railroad was opened for the
palace car to bear the hero on his journey in
comfort and ease. From this time the palace
cars became so popular, all railways were
opened to them. In 1891, the total mileage
of railways covered by contracts for the opera-
tion of the Pullman Palace Car Company,
amounted to 124,557 miles.. The number of
cars owned, or controlled, by the company is
2,239, of which 1,965 are standard, and 274
tourist or second class cars. The average cost
of each car is about #16, 125.
The company furnish to the railroad the
cars fully equipped, with superintendent and
employes to take charge of them; and the rail-
road companies keep the running gear in order
and collect their usual rates of fare from the
passengers. The Pullman Company get their
GEORGE M. PULLMAN. 1 19
compensation by selling berths and all extra
accommodations.
These cars represent the most advanced
phases of invention and mechanical skill of the
age. Although Mr. Pullman is not an in-
ventor himself, he has, by his money power,
attracted the small inventors and made them
serve his purpose well; such is the power of
the capitalist.
"They whom I favor thrive in -wealth amain,
While virtue, valor, wisdom, sit in want."
The building of these cars is carried on in
the extensive workshops at Pullman, which
has been annexed to Chicago, and is in the
thirty-fourth ward. This unique town is the
fulfillment of the counterpart of the idea of
Mr. Pullman when he designed the palace
car, and is as complete in all its appoint-
ments.
Mr. Pullman's annual report of 1891 records
11,783 inhabitants, and the total number of
persons in the employ of the company in its
manufacturing departments, 13,885. In these
workshops, which are the attracting power of
the place, are made a thousand or more me-
chanical devices that make up the Pullman
1 20 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
car; in fact, every part except the material for
upholstering is manufactured here.
The motive power of these works is fur-
nished by the famous Corliss engine that ran the
machinery at the Philadelphia Centennial Ex-
position of 1 876. It weighs seven hundred tons,
and is rated at twenty-four hundred horse power.
This majestic piece of mechanism is beautiful
to behold. It is perfect in finish; and when
one gazes upon its revolutions and its artistic
beauty, it seems to be eloquently reciting its
history to the beholder, in a manner more in-
spiring than tongue or pen. It speaks of Hu-
manity upon whom the light of intelligence has
dawned, causing the inventor, mechanic and
miner to unite their forces for the world's work.
Mr. Duane Doty, civil engineer at Pullman,
who is a well known educator, editor and
writer, explains more fully its history in one of
his numerous papers prepared for the purpose
of giving information to all interested in the
Pullman experiment. He writes:
This remarkable mechanism is a simple condensing
engine with the Corliss valve gear and cut off adapted
to a vertical engine. It was built at Providence, Rhode
Island, by Mr. George H. Corliss. It was finished in
1876, and required seven months in building. It fur-
GEORGE M. PULLMAN. 121
nished power for running the machinery at the Cen-
tennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876, General
U. S. Grant starting the engine there. At the close of
the exposition it was taken back to Providence. It
was purchased by Mr. George M. Pullman in 1880, and
it required a train of thirty-five cars to bring it here.
It was set up in its present place during the autumn
of 1880 and the winter of 1880 and 1881, and was
started here for the first time April 5, 1881, at i P. M.,
in the presence of a concourse of visitors, Miss Flor-
ence Pullman turning the valves which admitted the
steam to the cylinders. None who were present can
forget the clapping of hands and the enthusiasm mani-
fested as the great fly wheel began to move, ' ' starting' '
the Pullman car works.
In 1883 the engine required one new cylinder head
and one new piston head, which were made by Mr.
Corliss. In 1886 a new pinion shaft, which was built
in Pullman. In 1886 one new beam end pin was re-
quired, and it was made here. In 1889 one new piston
head, one new beam end pin, and one new set of brass
bearings were all made in Pullman. One outside cyl-
inder required was made by the Reynolds Corliss Co.,
of Milwaukee. The engine now seems in as good con-
dition as when first started here. This beautiful en-
gine is greatly admired by visitors from every country
of the globe.
Mr. Pullman's town is situated near Lake
Calumet, fourteen miles from the center of
the city. Its extreme length is about fourteen
miles in a north and south direction, and its
average width is about one mile. The pur-
pose of Mr. Pullman was to provide a center
122 . THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
of industry and homes for employes of the
company with the most wholesome conditions
and surroundings that science and art could
devise. Mr. S. S. Benson, an enterprising
young architect, made the plans and directed
the building of the entire town. Work was
begun upon the site in May, 1880, and, before
it was inhabited, gas, water and sewage
pipes were laid, a method never before known
in the history of a city or town. The sew-
age consists of a system of pipes, entirely
separate from the drains for surface waters,
which takes the sewage from houses and
shops to a reservoir holding 300,000 gallons.
The sewage is pumped from this reservoir
as soon as received to a farm of 140 acres,
three miles from the town. Potatoes, onions,
cabbage and celery are the principal crops
raised on the farm.
The streets, which are macadamized and
well drained, and with cobble-stone gutters,
well provided with catch-basins, are sixty-six
feet wide. Shade trees adorn both sides, and
neat grass-plats are between the sidewalks and
the roads. The distance between house lines
is generally one hundred feet, but the main
GEORGE M. PULLMAN. 123
boulevard, on One Hundred and Eleventh
street, is one hundred feet wide, and the
houses correspondingly distant.
The bricks for the buildings were manufact-
ured of clay from the bottom of Lake Calumet.
The houses are built in groups, or double
houses, with the exception of a few large
buildings of flats. The roofs are greatly
diversified, representing the different styles of
architecture. Officers of the company and
mechanics live in adjoining dwellings. With
the exception of the church and parsonage,
which are built of green serpentine stone, and
a few frame tenements, the buildings are of
red brick, two stories high, and contain about
five rooms each.
One peculiarity of Pullman is that business
places are not scattered promiscuously over the
town, but are concentrated in two large build-
ings the Arcade and the Market House. The
Arcade contains the theater, library, bank and
offices. The theater, which is tastefully fur-
nished, seats 1,000 persons. The drop cur-
tain is the finest painting of the sort in the
West. The boxes are of Moorish design. An
entertainment is given about once a week.
124 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
The library contains 7,000 volumes, besides
papers and periodicals. It is said to be a per-
sonal gift from Mr. Pullman, but no one is
allowed to take books out unless he can pay
three dollars annually for the privilege. The
rooms are furnished with plush-covered chairs
and Wilton carpet, and the walls are hand-
somely covered.
The Market House is occupied by dealers
in meat, vegetables, fruit, fish and poultry.
The second story of this building is used for a
public hall. There is also a large hotel where
guests are provided for, and where employes
may find a comfortable home. It is surrounded
on three sides by beautiful public squares
covered with flowers and shrubbery. The
furniture is costly, and it is well managed by
one of the officers of the Pullman Company.
The schools, which consist of a primary and
grammar school, are under the management
of the Chicago Board of Education. Oppor-
tunities for social pleasures are wide; fifty
thousand people are within four miles of the
Pullman Arcade, and a hundred local trains a
day make Chicago accessible every half hour
of the day and evening.
GEORGE M. PULLMAN. 125
The workshops have a general manager,
and the town a general superintendent. The
entire cost of the town, including the manu-
facturing establishments, is estimated at about
$[ 0,000,000. No private individual owns any
part or single structure in the entire town.
The church is rented the same as private resi-
dences, but at a very low rate, according to
its cost, which was $60, ooo. There is also a
Catholic church, and a Swedish Lutheran
church, which were built by the members.
Another building which deserves mention is
the Water Tower, a structure 195 feet high.
In the top is a large boiler-iron tank which
holds half a million gallons. This is kept filled
for use in case of fire only. The reservoir in
which all the sewage of the town is received
is underneath this tower. The water used in
the dwellings is brought from the city by the
company. The depot corresponds with all
other structures of the place. From this
point may be seen circular flower beds, an arti-
ficial lake, winding roads, and the neat walls
of stone built around the great workshops.
As a whole, Pullman has the appearance of
a corporation settlement. There is a lack of
126 THE WORLDS FAIR CITY.
the warmth which one may recognize in the
town where every one has the privilege of
owning his own home, and modeling or remod-
eling it to suit his individual taste. The
experiment may please George M. Pullman,
but another such town will never be made
unless his double may at some future time
make an appearance.
Mr. Duane Doty, of Pullman, is always
ready to give information to any one of
every industry or fact concerning this business
structure. He has written largely for the
benefit of the numerous investigators from all
countries who visit the town. Mention a sub-
ject upon any detail of these interests, and he
will present you with a record of, not only the
facts, but, its history, etc.
George M. Pullman was born in Brockton,
Chautauqua County, New York, in 1831. Like
the majority of boys in those days, as well as
those of the present time, at the age of four-
teen he was anxious to ' 'do something for him-
self." So he engaged himself to the "village
store-keeper, " as clerk, at forty dollars a year,
where he remained until 1848, when he went
to Albion, N. Y., to learn cabinet-making. It
GEORGE M. PULLMAN, 127
seems that this work did not absorb his whole
attention, or prove attractive enough for him
to stick to it, for he afterwards engaged in the
business of removing buildings from the banks
of the Erie Canal at the time it was being en-
larged. Finally he drifted, or that power that
shapes our course directed him, to the city of
Chicago, the city of push and/W/, where he
engaged in the raising of entire blocks of brick
and stone; all this time thinking, planning,
and endeavoring to develop his theories, which
have become practical realities.
Like nearly all promoters of great indus-
tries, Mr. Pullman had to make strong efforts
in order to accomplish his purpose. But he
would not have succeeded without the aid of
capitalists, who bought stock, helping along
his scheme. His power lies in a certain line
of leadership, akin to paternalism, which would
not be recognized in the halls of legislation,
nor in the deliberations of Chicago's enterpris-
ing sons; but in that unique town of Pull-
man, where everybody is a tenant depend-
ing upon the Pullman Company for employ-
ment, he is a leader. Some years ago, Prof.
Richard Ely, of Johns Hopkins University,
128 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
visited the town, for the purpose of ascertain-
ing the spirit of its social fabric ; but, on account
of the excitement caused by a revelation of
local crookedness, Prof. Ely was mistaken for
a detective. This fact, unknown to him,
caused a lack of freedom on the part of opera-
tives in conversing with him, which the Pro-
fessor of Economics interpreted as the result
of Mr. Pullman's autocracy, and published it
in Harpers Monthly. If the writer had
visited the owner of the town himself, his
suspicions would have been cleared up, for
the sleeping-car millionaire never troubles
himself about the psychological development
of his tenants, and would never discover such
a fact unless it was made manifest by some
material destruction.
George M. Pullman succeeded in amassing
wealth through his faculties of organization
and financiering. Although he can theorize
in mechanics, he has not much practical skill
in that direction; but his other faculties have
served him well, for the skilled workmen and
the day laborers, who compose the organiza-
tion, which he has formed, contribute a share of
their money-value-force, thus filling his coffers.
GEORGE M. PULLMAN. 129
Mr. Pullman is tall, erect and muscular.
His head is large, and has the form of that of
the mechanic; but he has a very kind expres-
sion, denoting satisfaction with the world in
general. No one would ever mistake him for
a statesman or a college professor; but his
courteous manners denote contact with cul-
tured men of the world.
He resides with his family consisting of his
wife, two daughters and twin sons, on Prairie
avenue, With wealth estimated at several
millions, Mr. Pullman is called upon frequently
to contribute money for public use, and there
is no doubt that he responds liberally to all
such demands. Mr. Pullman's cars have
brought him riches, and the fame that lives
only in the material, which like the mansard
roof, the moncky wrench, and the macadam-
ized roads, will cause his name to become only
a qualifying word. Pestalozzi could not make
a comfortable living, but his prolific mind
spread an influence that has made his name
to live forever in the history of pedagogy, and
in the hearts of philanthropic humanity.
CHAPTER V.
MR. WILLIAM T. BAKER.
"There is no body of men on the face of the earth for whom
I entertain a higher estimate than the merchants who do the
work and regulate the commerce of the United States." Gen-
eral William T. Sherman
WILLIAM T. BAKER is a typical representa-
tive of Chicago's Enterprising Sons, and,
again, he is not. He is because he possesses
the regulation push and energetic spirit so
prevalent in the World's Fair city, and he is nat
because he resembles no other model in the
category. That handy word unique expresses
well the combination of his traits of character
as observed by his business colleagues. Mr.
George F. Stone on being requested to define
these characteristics of Mr. Baker which in a
special sense accounts for his prominence,
and for his selection as President of the Chica-
go Directory of the Columbian Exposition,
says:
' ' The career of Mr. Baker is that of a typ-
ical progressive American, which renders his
130
WILLIAM T. BAKER,
MR. WILLIAM T. BAKER. 131
appointment as President of the World's Fair
peculiarly an appropriate one. Endowed
with keen and discriminating mental charac-
teristics, of an intensely active temperament,
bordering upon impetuosity, yet so nicely ad-
justed as not to violate the dictates of good
judgment, courageously ambitous, of an in-
domitable will, he early grappled with humble
surroundings with a sublime confidence, to
carve out for himself an honorable and eminent
mercantile position. Towards that position
he steadily and unfalteringly advanced from
step to step through subordinate experiences,
until in the very prime of his manhood he is
recognized in the great markets of the world
as an eminent, successful and honorable mer-
chant.
' 'Mr. Baker possesses those qualities insepar-
able from strong characters, which hold a man
self-poised and imperturbable in times of great
tension, when many men are overpowered,
disheartened and defeated. In such times
his latent capacities are brought into requisi-
tion, and stamp him as the exceptional man
that he is qualified to discharge great respon-
sibilities, and to confront serious emergencies.
132 THE WORLDS FAIR CITY.
With a remarkable mental alertness he seizes
upon the salient points of a question or of a
proposition, and fairly rushes at correct con-
clusions, this enables him to quickly organize
and to rapidly consummate his plans. His con-
fidence in himself does not prevent him from
carefully weighing the views of others.
' ' Mr. Baker is sensitively alive to tne
personal responsibility which a public trust
imposes and he scrupulously discharges his
official duties. His convictions are strong and
well defined, and his determined advocacy of
them expressed regardless of their effect upon
his personal popularity.
' ' Mr. Baker was elected to the presidency of
the Board of Trade by a very large majority,
amounting practically to a unanimity, and was
unanimously re-elected to that important
office. His administration is distinguished by
his uncompromising war upon so-called bucket
shops, in the maintenance of legitimate busi-
ness, and by his identification with a common
and general commercial prosperity, against all
monopolies. He has always been upon the
side of the farmer in the adoption of all proper
means to obtain remunerative prices for the
MR. WILLIAM T. BAKER. 133
products of the soil, and for the enrichment
of the great West. He believes in the utmost
freedom of man and of his inalienable right to
all natural advantages. He would destroy
completely all barriers to an unhindered com-
mercial intercourse, not only between states,
but between countries, and has an abiding
faith in the salutary results of an untrammeled
and generous commercial competition.
' ' He is a man of quick sympathies, and
claims for charity are subjected to the same
searching analysis which by the constitution
and habit of his mind he applies to business
propositions. When he establishes their de-
servedness he acts immediately, practically
and unostentatiously, and upon the maxim
that ' ' he gives twice who gives quickly. " His
extensive business interests do not entirely
absorb his time and his views upon controlling
and prominent subjects of public concern are
by reading and thought, well matured and
emphatic; hence his duties of citizenship are
intelligently and fearlessly performed. "
Looking backward it is found that Mr. Ba-
ker at fourteen years of age was employed as
a clerk in a country store at Groton, New
134 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
York. Afterwards he went to McLean, in the
same state, where he engaged in the same
business. Then he caught the western fever,
so called, and came to Chicago where he soon
was employed as bookkeeper for Hinckley &
Handy in the old Board of Trade Building on
South Water street. He finally succeeded
Mr. Handy in the firm. In 1868 Mr. Baker
formed a partnership with C. A. Knight and
W. F. Cobb, under the name of Knight, Baker
& Company, which continued up to 1872,
when Mr. Knight retired from the business.
The firm is now W. T. Baker & Company.
Thus may be traced a steady career in com-
mercial life without failure or divergence, all
of which prove the fact that continued honest
effort is sure to bring success, provided the
vocation is wisely chosen. Mr. Baker was
fortunate in his choice, consequently success-
ful. He is now one of the wealthy men of
Chicago. He contributes liberally to every
worthy cause, and always manifests a keen
interest in the welfare of the people. He is
one of the representative Board of Trade men,
the business of which is such a potent force in
the markets of the world.
THE CHICAGO BOARD OF TRADE. 135
THE CHICAGO BOARD OF TRADE.
Tourists who stop for any length of time in
the World's Fair city, always visit the Board
of Trade". The spectators' gallery overlook-
ing the wheat pit is generally filled with visit-
ors, many of whom are ladies, who gaze with
astonishment, and something like fascination
upon the lively scene below.
This scene may be compared according to
its various degrees of excitement to a throng
of boys just dismissed from school, and when
its energy increases to the extreme point, one
might imagine it to be a recital of the reign of
terror, or pandemonium; such apparent disor-
der prevails.
When the body of diplomatic representa-
tives of foreign countries, embracing the min-
isters of France, Sweden, Switzerland, Eng-
land, Spain, Corea, China, Colombia, and
others, visited Chicago in 1891, they occupied
seats in the spectators' gallery one morning in
order to view Commerce in a state of agita-
tion. It was, however, a day of unusual calm,
as there were no startling fluctuations in the
rates of cereals; but "the boys" hearing the
rumor of the advent of the distinguished
136 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
strangers snuffed royalty in the air, and, ac-
cordingly gave the titled guests a right-royal
reception. The clapping of hands, enthusi-
astic shouts, and frantic gesticulations, of
the hosts on the floor of 'Change, gratified
and amused the welcome diplomats not a
little.
During their short visit to the great metrop-
olis of the West, a magnificent banquet was
given in the Auditorium in honor of them by
the World's Fair management, attended by
the representative men of the city. The
speeches on the occasion were unexampled at
any banquet before in this country, because
of the diversity of tongues in which they were
delivered. The Washington Park Club also
entertained them. Thomas B. Bryan, and
Joseph Medill, editor of the Chicago Tribune
each gave them an opportunity to see how
cordially guests are entertained in the West,
by giving them a formal reception at their own
homes.
But they saw the operators on the Board of
Trade in its every-day garb and board-of-
trade manners; a sight which is peculiarly
interesting to the observer in the gallery.
THE CHICAGO BOARD OF TRADE. 137
"What are they doing?" asks the fellow
from the rural districts.
' ' Buying and selling grain according to the
rules of the Board of Trade, " says some one
who claims to know.
The general objects of the board according
to Secretary Stone's report are:
' ' To maintain a commercial exchange.
1 ' To promote uniformity in the customs and
usages of merchants.
"To inculcate principles of justice and
equity in trade.
"To facilitate the speedy adjustment of
business disputes.
' ' To acquire economic information ; and
generally, to secure to its members the bene-
fits of co-operation in the furtherance of their
legitimate pursuits."
The above statements are unobjectionable
in every particular; but the reputation this in-
stitution has acquired on account of the abuses
of its privileges is somewhat gloomy, and may
be misleading to those who have not made an
impartial investigation. Secretary Stone in
his report of 1888 gives a clear statement re-
garding these abuses, while, in the same para-
138 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
graph, he explains in forcible language the
legitimate claims which constitute the opera-
tions of Boards of Trade. He says:
That these agencies are, in exceptional instances,
misunderstood, and are used for illegitimate business,
is not denied, any more than is doubted that they pro-
mote the general prosperity and are indispensable to
the development of the country. A perversion of priv-
ileges attends all institutions and professions, and can-
not be eradicated by laws and regulations, but must be
destroyed by the cultivation of lofty mercantile princi-
ples, and by their widespread recognition. Happily
such principles are becoming more and more prevalent,
and whenever violated are condemned. While it is
true that traders in all departments of business indulge
in speculation to an extent not warranted by their finan-
cial strength, it is too late, in view of what has been ac-
complished, to deprecate speculation, in its proper sense,
as an element in mercantile life. It has uncovered re-
sources, it has stimulated a laudable enterprise, it has
created values, it has quickened industry, conserved
individual capacities, promoted intelligence, awakened
ambition, augmented the comforts of life; it has intro-
duced delicacies and luxuries, it has brought refine-
ment and development to human character, built
churches and asylums, constructed railroads, dis-
covered continents, and brought together in bonds of
fellowship the nations of the world; it is aggressive,
courageous, intelligent, and belongs to the strongest
and ablest of the race; it grapples undismayed with
possibilities; it founded Chicago; it rebuilt a great city
upon smouldering ruins, and impels it in the march of
progress. Whenever this kind of speculation is de-
nounced it is misunderstood, and it is often decried by
those who unconsciously share its benefactions.
THE CHICAGO BOARD OF TRADE. 139
legitimate speculation is laudable enterprise.
Successful enterprise is practical prophecy.
Phophecy is the anticipation of events, and may be
the highest exercise of the human mind.
The anticipation of commercial events, arrived at
through mental penetration and sagacity, and founded
upon reason and judgment, becomes, when put into
aggressive, honorable and practical activity, approved
speculation in business.
An investment of money made upon a blind chance
is wholly pernicious, and defies every principle of mer-
cantile honor as well as the laws of the land. Frown-
ing upon such methods and motives, this board is
opposed to illegitimate business in every form, and is
specially emphatic, in its rules and proceedings, against
engaging in transactions where the delivering and re-
ceiving of merchandise are not contemplated. A failure
to fulfill a contract based upon such conditions is more
swiftly and severely followed by penalty in this board
than among any other class of merchants.
One great theme for criticism of the trans-
actions of Boards of Trade, has been that of
buying and selling grain for future delivery.
A bill is now (1892) pending in Congress
aiming at the destruction of this practice.
Secretary Stone defended very strongly this
system in his report of 1887, as follows:
Buying and selling for future delivery exist in all
departments of trade, but nowhere are they surrounded
by so many safeguards, or attended with such benefi-
cent results, as under the rules and regulations of this
board arid of kindred organizations. A sacred and
140 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
exact observance of contracts is insisted upon, and all
transactions are based upon property tangible, defined,
accessible and convertible.
This beneficent method is the outgrowth of necessity,
and has brought into existence the chief grain markets
of the world; without it the hazards of business would
increase, and the movement of commerce would be-
come sluggish, instead of quivering with activity. It
provides economy and financial safety in sending food
from those countries which produce a surplus of grain
to those that do not raise enough for their own subsist-
ence.
The activities of the Exchange during the past year
exemplify the soundness of its methods, and constitute
an assurance that no one shall be deprived of the ad-
vantages of this market by any scheme to interfere
with the regular course of business. The dissemination
of the information which it collects forms the basis
of business plans in very department, and renders the
accomplishment of. so-called "corners" almost, if not
quite, impossible; its broad advocacy of measures for
commercial prosperity, and for the supremacy of mer-
cantile honor, may be found in its records under the
form of resolution, correspondence, official representa-
tion and disciplinary proceedings.
Tn his report of 1890 he defines more
clearly the value of this system (future de-
livery), and takes a firm stand in its defense.
He says:
The system with all its safeguards, by which the
great crops are moved and realized upon, and by which
a ready market is secured, regardless of the volume
offered and without depreciation of values, must
THE CHICAGO BOARD OF TRADE. 141
certainly call forth nothing less than admiration. This
system, which has created a constant demand from the
great grain markets of the world, prevents congested
markets, enabling the west to send her grain to market
without being subject to the limitations which the con-
sumptive demand would impose. It permits the agri-
culturist to sell whenever prompted to do so either by
his interest or necessity, without compelling him to
make immedite shipment. This system was devised
and is maintained in the interest of the farmer, and has
brought into existence the chief grain markets of the
world; without it the great West would not have been
developed, and the trans- Mississippi states would not
have been formed. It provides the farming commu-
nities with ready money, which in turn finds its way,
through the country store, to merchants in great cen-
ters of trade; and, more than any measure, keeps the
complex machinery of business in harmonious activity.
To withdraw or destroy it would be fatal to the success
of the grain and cotton interests, check the circulation
of money, lead to selling general merchandise on long
credit, increase business hazards, advance rates of in-
terest, cripple enterprise and prepare the way for finan-
cial disaster. The Butterworth bill is aimed at the
destruction of this system. Those who advocate its
adoption are unmindful of the benefits of the system
which it condemns, and utterly fail to comprehend the
vital relation which exists between contracts made for
future delivery of goods and the activity and growth
of trade. Should this measure become a law, its
friends would be the first to cry out against it, and
would clamor for its repeal.
Bucket-shop trading has been erroneously
confounded with the business of the Board of
Trade, on account of the fact that some of its
142 THE WORLDS FAIR CITY.
members have dealt in "Puts" and "Calls,"
but not on 'Change, however, as such business
transactions are positively forbidden by the
rules of the board as well as by the laws of the
State. The process consists in betting that
the market price of a certain commodity will
reach or pass a certain figure within a limited
time. The "Put" is a privilege to deliver at
a higher than the current price, and the
"Call" is a privilege to demand the sale of
the stock at less than the price ruling at
the time the contract is made. When the
market is steady the man who sells these privi-
leges retains all the money paid for them, and
it is only in unusual fluctuations that the pur-
chaser makes a profit.
The managers of these devices generally
claim to be connected with the Board of
Trade, and, the fact that the official quota-
tions of price changes were secured, deceived
the public until the Board of Trade sup-
pressed them altogether.
Van Buren Denslow, a correspondent of
The North American Review, says: "These
futures bear a relation to the actual grain on
hand, like that which credit currency bears to
THE CHICAGO BOARD OF TRADE. 143
the coin in which it is redeemable. They
may be many times greater in quantity, and
can be dealt in with a rapidity and dexterity
unknown by sales by inspection and delivery,
or by sample."
However, it is the dealing in futures that
makes ' 'corners" possible. Van Buren Dens-
low gives a clear account of how speculation
in future delivery involves great loss to some
one, and forces a so-called corner.
"If a speculator thinks, as Keene did in
1879, that a wet season in England will send
wheat up, after harvest, buys 5,000,000 bush-
els at $1.10, deliverable in October, and if
Chicago speculators think Keene has over es-
timated, they may make a rush to sell him all
he wants. He buys to protect the price at
which he has already bought. His own pur-
chases run up the price toward the figure at
which he aims, and seem to justify his forecast.
He buys up to 15,000,000 bushels, all that the
Chicago elevators will hold. He buys at $1.15,
and all the way up to $1.35. He has, there-
fore, two chances of loss. The small quantity
he has purchased 15,000,000 bushels is a
mere bagatelle in the wheat market of the
144 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
world. . . . If he has mistaken the effect of
the British dampness he is gone. The wheat
market of the world is too big a thing to be
cornered, unless it corners itself by a short
supply. October will show whether he acted
with prescience or presumption. If with pre-
science, wheat will not rush in, and the price
will stand. If with presumption, it will break.
His puny 15,000,000 bushels are powerless
against the 800,000,000 bushels which he
doesn't hold. His one chance of profit is the
sum he squeezes out of those who have
'sold short' on his futures. His two chances
of loss are that he must himself sell out
much 'cash wheat' at a decline, and that
prices may never reach the figure at which
he has aimed."
In conclusion he says: "To see the
utilities of such transactions, requires a pro-
founder insight into the methods and harmo-
nies of trade than one can be expected to have.
They [the community] denounce the entire
practice as gambling and forthwith organize
some form of campaign for its abolition, or, at
least, stand ready at all convenient times to
denounce it on ethical grounds.
THE CHICAGO BOARD OF TRADE. 145
' ' The first function of this mechanism is to
fix an authoritative price for grain, which is
telegraphed every morning to all parts of the
world, so that every producer and purchaser
gets the quotation with his morning paper and
as often during the day as he wishes. Every
farmer and manufacturer knows daily, as to
grain, exactly what Mr. McCreery cannot dis-
cover, by spending three months in Europe,
as to dry goods. They know, not merely
within fifteen per cent, but within one-eighth
of one per cent, the exact value of every
variety of grain or provisions, cotton, petro-
leum, government bonds or railway shares, in
any and all the markets of civilization.
' ' They know that published quotation is
not one fixed by the arbitrary determination
of any one dealer, but by the aggregate ver-
dict of them all. The grain baron who knows
to a fraction the amount of grain in sight or
coming, and who stands ready to buy the mill-
ion bushels, and the 'ostler who invests five
dollars in a ' bucket-shop' on a point, or for
luck, are both represented in that quotation,
as the attractive forces of the mountain and the
pebble are felt in just proportion to their weight.
10
146 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
"The ultimate criterion which determines
the validity of prices is the ratio of the supply
and demand. The speculator who can neither
be successfully cornered himself, nor beaten
on a corner when he forms one against others,
is he who judges rightly concerning this ratio.
If the normal consumption of wheat for the
population of the United States be five bush-
els per capita per annum, while the surplus
which Europe can take at $i per bushel is
200,000,000 bushels, an American wheat crop
of 550,000,000 bushels present a surplus of
100,000,000 bushels of supply over demand.
Hence the price must go below #i; and he
who combines or ' bulls ' to force it up to
$i. 10, or even to hold it at $i, is simply pre-
sumptuous. If he offers to take wheat at those
rates for any considerable length of time, the
interests of commerce and the rights of con-
sumers require that he shall be 'squeezed,'
and, if he persists, ruined as a punishment for
fighting against natural law. In the case of
the Keene wheat deal, the proof is now clear
that he operated against the natural law of
prices, by underestimating the capacity of the
American supply rather than by overesti-
THE CHICAGO BOARD OF TRADE. 147
mating the extent of the Englisn deficiency.
There is no more chance in the operation
of supply and demand than in gravitation.
He who buys or sells, therefore, with an ade-
quate expert knowledge of the conditions which
control prices plays less a game of chance
than he who builds his mill by a stream and
expects its waters to turn his wheels and grind
his grist. The economic law that excess of
supply over demand must reduce, and excess
of demand over supply must raise prices,
would be worth whole columns of verbal afflor-
escence and camp-meeting rhetoric."
Secretary Stone, in his report of 1 890, makes
a strong appeal to producers concerning the
above statement. He says:
Surplus grain supplies may furnish a desirable theme
to the unthinking politician for stump speeches, but
they are deplored by the thoughtful and studious po-
litical economist, and rejoiced over by those countries
which cannot produce enough to feed their own peoples.
I,et the farmer dismiss this idea of the desirability of
excessive crops, especially of wheat, and place a higher
estimate upon the value of a home market, of diversi-
fied crops and of the interchange of commodities be-
tween the States. He should not lose sight of the fact
which stubbornly confronts him, notwithstanding the
fascination of his miles of waving wheat, that the ex-
port price of that grain makes the price of the entire
crop, and that such price is dictated by competition
148 THE WORLD'S FAIR <T/f y.
with surplus wheat producing countries where labor
has its least reward. The policy of those countries
which do not raise sufficient food to supply their own
populations, is to stimulate the production of wheat in
other lands and bring as many sellers as possible to
their markets. Why should we contribute to this
policy ?
When granaries are full and labor is unemployed
the public safety must need be in peril. A year of
scant crops and good prices is far better than one with
enormous crops, held at the mercy of importing coun-
tries dictating to us terms of sale.
As an agricultural and commercial educator
Mr. Stone is an enthusiast. He not only be-
lieves in enlightening the producer in the art
of calculation, in regard to his productions,,
but, also recommends the establishment of a
school for the purpose of educating the youth
in practical business principles. The sugges-
tion is timely, but it is a question whether cul-
tivation could develop power equal to the in-
stinctive genius that is possessed by some of
Chicago's great capitalists. However, as Mr.
Stone has, undoubtedly, given the subject due'
consideration, his opinion is worthy of serious
thought, and as he never discusses illogically,
nor expresses his thoughts awkwardly, the
following paragraph which is quoted from his
report of 1890, should be read:
THE CHICAGO BOARD OF TRADE. 149
The remarkable progress made in great industries,
and intense competition in the conduct of business in
all departments, have greatly stimulated study and in-
vention as applied to commercial life, and have led
broad-minded men who superintend extensive mer-
cantile establishments to place a high value upon in-
telligent labor, and upon exceptional mental endow-
ment and discipline, in responsible positions. Compe-
tition in business is no longer along the coarser and
superficial lines; it reaches into the realm of acute
mental analysis and scientific acquisition; without
these there is small hope of success in conducting
great enterprises. Hence it is that our graduates from
the higher institutions of technology find immediate
and remunerative employment. There is no field in
this country so favorable for the establishment of an
institute for scientific education of the highest order as
Chicago, and no time so auspicious as the present.
Such an institute would contribute to the national
wealth more quickly and substantially than does the
university with its more classical curriculum.
The origin of Boards of Trade is difficult to
trace backward on account of the changes in
the formation, and in the privileges granted to
them. Lorenzo Sabine, Secretary of the Bos-
ton Board of Trade, gave a very interesting
history of these organizations in his report of
1859, which was published in the New York
Banker s Magazine. From this report much
information is gleaned showing the origin and
development of these institutions and their
benefit to business men of all classes. Before
1 56 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
the Board of Trade was established in Eng-
land, Queen Elizabeth, made an attempt to
regulate trade, by granting patents to compa-
nies or individuals, for dealing in almost every
known commodity, which could be purchased
only of the several patentees; but she soon
saw her error when it was discovered that
these monopolists were so exorbitant in their
demands that prices rose from two hundred to
five hundred, and in some cases one thousand,
per cent. She partially retraced her steps
when the House of Commons, "abject even
to meanness," addressed her in terms, it is
said, that were due only to the Supreme Being.
James, her successor, yielding to the clamors
of the people, annulled many of the patents,
but some still remained, by virtue of which,
nearly the whole of the foreign trade of the
Kingdoms that to France excepted was in
the hands of patentees. Commerce at this
time was in the hands of about two hundred
merchants, who, by combination, fixed prices
for articles of export and import at their own
figures.
In 1623 the advocates of a change acquired
the strength to enact a law, which declared
THE CHICAGO BOARD OF TRADE. 151
monopolies contrary to the liberties of Eng-
lishmen. The question was agitated and dis-
cussed for years, but without much benefit to
the people. Charles the First, in 1632, in
order to raise money, resorted to the easy
mode of granting patents and, in considera-
tion, of 10,000 gave one company the mo-
nopoly of soap boiling, and to another, the ex-
clusive right to make starch, on payment of
1,500, and a larger sum annually; while deal-
ing in leather, linen, rags, salt, and many
other articles was restricted.
Thus was England commercially situated in
1663 when the Council or Board of Trade was
organized by Charles the First. But com-
merce and manufactures, instead of increasing
under its regulations suffered still more from
its constant and arrogant interference. In
Cromwell's reign the board was reconstructed,
and his son Richard placed at its head, but
there seems to be no record of any reforms at
that time that were beneficial to the people.
After the restoration of the Stuarts there
was a second reconstruction, and a division of
duties, by which the care of the British Col-
onies was committed to a department of the
152 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
board, and the superintendence of commerce
to another. John Evelyn, a writer on philoso-
phy and the useful arts, was a member of this
board. He recorded in his journal, that what
he and his ' ' associates most insisted on was
to know the condition of New England, which
appearing to be very independent as to their
regard to England or his majesty, rich and
strong as they now were, there were great de-
bates in what style to write them, for the con-
dition of that colony was such that they were
able to contest with all other Plantatious about
them, and there was a fear of their breaking
from all dependence on this Nation."
Finally the board sent a circular to the
Governors of the American Colonies; and a
proclamation was issued which prohibited the
importation of any of the commodities of Eu-
rope into the colonies which were not laden in
England. As is well known the merchants in
Boston resisted at once. They had disobeyed
the navigation laws of Cromwell and Charles
the Second, and when the board sent over to
Boston the first royal collector of the duties
ever seen in America, he was not only unable
to execute the duties of his office, but was
THE CHICAGO BOARD OF TRADE. I $3
insulted and imprisoned. Massachusetts as-
serted that the obnoxious laws were an inva-
sion of their rights as Englishmen.
The President of this board, then the Earl
of Shaftsbury, who founded the Whig party,
was the special friend of the merchants. John
Locke, the author of the Essay on the Human
Understanding, was Secretary. He was a
favorite of the Whigs and of the King. In de-
clining health and devoted to philosophical in-
quiries he retired, without making any great
reform or impression in the world of Trade.
After the resignation of Locke, the Commis-
sioners were usually peers of the realm, who
were looked upon as spies, by every one in
New England who owned a sloop, or built a
little mill. They were loathed by all who be-
lieved that statesmen are bound to increase
human industry and to promote the interests
of mankind.
The interference of the board was constant
and arbitrary, by destroying the most lucra-
tive branches of Colonial Commerce. There is
hardly a complaint in the grievances recorded
in the Declaration of Independence for which
the Board of Trade is not responsible. In
154 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
1780 Burke assailed it, with stinging reproach,
in the House of Commons, and its entire abo-
lition was accomplished by a majority of eight.
Gibbon, the historian, who was one of the Lords
Commissioners, vouches for the general accu-
racy of Mr. Burke's representations, and allows
of himself personally that he remained for weeks
at a time in his study undisturbed by the cares
of official business. ' ' We are led to conclude, '
says Lorenzo Sabine, "that the Board of
Trade thus far, and in all its changes of name
and functions, had been more serviceable to
the world of letters than to the world of traffic,
and it is to be remembered with complacency,
principally, because it ministered something to
the pecuniary wants of Evelyn, of Locke, and
of Gibbon, while pursuing the inquiries to
which they mainly devoted their lives."
As now constituted, the President of the
Board of Trade in England is a minister of
the Crown; and no person concerned in com-
merce can be a member of it. Its authority
is derived entirely from statute laws. Since
1845 it has entirely abolished the naviga-
tion laws, which, existing from the day of
Cromwell, were deemed the bulwark of the
THE CHICAGO BOARD OF TRADE. 155
Kingdom. The care of the mercantile marine,
once entrusted to the Admiralty, has been
transferred to the Board of Trade, and in this
department, except in matters of revenue, its
superintendence is well nigh supreme.
The history of the Chicago Board of Trade
commenced in 1848 when Thomas Dyer was
chosen president and W. L. Whiting secre-
tary. Mr. Whiting was the first grain broker
of Chicago. He, and Thomas Richmond, who
was in the elevating business, were the origina-
tors of the institution. They first published
a notice calling together merchants generally,
for the purpose of organizing a board of trade
A convention was held, a room leased for $110
a year, and eighty members formed the board.
But it seems that these merchants did not
take great interest in the business of the board
as report says that ' ' the hall was empty al-
most all the days of the week, except when
some political affair was announced as the
special order of the day. " Three years after
the first meeting a record of attendance showed
such a meager average that it was decided that
something must be done to stimulate the en-
ergy of members, "something that would
156 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
stir the pulse and fill the hall to the doors
every day." Consequently a free lunch was
provided by the members, and the hours of
the daily session changed from 9 in the morn-
ing to 11:30 and 12:30 o'clock. For a time
this inducement increased the attendance, but
it soon lost its drawing power and the board
relapsed into its former lethargic condition.
At the annual meeting of 1855 it was found
that the attractive lunch had not been furnished
as before, and a general vote was cast that it
should be continued in the original quality and
quantity.
At the following annual meeting it was found
{hat the membership had grealy increased;
and that the richest and most influential men
in the city were among its associates. It was
at this period of its history that the rules and
regulations of the board concerning the storing
of grain, and the issuance of warehouse re-
ceipts, gave speculation a greater field for
operation.
In 1857, seven and one-half million bushels
of wheat were exported to England; and in
1871 nearly twenty three million bushels of
wheat were sold in London and Liverpool,
THE CHICAGO BOARD OF TRADE. 157
three-fourths of which was raised west of Lake
Michigan. Improvements in the management
of the board were constantly made, and addi-
tional conveniences procured until business in-
creased at a rapid rate.
In 1859 the institution was regularly incor-
porated by the State Legislature, and from
that time it has been a potent factor in the
commerce of the world. A new building was
erected at the corner of La Salle and Wash-
ington streets, which was destroyed by the
great fire of 1871. But it was only a short
time before it was rebuilt on the same site, and
at noon, October 9, 1872, the new Chamber of
Commerce was opened for business.
In this building the Board carried on its op-
erations until 1885, when the membership was
so great that larger accommodations were nec-
essary. The Chicago Board of Trade today
represents millions of dollars, and it is said
that its success has been due to the rigid fol-
lowing of the first principles which were
adopted by the pioneers of the enterprise. It
has now a membership of about two thousand.
George F. Stone, who has served as Secre-
tary of the Chicago Board of Trade since 1883,
158 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
is recognized by that portion of the World's
Fair city workers called " brainy men" as a
man of superior ability. He is of a long line
of cultured ancestors, and, undoubtedly, in-
herits from them those fine instinctive quali-
ties not usually exhibited in the business world.
Those exquisite abstract ideas unfolded by
Locke in his great essay, and applied by Gib-
bon to his famous work, Mr. Stone has, with
equal analytical ability, used to elevate and
dignify his work concerning the commercial
world. The development in the functions
and character of Boards of Trade which has
taken place since the time of Charles the
First, and the intimate relations which they
sustain to literary and commercial discussion,
is the result of such studious analysis as Mr.
Stone has made in this direction. An edito-
rial in the Chicago Daily News gives a very
elaborate review of Mr. Stone's report of
1890. As it so nearly coincides with the pres-
ent writer's views an extract of it is quoted :
A WORLD'S FAIR DOCUMENT.
"The Thirty- third Annual Report of the Trade
and Commerce of Chicago " is in reality an epic prose
poem; its subject the great, complex action of Chicago
THE OPEN BOARD OF TRADE. 1 59
life told in the elevated style and with the fullness of
detail characteristic of the true epic.
It is given to few men to be able to clothe the skele-
ton of statistics with living flesh and to endow columns
and tables of figures with life and speech and motion.
But such a poet-statistician is Mr. Stone. Whether
the inspiration was all his own, or whether he derived
it from the genius of the World's Fair which, accord-
ing to his own observation, is quickening the ambi-
tions and aspirations of Chicago in every direction
Mr. Stone has furnished such a vivid picture of Chicago
holding in her hands the keys to the world's temple of
commerce that it would seem the World's Fair manage-
ment could do no better than have this report trans-
lated and printed in all modern languages for distribu-
tion among the merchants of the world.
It would arouse an interest in the Columbian Expo-
sition and lead to a fuller appreciation of its impor-
tance and the certainty of its success because it is to
be held in Chicago than could be secured by any
other means.
George William Curtis says: "If Com-
merce has performed great deeds, Literature
has made them famous."
THE OPEN BOARD OF TRADE.
Across the street from the Board of Trade, on
Pacific avenue, is the "Open Board of Trade"
so-called, where bucket-shop trading is carried
on. Its membership is made up of men who
have been crowded out from, or have not
money enough to deal in, the regular Exchange.
160 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
It is said to have been created by Benjamin
P. Hutchinson who was not satisfied with the
scope of trade allowed by the rules of the
regular board.
This is the kind of trading aimed at by re-
formers who make no discrimination between
it and the genuine business of the Board of
Trade. The bucket shop was once a promi-
nent business in towns and cities of the States,
and its managers always claimed to have a
connection with the Board of Trade. The
patrons of the bucket shop, who were dealing
in "Puts" and "Calls," believed this, and
when their money was lost supposed it had
been appropriated by the board, which was
soon regarded as a den for robbers. In order to
suppress these counterfeits the board gave up
the collection of quotations for the use of its
members and their customers, but permitted
the quotations to be sent by private message
insisting, however, that they should not be
sent to bucket shops.
For years women have been dealing in
the open board. The majority of them are
poor in purse, shabbily dressed and wear a
nervous expression. The extent of the deal
THE OPEN BOARD OF TRADE. i6l
made by most of them is about ten dollars,
which represents a thousand bushels of grain.
If the market goes against her she loses her
money, or if it goes in her favor she wins the
amount of the rise or fall, as the case may be,
from the price ruling at the time the contract
is made. These dealers men and women-
are greatly inclined to be superstitious, and, it
is said, consult fortune tellers for luck, which
they believe controls the markets. Here is an
instance published by the Chicago Herald:
Several years ago a woman who claimed to be the
seventh daughter of the seventh son engaged rooms at
the Grand Pacific Hotel and sent out word that she
would give infallible tips on the course of the market
the following day. Staid old men from the big board
and the hoi polloi of the open board swarmed to her
apartments. Her method of forecasting the market
was on this plan: One up, two down, three up, four
down, and so on until the alternate scale went into the
fifties each day. The market naturally went up or
down the next day, and half of those who held cards
were certain winners. This good fortune strengthened
their belief in the supernatural gift of the impostor,
while those who held the rest of the cards were quite
as certain that she made a slip, which would be
mended by the next forecast. Often this came true,
and thus the clairvoyant grew rich and happy until
her trick was discovered. Her income was nearly
$100 a day, and when she left the Grand Pacific it
was estimated that she took with her nearly $\ 0,000
in cash.
11
CHAPTER VI.
THE CHICAGO ART INSTITUTE.
The first lesson which the study of the Fine Arts teaches is
to make everything beautiful that we do, and, above all our
own character and lives. John S. Mill.
Less than ten years ago the following criti-
cism upon Chicago appeared in a New York
contemporary journal: "There is wealth
enough in Chicago, and culture enough, to
make the absence of a grand art museum a
perpetual surprise to the visitor. Men there
spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in
building for themselves, and generations ahead
will not so much as know the names of the
builder. Whereas the man who will munifi-
cently endow a worthy art museum there will
build an imperishable shrine for his name, and
generations ahead will call him blessed. '
Considering the age of the World's Fair
city, the youngest great city of the world, it
would not be surprising if she had not made
great progress in the Fine Arts. However, des-
pite her apparent slowness in that direction, at
the present time, there is a nucleus formed
162
WILLIAM R. FRENCH.
THE CHICAGO ART INSTITUTE. 163
which in completeness of detail, and in real
worth, has never been excelled by any other
city.
The earnestness and forethought which have
been displayed in the formation and character
of this school and museum, show a firm deter-
mination upon the part of the Trustees and
Director to make it an institution that will
confer great benefits upon its patrons and
pupils.
It is neither an association of Artists, nor a
stock company, but similar to the Boston and
Philadelphia art museums, is an incorporated
association of friends and patrons of art. The
foreign museums generally are connected with
and supported by the state or city, but this in-
stitution has no such connection.
The Chicago Art Institute was incorporated
May 24, 1879, and, is in a measure, the suc-
cessor of earlier efforts, which were sustained
by public spirited citizens, who were prevented
from carrying out their plans by the disastrous
fire of 1871; but their works are not yet for-
gotten.
Charles L. Hutchinson, who was elected
President of the Art Institute April 27, 1882,
164 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
has been the active leader in its development,
and is now the corner stone, as it were, of this
worthy enterprise. He has enriched it with
gifts, besides making two trips abroad for the
purpose of learning foreign methods of con-
ducting Art schools, and to secure desirable
works of art.
Director French, who accompanied Mr.
Hutchinson upon his first journey says in his
report of 1889:
During March, April and May we visited Rome,
Naples, Florence, Venice, Paris and London with
special reference to the management of art institutions.
Our observations in these places tend to give us
courage respecting the future of our own school and
museum. We feel assured that our school is working
precisely in the right direction, and already offers for
the peculiar needs of a young American art student as
good opportunities as can be found anywhere, for the
first two or three years of study. Many of our former
students are in Europe, and their rank in foreign art
schools shows that a good student in our school will
stand well anywhere.
Our museum is scarcely founded, yet it is evident
that works of art of the highest value may be obtained
from time to time by standing ready to seize oppor-
tunities. Good works of antique sculpture are con-
stantly coming to light in Italy, and pictures of great
Masters, except those in public museums, occasionally
come into the market. The foreign dealers already
perceive and openly declare that many of these works
must come to America. Collections of certain classes,
THE CHIC A GO ART INSTITUTE. 1 6 5
worthy of any museum, are not very expensive. Such
are casts of sculpture, reproductions of metal work
and ivory, autotypes, etc. The convenience and ap-
pearance of an art museum certainly depend more upon
good sense and good taste than upon any more ob-
scure or expensive considerations. As funds come
into our hands for purchase we shall be able to expend
them with advantage, and under the advice of the
best foreign art authorities, whom we found every-
where full of cordiality and readiness to assist in the
promotion of our objects. We may especially acknowl-
edge the attentions of S. Rodolfo Lanciani, of Rome;
Rev. J. C. Fletcher, of Naples; Sir Frederick Leighton,
President of the Royal Academy, of England; Mr. J.
C. L,. Sparks and other officers of the South Kensing-
ton Museum.
During our journey we have met several citizens of
Chicago who authorized the purchase of valuable
works of art for the Art Institue at their expense.
Mr. Hutchinson was accompanied upon his
second journey by Mr. M. A. Ryerson, of the
Board of Trustees. They were authorized by
the Executive Committee to examine the Demi-
doff collection of Old Masters at Florence.
The result was that they brought thirteen pict-
ures from this collection, together with one by
Holbein from the May collection in Paris.
Prince Nikolai Demidoff was born in St. Pe-
tersburg, Russia, in 1775 and died in 1828.
His son owned one of the most valuable col-
lections of paintings in Italy. The acquisition
1 66 THE WORLDS FAIR CITY.
of these pictures give the museum a value that
is not surpassed by any other on the continent.
The active control of the Institute is vested
in a board composed of twenty-one Trustees,
chosen from the body of governing members.
There are three classes of membership. Gov-
erning members, who are chosen by ballot by
the Board of Trustees, are qualified after elec-
tion by the payment of $100 and $10 annually.
Annual members, have all the rights and priv-
ileges of governing members for one year, ex-
cept the right to vote, upon the payment of
$10. Honorary members are chosen from
among persons who have rendered service to
the institution, or who have claim to the rank
of artists or patrons of art. They are exempt
from the payment of dues, and ' have all the
rights and privileges of annual members.
In the quality of instruction and the charac-
ter of the work produced by the students, this
Institute ranks with the best Art schools in the
United States. No. definite time is prescribed
for the course, each student being advanced
according to his progress. Drawing from
the antique, still life, and life, perspective,
water color and oil painting, sculpture and
THE CHICAGO ART INSTITUTE. 167
ornamental designing and architecture are
among the studies. In its costumes and other
accessories, so necessary to students of Art, it
is said to be better equipped than many of the
older schools in Europe.
The student who enters the school is required
to set up his easel in the antique room, where, the
instructor, in half a day, can judge of his profi-
ciency. He then studies elementary and ad-
vanced drawing, passing from the antique to the
still life class, and finally to the costume and
nude life class. Every Saturday a sketching
class is conducted by Director French. Lots are
cast and one of the members poses for fifteen
minutes as a subject for the sketchers. There is
also a Saturday juvenile class, where a great
number of little ones attend to study from
casts and still life.
The class in Ornamental Designing is under
the supervision of Louis J. Millet. The sub-
ject is treated in all its details, from the elemen-
tary principles necessary to make the designs
for table linen, or for a church window, up to
the archictectural laws involved in plan-
ning a facade of a public building. Those
who have had years of experience in designing
1 68 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
have taken advantage of this opportunity
to improve their technical and theoretical
knowledge. Graduates from this class are em-
ployed as practical designers in various deco-
rating and manufacturing establishments in
Chicago and elsewhere.
Besides Director French, the number of
teachers regularly employed in the Institute
are thirty-three, ten of whom were educated
abroad. Professor John H. Vanderpoel,
teacher of drawing and painting, is recognized
as one of the best judges of pictures in the
city. His specialty is the drawing of the
human figure. One of his most admired pict-
ures is called "Weary," and is owned by
Charles L. Hutchinson.
Diplomas are conferred, by the faculty at
the close of the school year, upon students of not
less than two years' standing, in the life class,
who shall have followed the course with merit.
Special examinations are required in Anat-
omy and Perspective,
Mr. James W. Ellsworth, one of Chicago's
patrons of art, contributes annually the sum of
$300 to be conferred as a prize upon the
painter of the best picture in the exhibition,
THE CHICAGO ART INSTITUTE. 169
painted in the United States by a living Amer-
ican, and not previously exhibited in Chicago
or vicinity.
Mr. Ellsworth, who has been a resident of
Chicago for many years, was born in Hudson,
Ohio. He is an intense lover of art, and is
a firm believer in its elevating power in educa-
tion. His apartments in the Union League
Club building are adorned with beautiful paint-
ings. He is the man who purchased, at the
Brayton Ives sale, in New York, the famous
Gutenburg Bible, and placed it on exhibition
in the Art Institute.
The Art Institute confers a second prize
of $2 50 to be awarded to the next best oil
painting by a living American, not previously
exhibited in Chicago or vicinity. No compet-
itor is to take the prize a second time.
The awards are made by a committee of three,
during the first two weeks of the annual exhi-
bition.
The Chicago Woman's Club has established
a perpetual scholarship in the Art School for
the purpose of giving a young woman of pro-
nounced ability in drawing and painting an
opportunity to pursue her Art studies; the
I 70 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
student to be selected by competitive examina-
tion from the graduating classes of the Chicago
High Schools. An enterprising reporter who
visited the life-class made the following ooser-
vation: "The unrestrained and unconven-
tional attitude assumed by the pupils behind
the array of easels which half surround the
model are much better worth looking at than
the model. Some of them are perched on
high stools; others are standing, and still others
are sitting on chairs or low benches. Their
poses are generally graceful. Watch the
smooth curve of the arm and the delicate poise
of the hand."
Philip H. Calderon, of the Royal Academy
of London, England, divides art classes into
three grades as follows:
"A very small minority who will become
artists, that is, will paint pictures or mould
statues.
"A great majority who will become art
workmen.
'The residuum, who, after attending these
schools, may perhaps never again handle a
pencil, or a modeling tool. But their instruc-
tion will tend to their greater happiness, to
THE CHICAGO ART INSTITUTE. 1 7 1
their leading better and more intelligent lives,
it will give them an appreciation of the ever-
varying beauties of nature, which they would
not have had without that instruction, it will
make them better citizens better citizens in
the sense in which the men of Florence were
good citizens in the fifteenth and sixteenth
centuries, for they left to their descendents a
city of beauty, which is even now the wonder
and delight of all lovers of Art. "
The first class includes that rare individual
called a genius, one who makes his way to the
top of the pinnacle of fame by his native tal-
ent. The second includes the artisan who
has ample scope for his art, in the work of
decoration and design. As a means of sup-
port, the attention of some of the most skillful
students in England and America have been
directed to decoration and design. It is
judged to be one of the most wholesome
aspects in the progress of Art.
Decoration has certainly become a great
factor in the field of industry, and, in the
modern residence there is less demand for the
work of the artist than for that of the de-
signer. At the Paris Exhibition, of 1 889, wood
172 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
engraving by American artists formed one of
the most interesting and instructive exhibits.
Regarding the last class, that Mr. Calderon
has called the residuum in Art, it might be
supposed that, with the possession of other
superior talents, they are as much benefited
by the culture derived from the study of Art,
although not dominant in the mind of the stu-
dent, as the artist would be in the study of
language. Goethe said that in the coming
generation, Art would perform the office of
religion in elevating and refining mankind.
At the same time, his admirer, Thomas Car-
lyle believed that the problems of religion
would engross the creative energies of the
mind to the temporary exclusion, perhaps the
long suppression of Art.
That two such great minds should differ on
a subject so vital is not surprising when the
characters of these would-be prophets are in-
vestigated. Goethe, in his work, was an
artiste; he did not create his works and then
try to conform people's taste to them; but
made them applicable to all classes; thus he
became popular. Carlyle was a poet without
rythm, a gem without polish, an enthusiast
TH'E CHICAGO ART INSTITUTE. I 73
without diplomacy, and he expressed his views
as a man having no selfish motive. Truth in
all its forms possessed the mind of Goethe,
but Carlyle aimed at the destruction of idols,
in order to show Truth.
Archdeacon Farrer says that ' 'it is a great
and common error to overlook the many sources
of revelation which God has provided for us. "
The permanent collection of paintings in the
Art Institute is small, but of excellent quality.
This is supposed to be an actual advantage to
the membership, as it gives them an oppor-
tunity to view exhibits which are secured by
loans for the series of successive exhibitions.
There is no difficulty in securing such collec-
tions.
A brief description of each picture of the
Demidoff collection, as it appears in the Direc-
tors' report of 1891, is given below:
i. Hans Holbein, The Younger, 1497-1543. Portrait
of a Man. This picture was in the collection of the
Baron de Beurnonville, sold in Paris, May 1881, and
passed into the collection of M. E. May, sold in Paris
June, 1890. It was formerly in the Sciarra Gal-
lery. The following description is from the de Beur-
nonville Catalogue :
" PORTRAIT OP A MAN. A half-length, three-quar-
ters view; turned to the left, dark chestnut hair cut
I 74 THE WORLDS FAIR CITY.
straight above the eye-brows and falling over the ears.
A brown felt hat with a broad, raised brim. A gown
in small folds and a red cloak ornamented with black
velvet. A small flower in the right hand; the left
hand is close to the lower edge of the picture; plain
green background. This portrait of a noble character
has been also attributed by some connoisseurs to Albert
Durer, of whom it is worthy in all respects. Gallery
Sciarra."
On wood, h. i ft. 5^ in., w. i ft. o^ in.
2. Peter Paul Rubens, 1577-1640. Portrait of the
Marquis Spinola. From the Demidoff collection. The
following is from the description of the San Donate
Catalogue, March, 1880:
"PORTRAIT OF SPINOLA. A bust, three-quarter
view, turned to the left, bare-headed, with thick gray
hair, curled moustache and a tuft on the chin. A
broad plaited ruff flattened under the neck of the steel
cuirass, relieved with ornaments of gold. Upon the
breast is the collar of the Order of the Golden Fleece.
A table at the left supports his helmet. A head full of
acuteness, sagacity and energy. No. 98 of the inven-
tory made after the death of the illustrious artist.
Smith, Catalogue RaisonnZ, Vol. II, p. 31."
Canvas, h. 2 ft. 5^ in., w. i ft n^ in.
3. Frans Hals, 1581-1666. Portrait of His Son.
From the Demidoff collection.
"Half-length, three-quarters view, the head, adorned
with abundant curls of a strong brown color, is covered
with a black, soft hat easily placed on the back of the
head. His upper lip is concealed by a moustache, fine
and silky. The collar turned down, doublet black,
cloak of the same color. The left hand, gloved, is
supported upon the hilt of a sword, the right hand
rests upon the hip. A palette hung upon the wall.
THE CHIC A GO ART INSTITUTE. 1 7 5
The canvas, which is signed in monogram, bears the
inscription JETA, 32, 1644."
Canvas; h. 2 ft. 9^5 in., w. 2 ft. 2 in.
4. Anthony Van Dyck. 1599-1641. Portrait of the
Princess Helena Leonora de Sievere. From the Dem-
idoff collection. The following description is from
Smith's Catalogue Raisonne, Vol. Ill, p. 205 :
" Portrait of Helena Leonora de Sievere The coun-
tenance, which is of oval form, is seen in a three-quar-
ter view, with the hair simply turned up in front ; a
kerchief of open lace work covers the bosom and shoul-
ders; and the dress consists of black silk. The hands
are joined in front.
' ' Engraved by Visscher, from a picture then in the
collection of Lord Somers. ' '
Canvas, h. 3 ft. 3^3 in., w. 2 ft. 8^4 in.
5. Rembrandt Van Ryn, 1608-1669. Portrait of a
young girl. From the Demidoff collection.
This picture has sometimes been called ' ' The Child
of the State."
At a window appears a young* girl wearing the pic-
turesque costume of the orphans of North Holland.
Seen full front, the two hands resting on the sill of the
casement, the eyes turned to the left. The collar, close
at the neck, is relieved by a necklace of coral. Her
costume is composed of a dress of fustian, of which the
waist is confined at the opening by lacings of red cord
and an apron. The chest is protected by a plastron of
red stuff, and the sleeves of the same color reach to
the forearm. These signs indicate that this young
woman is assisted by the asylum, and placed under
public guardianship. Signed in full and dated 1645;
engraved by F. L. Geyser.
Collection of Gueffier, collection of Robert, collec-
tion of George Hibbert. Smith, Catalogue RaisonnS,
Vov. VII, p. 170, No. 552
1 76 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
Canvas, h. 3 ft. 5^ in., w. 2 ft. 10^ in.
6. Gerard Terburg, 1617-1681. The Guitar Lesson.
From the Demidoff collection. Presented to the Art
Institute by Charles T. Yerkes.
The following description is from Smith's Catalogue
Raisonne, Vol. IV, p. 124:
"THE LESSON OF THE GUITAR. A lady elegantly
dressed in a red velvet neglige bordered with ermine,
and a white satin petticoat embroidered with gold,
seated at a table, which is covered with a green cloth,
playing on a guitar and accompanying the music with
her voice, while her master stands on the other side of
the table beating time with his hand; some music
books and a violoncello are upon the table, and a
beautiful spaniel lies asleep on a chair in front of the
room. An excellent production of art.
" Collection of Chev. Verhulst, Brus., 1779. Prince
Galitzin, Paris, 1825. John Fairlie, Esq., Paris, 1830.
A duplicate of the preceding picture, engraved by
Lewis, is in the collection of Henry Philip Hope, Esq.
" Two ft. 2 in. by i ft. 9 in. c."
7. Adriaan Van Ostade, 1610-1685. The Jubilee.
From the Demidoff collection. The following descrip-
tion is from Smith's Catalogue Raisonne, Vol. I., p.
I45--
' ' The interior of a room, with numerous assemblage
of peasantry, among whom, and in the middle, are a
man and woman dancing, the former without shoes, to
the music of a violin played by a man mounted on a
bench; on the right side and front are a boy playing
with a dog and a girl with a doll; a variety of inci-
dents corresponding with the festive meeting is de-
picted throughout the company. An open door at the
end of the apartment affords a view of the distant
landscape. Signed and dated 1675. Painted in the
sixty-fifth year of the artist's age.
THE CHIC A GO ART INSTITUTE. 1 7 7
' ' Collection of Monsieur de Colonne. Edward Coxe,
Esq., 1807. John Dent, Esq., 1827. Exhibited in
the British Gallery, 1815. Now in the possession of
Richard Foster, Esq."
Canvas, h. i ft. 7^ in., w. i ft. 4^ in.
8. David Teniers, 1610-1694. The Guard House.
From the Demidoff collection. The following description
is from Smith's Catalogue Raisonne, Vol. Ill, p. 354:
" A Corps de Garde. The foreground is occupied
with a variety of armor, colors, drums and other mili-
tary implements; the principal figure is a man entering
with a cloak on his arm,
" One ft. 9 in. by 2 ft. 4 in. cop. Collection of Sir
L. Dundas, Bart., 1724."
9. Adriaan Van de Velde, c. 1635-1672. Landscape
and cattle. From the Demidoff collection.
In the foreground, on the bank of a river which
loses itself in the distance after* having passed under a
Roman acqueduct, a shepherd and shepherdess chat.
The shepherd, with his back toward us, leaning upon
the crupper of a horse, is placed in the center of the
composition. In front, an ox of a yellowish color, his
back spotted with russet, walks quietly to the left. A
cow rests near the woman, and two goats browse at
the left. Distance mountainous. Described in Smith,
Vol. V., p. 211, No. 126.
Signed in full and dated 1664. Collection Van Loon.
Canvas, h. 2 ft. 3^ in., w. 2 ft. 7^ in.
10. Zeeman (Renier Nooms), c. 1612-1673. Coast
Scene. From the Demidoff collection.
Presented to the Art Institute by Byron L. Smith.
A low shore, a smooth sea and a group of fishing
boats setting sail. In the immediate foreground are
five figures, of which three are securing a boat; on the
right, one, a man with a red cap, is carrying a loaded
basket, and one stands in the water holding a net.
12
178 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
On the principal boat several sailors are at work, while
to the left are numerous boats with colored sails, pict-
uresquely patched, carrying people and merchandise.
In the distance boats in full sail. Cumulus clouds of
delicate gray tone cover most of the sky.
Canvas, h. i ft. 10^ in., w. I ft. 7 in.
11. Jan Steen, 1626-1679. The Family Concert.
From the Demidoff collection.
The scene is a parlor lighted on the left by a win-
dow hung with red curtains, one sash of which, left
open, discloses a windmill attached to a dwelling. The
principal group is composed of Jan Steen, his wife and
child, and his brother-in-law. On the left Steen, seated
on a bench near the window, rests his elbow upon a
table and strikes with vigor the chords of his guitar.
Placed in the center of the composition, and wearing
a blue satin dress, his wife sings, following the score
with extreme attention. Her brother, seated at the
right, plays the clarionet, and the little son of the
master, who has possessed himself of a long clay pipe,
avails himself of it to scrape the strings of a bass viol
set against a chair before the table. In the background
a young man tunes a violin, and the sister-in-law of
Steen converses with the landscape painter, Van Goyen,
his father-in-law. An attendant descends a staircase
on the right, bringing refreshments. The table is cov-
ered with a rich Smyrna cloth, upon which lies the
music, one sheet bearing the signature of the painter
and the date 1666. Engraved in L' Art by H. Lefort.
Collection of Sir Charles Bagot, Baronet.
Smith Catalogue Raisonne, Vol. IV, p. 59, No. 176.
Canvas, h. 3 ft. i in., w. 3 ft. 5 in.
12. Jakob Van Ruysdael, c. 1630-1681. The Cas-
tle. From the Demidoff collection.
In the middle distance a chateau surrounded by a
thicket and a full-grown forest. The waters of a brook,
THE CHICAGO ART INSTITUTE. 1 79
hemmed in by rocks covered with verdure, sweep
round this chateau, and in the foreground fall in cas-
cades upon the trunk of a tree fallen into the torrent.
Some felled trees are seen on the right bank; distance
mountainous. Engraved by Leopold Flameng. Signed
in monogram upon the face of the rock. Described in
the Catalogue Raisonnt of Smith, Vol. VI, p. 9, No. 7.
Collection of Lady Stuart.
Canvas, h. 2 ft. 4 in., w. i ft. 10 In.
13. Meindert Hobbema, c. 1638-1709, The Water
Mill. From the Demidoff collection.
In this picture the greater part of the foreground is
occupied by water, into which, upon the right of the
spectator, pours a thin sheet of water from a sluiceway
in front of a mill. Three ducks swim upon the pool.
Under the sluiceway are two water wheels. The large
red roof of the low mill is relieved against a thick
wood on its left and a row of trees on its right. To the
left of the center in the foreground is a large group of
a half dozen or more trees, and still further to the left
a road, entirely open, winding off into the distance,
upon which walk two or three figures. The sky is
blue, with cumulus clouds, the landscape sunlit here
and there. One of the most important works of
this master. From the collection of Lord Mount
Temple.
Canvas, h. 2 ft. n in., w. 3 ft. 7^ in.
14. William Van Mieris, 1662-1747. The Happy
Mother. From the Demidoff collection. Presented to
the Art Institute by Edson Keith.
A genre picture, in which the finish of detail is car-
ried to the last degree. In a high room, with flat tim-
bered ceiling, tiled floor, and a window to the left, sits
a substantial mother, clad in brown dress, open at the
breast, blue apron, white cap and kerchief, offering
something in a spoon, held in the right hand, to a
l8o THE WORLDS FAIR CITY.
reluctant child of a year or two old, who is supported
in her lap by her left hand. The incident appears to be
the weaning of the child. At the right hand of the
mother a boy of ten or twelve holds a dish and watches
the child. There are many objects in the picture; a
little King Charles spaniel, a cradle with pillow and
blankets, a table upon which are an earthen jug and a
loaf of brown bread, a bed occupying a curtained recess
in the background, a suspended cage, a hanging lan-
tern, a cupboard secured against the wall, a broom,
dishes, etc. , all painted with the finish of a miniature.
Canvas, h. i ft. 10^ in., w. i ft. 7 in.
The following is a complete list of all important
oil pictures, aside from the Demidoff collection, now
belonging to the Art Institute:
Healy, G. P. A., "Armenian Fathers." Purchased
1879.
Pearce, Charles Sprague, "The Beheading of John
the Baptist. ' ' Bought by subscription and presented.
1882.
Harrison, Alexander, "Les Amateurs." Bought by
subscription and presented. 1883.
Thompson, Harry, "Un Calvaire/' Bought by sub-
scription and presented. 1884.
Dannat, William T., "A Sacristy in Aragon."
Bought from Opera Festival Association Fund. 1887.
.Dannat, William T., "Still Life, Fruit." Bought
from Opera Festival Association Fund. 1887.
Dannat, William T., "Study Head of Aragonese
Smuggler." Presented by the artist. 1887.
Neal, David, "Interior of St. Mark's." Presented
by Samuel M. Nickerson. 1887.
Shirlaw, Walter, "Portrait of himself." Presented
by Joseph M. Rogers. 1887.
Hitchcock, George, "Holland Flower Girl." Pre-
sented by Potter Palmer. 1888.
THE CHICAGO ART INSTITUTE. l8l
Col, David, "A Tavern Card Wrangle." Presented
by John Cudahy. 1889.
Venetian School, "Music." Purchased. 1889.
Davis, Charles H., "The Close of Day." Purchased
from Opera Festival Association Fund. 1889.
Breton, Jules, "L'Etoile du Berger." Presented by
Philip D. Armour. 1889.
Jettel, Eugene, ',Mare"cage dans le Nord de la Hol-
lande." Presented by P. C. Hanford. 1890.
Bridgtnan, F. A., "Women of Biskra Weaving the
Burnoose." Presented by the artist. 1890.
Van Mieris, Willem, "The Happy Mother." Pre-
sented by Kdson Keith. 1890.
Bridgman, F. A., "Young Woman's Head." Pre-
sented by the artist. 1890.
Cazin, J. C., "Solitude." Presented by J. I,. Norton.
1890.
Terburg, Gerard, ' 'The Guitar I^esson. ' ' Presented
by Charles T. Yerkes. 1891.
Zeeman, "Coast Scene." Presented by Byron I,.
Smith. 1891.
The Cast collection in the museum of the
Art Institute is one of the largest in the coun-
try. Dr. Alfred Emerson, who is professor of
Archaeology in Cornell University, Ithaca,
New York, has been appointed Curator of
Classical Antiquities. In his report he names
about one thousand original antiques (Roman
and Greek) in marble, basalt, terra cotta and
metal; also reproductions which number
nearly three hundred and fifty. These
1 82 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
consist of sculptures, figures, lamps, vases, en-
gravings etc. Me says: "The collection is
sufficiently large and varied to give it a fairly
representative character, more especially in
view of the singular beauty, significance, and
pecuniary value of many objects enumerated. "
The Cast collection, which was contributed
by Mrs. A. M. Hall Ellis, as a memorial of
her first husband, Elbridge G. Hall, is de-
signed to form a comprehensive illustration of
the whole history of sculpture. Mrs. Ellis has
also donated to the Art Institute the greatest
part of the Reference Library, the catalogue of
which, is said to be the best upon ' ' The His-
tory of Ancient Sculpture, " by Mrs. Lucy M.
Mitchel. Director French says : ' ' The con-
stant use of the history by students is an en-
couraging feature, since it is a temptation of
art students to become too much absorbed in
practice, to the exclusion of the more literary
and scholarly aspects of the profession. It
may be thought best to attach examinations in
the history of Art and other semi-literary
studies to the diploma course."
The value of the collection contributed by
Mrs. Ellis amounts to over $ 1 6, ooo. Although
THE CHICAGO ART INSTITUTE. 183
she is not a student in Economics, nor a cele-
brated philanthropist, she has a clear head
and a fine sense of justice, that would be emi-
nently appreciated, if practically followed out
by land holders in general. The sale of a
piece of real estate owned by the late Mr. Hall
brought $16,000 more than he had estimated
before his death, and Mrs. Ellis, perceiving at
once that the rise of the property was due, en-
tirely, to the growth of the city, desired that
the city should have the benefit in some way;
hence the gift. She had never read Henry
George's Progress and Poverty, but the princi-
ple, that the unearned increment belongs to
the public that caused it, was not only under-
stood by her, but was made practicable so far
as it was possible.
A magnificent bronze vase, or Japanese in-
cense burner, which was presented by Mar-
shall Field, is one of the most valuable pieces
of the metal collection. It is nearly ten feet
high and cost $2,000.
The Century collection, which is a perma-
nent loan to the Art Institute, comprises one
hundred and eight original drawings by artists
v f the Century Magazine and St. Nicholas.
1 84 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
The Chicago Society of Decorative Art, an
association of ladies organized in 1873 for the
purpose of promoting a taste for decorative
art, has recently raised a fund to be applied
to the purchase of articles pertaining to the In-
dustrial Arts, such as pottery, china, embroid-
eries, laces, etc., to be presented to the Art
Institute. The first contribution consists of a
rare collection of Spanish ecclesiastical em-
broideries.
There are several associations of Artists in
the city which are flourishing, and serving as
potent incentives to students who need this
kind of stimulus. ' ' The Art Students' League
of Chicago," formed by advanced students
and alumni of the Art Institute has had a
great influence in the school. Entertainments
and exhibitions are frequently given under its
auspices.
Another association, which is more impor-
tant than the Art Students' League, although
not connected with the Institute, is called
' ' The Chicago Society of Artists, " the consti-
tution of which is in substance : ' 'The advance-
ment of Art in Chicago and the cultivation of
social relations among its members. It was
THE CHICAGO ART INSTITUTE. 185
organized in 1888, by the late Henry T.
Spread, who was one of the active agents for
many years in the Art development of Chicago.
The Society owns a commodious and ele-
gant house of its own and is very prosperous.
The Palette Club, one of the strongest asso-
ciations of artists in the city, is a society of
women, who organized in 1883 at the sugges-
tion of Mrs. Meni Lusk, who is a woman of
rare natural gifts. The membership numbers
about sixty; the standard required for admis-
sion is very exact, and its exhibitions of paint-
ings show talent of real worth. The members
of this club meet every Saturday afternoon,
when one of the number poses for the palette
holders. Miss Pauline A. Dohn, who is one
of the leading artists in the city, is President
of the Club. Miss Alice D. Kellogg, a promi-
nent member of the Palette Club, ranks high
as a painter, and her works compare favorably
with those of the best artists in the United
States.
The citizen who has neither time nor oppor-
tunity for the study of the Fine Arts may ask
in cold tones, and hardened visage cut bonof
Mill has answered that question, but the
1 86 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
benefit is not always apreciated by those who
are compelled to labor, receiving only enough
compensation to provide the bare necessities of
life; a fact to be deplored. One who has
given much thought to the subject, regarding
the progress of art and the incentive power
that has made its effects so diffusive and co-
operative with the useful, has come to the fol-
lowing conclusion, which may account to a
great degree for the second and third class of
students in Art as observed by Mr. Calderon.
" Wealth gives the opportunity, provides the
motive, furnishes the attraction, directs the
mental force to certain ends, stimulates talent,
brings floating genius to a useful point, deter-
mines methods and form, and prescribes to
achievement its bent. Italy was once the
chosen spot for the painter, but genius departed
from it with power and opulence." Although
it is said that Artists need no artificial incuba-
tors to bring them forth, they certainly appre-
ciate their wealthy patrons who substantially
rewarded their incomparable efforts, and
make life tolerable for them.
Substance, form and utility precede decora-
tion, as the foundation is laid before the
THE CHIC A GO AR T INSTITUTE. 1 8 7
pinnacle, but does not the artist, in his crafty
designs, make them all beautiful to look upon?
This is no doubt one of the revelations which
Archdeacon Farrar says God has provided for
us, for all substance would be desolation with-
out the glowing attraction of Art.
Now, in this great city which some one has
named ' 'the city of pork barrels and grain ele-
vators, " there are many and various mani-
festations of beauty which may be attributed
entirely to Art. Look at the beautiful parks,
cemeteries, works of architecture, sculpture,
etc., all of which have been built upon an
unattractive prairie valuable only for its con-
nection with a great Lake, and its background
of fertile farms. Does not these facts denote
the great activity of the mental forces con-
centrated here in this modern city?
Charles L. Hutchinson, who has been the
leading spirit of the Art Institute, was born in
Lynn, Massachusetts, in 1855. When only
two years of age he came to Chicago, where
he has resided ever since. He attended the
Public Schools until eighteen years of age,
when he commenced his business career, which
has been that of the grain, the packing, and
1 88 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
the banking business. He started on the first
round of the ladder and never stopped until
he reached the top. In the operations of the
Board of Trade he is skilled, and was elected
to the honorable office of President in 1888,
serving one term. He is now at the age of
thirty-seven President of the Corn Exchange
Bank.
A correspondent of the Chicago Inter Ocean
gives a detailed account of Mr. Hutchinson's
connection with the Art Institute, also a
short review of his career, from which is
gleaned the following alleged facts : ' ' Director
French was asked the other day to tell in five
minutes what Mr. Hutchinson had done for
the promotion of Art in Chicago. 'Five min-
utes!' exclaimed Mr. French. 'It would take
more than five minutes.' Then Director
French continued. ' Thirteen or fourteen years
ago I sought out Mr. Hutchinson on the Board
of Trade and asked him to give something to
the Institute. He looked doubtful and gave
me $50. Soon afterwards he became inter-
ested and was elected a trustee. One day the
then President, Mr. L. Z. Leiter, said that
we ought to elect young Hutchinson President,
THE CHIC A GO AR T INSTITUTE. \ 89
that he would do more for the institution
than all the rest put together. Mr. Leiter
was not mistaken. From his example we can
see what an enlightened and public spirited
man can do. Mr. Hutchinson is the most
valuable man we have and is the prime mover
in every progressive step. When he bought
the Secretan collection of Dutch masters in
Paris, paying $17,000, some of us were
astonished. On his first trip to Europe, he
bought a famous metal collection in London,
for the Institute. He was ready on one occa-
sion to pay $15,000 for a Rembrandt, but it
was sold to another person before he reached
it. When he met Mr. Armour in Rome the
latter told him to buy a picture for the Art In-
stitute for any amount up to $10,000. Mr.
Hutchinson has a great knack of getting things
for public good, by inviting some rich man to
give half, while he gives the other half. He
is very catholic in his art ideas, and loves
everything of genuine merit, from an old
Spanish nail to a Rembrandt.
The above is Mr. Hutchinson's characteristics
in a nutshell, as it were. In the article men-
tioned is given another interesting statement:
IQO THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
' ' To his other public-spirited hobbies Mr.
Hutchinson has lately added the new Uni-
versity of Chicago. He is a friend of Presi-
dent Harper, and lately when that learned
gentleman unfolded his scheme to purchase
in Europe a valuable library of several hun-
dred thousand, volumes, Mr. Hutchinson, with
a few others, volunteered to guarantee pay-
ment for it. Mr. Hutchinson is treasurer of
the University, and one of the trustees govern-
ing the great institution."
Young men who are energetic and ambitious,
may wonder how Mr. Hutchinson gained so
much wealth, and wish to know what gifts he
possesses that is of such money value. This
may easily be explained : At the age of twenty-
one his father, Benjamin P. Hutchinson, who
has been for years a dealer in grain on the
Board of Trade, gave him $25,000. With
this snug sum, which many persons would
think a fortune of itself, and his natural gift
for accumulation, along with the advice and ex-
perience of his father to guide him, it is not
surprising that he has so much money to give
to the institutions named. It is a plain simple
case of cause and effect. ' ' A man's fortunes
THE CHIC A GO ART INSTITUTE. 1 9 1
are the fruit of his character." His skill con-
sists in knowing when to buy, and when to
sell for profits. If the Art Institute depended
upon skilled artists, or learned professors for
funds, it might not be so prosperous; for, al-
though such force is highly valuable, no mill-
ionaires can be found in its ranks.
William M. R. French, Director of the
School and Art Museum, of the Art Institute,
is well known as a lecturer upon high art. He
is a brother of the Sculptor, Daniel C. French,
whose statue of the "Concord Minute Man"
established his fame in 1875. In his official
position Director French is eminently efficient
and popular, giving perfect satisfaction to the
public, and to the Governing Board. He was
graduated at Harvard College in 1864, in
the regular classical course, and is thoroughly
equipped with native talent, a part of his
family inheritance and his literary talent,
wit and easy flow of utterance, made perfect
by practice, qualify him in a high degree as a
lecturer. He illustrates his lectures, as he
delivers them, by means of large crayon
sketches, which are intensely interesting to
students, who from the beginning to the close of
192 THE WORLDS FAIR CITY.
the lesson are never diverted from the subject.
In his report of 1891, Director French says:
"It is an extraordinary fact in our history
that the Art Institute has never had any en-
dowment, has never received any bequests,
and has never required contributions for cur-
rent expenses. The only considerable gifts
have been to the building fund and collections.
While almost all the other museums of the
country have at least received the privilege of
building upon public land, the Art Institute
has bought all its real estate. "
Since the above report, the building owned
by the Art Institute has been sold, and the
city has made an ordinance by which the
Trustees of the Art Institute are authorized to
build and maintain the Art Institute on the
Lake Front. The conditions require that it shall
forever be free to the public Wednesdays and
Saturdays, all legal public holidays, and from
one to five o'clock Sundays, in order to give
workers the advantages of the collections and
lectures in the Art Museum, so far as is possi-
ble, and to make its value felt by those who
have no money to pay for like privileges.
The building, which will be finished for the
THE CHICAGO ART INSTITUTE. 193
Columbian Exposition in 1893, will be built
of stone, in Rennaissance style; dimensions,
three hundred and forty feet long, and one
hundred and eighty feet wide. The expense
of the whole structure approximates $600,000;
$200,000 of which is contributed by the
World's Fair Directory. Shipley, Rutan and
Cooledge, of Boston, Mass. , are the Architects.
This building will be one of the most impor-
tant structures of the great Exposition.
13
CHAPTER VII.
CHARLES F. GUNTHER.
" Shall we go see the relics of this town ? ''
Shakspeare.
Chicago has many things in the superlative
degree. She can boast not only of the great-
est area, the largest and highest buildings,
and the finest auditorium in the world, but,
also, of the most remarkable private collection
of historical relics on public exhibition.
For many years Mr. Gunther has been ac-
cumulating this rare and costly collection of
treasures. It contains relics of historical value,
from nearly all countries, and of all periods;
from the golden age of Egypt to the close of
our civil war, and is rich in mementos con-
cerning our own country's history.
The growth of wealth and of literary taste
has increased the number of collectors, but it
is seldom that a collector's choice is as varied
as represented in this interesting museum If
the renowned author of Sylva, John Evelyn,
lived now in Chicago, he might gratify his
194
CHARLKS F. GUNTHER.
CHARLES F. GUNTHER. 195
intellectual curiosity to his heart's content,
for the collection is distinguished in its orig-
inal letters and manuscripts of famous authors
and illustrious personages. Antiquarian spec-
imens, arms and armors, autographs, portraits
and books of the most ancient manufacture, are
exhibited here. Original letters, manuscripts
and historical papers number over seventeen
thousand.
Original letters from Plymouth Colony in
1621 to 1623; letters of the first bishops,
White and Seabury; letters of Nathan
Hale, John Andre, Kosciusko, Pulaski, De
Kalb, Steuben, and of a great number of the
generals and other officers of the French and
Revolutionary wars are on exhibition. Stu-
dents in history may find a magnificent oppor-
tunity for examining original documents
regarding the War for Independence. Among
them are, the original report of the proceed-
ings of the Commissioners of the Colonies at
Cambridge for the organization of the Conti-
nental army, and orderly books of the army;
William Tudor's manuscript report of the Bat-
tle of Bunker Hill; a letter of Aid-de-camp
Robert Orhm to the Governor of Pennsylvania,
196 THE WORLDS FAIR CITY.
relating Braddock's defeat; the report of
the Committee of the Continental Congress
on its visit to Valley Forge, on the distress of
the army, and the original report of the Hes-
sians captured at Princeton. There are also
letters of Lafitte, the pirate, Paul Jones, Cap-
tain Lawrence, Bainbridge, and others.
The mementos of the Washington family
are abundant, showing that the collector spared
neither effort nor expense, in his research.
Among the number are, the original will of
Lawrence Washington bequeathing Mount
Vernon to his son George, letters of Martha
Washington, of Mary the mother of George,
of Betty Lewis, his sister, and of all his step
and grand children of the Custis family, also
the will of John Custis, Martha's first husband.
There are three portraits of Washington,
painted by Stuart, Peale and Polk. His first
Thanksgiving proclamation in its original man-
uscript, is also among them.
Other original documents, calling our atten-
tion backwards to the early stage of America's
development, are, the first printed accounts of
New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Vir-
ginia, South Carolina and Georgia. Early
CHARLES F. GUNTHER. 197
surveys of Boston, Philadelphia, and New
York, an original plan of the city of New York
in 1700, and one in 1765, also the first picture
taken of that city. The earliest maps of
America, including the first, second, and third
map of the world, in which America appears,
are in the collection.
There are letters of kings of all European
nations, and of statesmen and generals, in
great numbers.
The bibles exhibited are real gems to the
eyes of the curiosity seekers. Although the
first bible printed by Gutenburg is not among
the collection, one precious leaf from it lies
proudly, with other mementos, in a glass case.
A copy of the first and second English bible,
the first Scotch, Irish, French, and German
Luther bibles, also the first Eliot's Indian
bible, of 1662, and the second of 1685.
There is a large collection of Choral books
which were brought from ancient monasteries
and churches; some of them are immense in
size, and are bound in the substantial manner
of years ago. There are also original manu-
scripts of all the noted musicians of the world.
Relics of English origin are well represented;
198 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
but Shakspeare is especially remembered.
There are folio editions of his works printed in
1632 and 1685; the first of his printed Poems,
and The Rape of Lucrece, and an early quarto
of Othello. It is said that there are only four
autographs of Shakspeare in the world; one
of these the only one in America Mr. Gun-
ther has secured. This autograph is pasted
on the fly leaf of a folio of 1632 which be-
longed to John Ward, the actor, who was in
Stratford in 1740, and played Hamlet there
for the purpose of raising money to repair the
bust of Shakspeare, which was in the church.
The book bears the marks of much use ; parts
of several pages, which were torn off, are re-
placed by manuscript text. John Ward's sig-
nature and other writing is on the fly-leaf.
The Shakspeare signature is pasted on the
fly-leaf above Ward's name, and is written on
paper different in texture from that of the
book. ' ' It has been compared to the signature
of his will, and found to be just that difference
in the strokes, spaces and formation of the
letters that always appears in two signatures
by the same hand," says Charles Dudley
Warner in Harpers Monthly dated June, 1888.
CHARLES F. GUNTHER. 199
He adds: "The experts in handwriting and
the microscopists in the country, who have
examined ink and paper as to antiquity,
regard it as genuine." The book was found
in the possession of an emigrant in Utah who
willingly exchanged the precious volume for a
late edition of Shakspeare's works.
Besides these mementos of the great poet,
Mr. Gunther has his portrait, in oil, which is
different from all other portraits taken of him ;
therefore it is not a copy. Although it is a
good likeness of Shakspeare, compared with
other portraits it is not considered a fine work
of art. The canvas, which shows signs of
age, has been renovated. Mr. Gunther hopes
to get evidence of its originality but it can only
be traced back one hundred and fifty years.
The collector has not slighted Shakspeare's
old associates, for the first edition of Ben
Johnson's works, in which Shakspeare's name
appears in the cast for a play, and letters
from the Earl of Southampton, Shakspeare's
friend, and Sir Walter Raleigh, Francis Bacon
and Essex are in the collection.
Manuscripts of Milton, Pope, Shelley, Keats,
Wordsworth, Coleridge, Cooper, Hunt, Gray,
2OO THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
of Byron's Prometheus, Burns' Auld Lang
Syne, also his journal in the Highlands; Home,
Sweet Home in the author's writing, a poem by
Thackeray, manuscript stories of Scott and
Dickens are with the number.
Of the Queens, you may see manuscripts of
Elizabeth, Mary Queen of Scots, Mary,
daughter of Henry the Eighth, Annie, and
several of Victoria (one written at the age of
twelve). There is also a letter written by
Oliver Cromwell while he was engaged in the
conquest of Ireland.
The relics from France are rare and inter-
esting. The autograph letter of Moliere is the
only one known outside of France, except one
in the British Museum. There are letters of
Voltaire, Victor Hugo, Madame Roland and
other French writers. The German collection
contains script of nearly all the great poets
and writers Goethe, Schiller, Uhland, Les-
sing and others.
There are letters from nearly all the cele-
brated reformers Calvin, Melancthon, Zwin-
gle, Erasm, Savonarola, a letter from Martin
Luther regarding the Pope's bull, letters of
the Popes for three hundred and fifty years,
CHARLES F. GUNTHER. 2OI
and of a number of cardinals ; also a collection
of letters from the saints St. Francis de Sales,
St. Vincent de Paul, St. Borromeo; letters of
distinguished leaders Gustavus Adolphus,
William the Silent, John the Steadfast, and
Wallenstein. There are manuscripts of John
Bunyan, John Cotton, Michael Angelo, Ga-
lileo, Charlotte Corday, Isaac Walton, and
Lorenzo the Magnificent. Among the Italian
relics is a letter written by Tasso.
One of the most interesting objects of this
collection, and which engages the attention of
visitors especially, is an Egyptian mummy.
It is said to be that of a Princess, possibly
Pharaoh's daughter, who discovered Moses in
the bulrushes. ' ' She may have watched with
curiosity, if not interest, the career of that
wonderful foundling, and in the very halls of
the kings she may have witnessed flashes of
his genius, and have been astonished at his
thoughtful words, when it was not imagined
he was to give laws to the ages, and enlighten
all coming centuries with his inspired wisdom. "
It is recorded that the Egyptians embalmed
their dead as a religious duty, and to preserve
them so that when the spirits returned they
202 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
would find the bodies intact, ready to receive
them. The art of embalming dates back four
thousand years before Christ. For a long
time there was a law in Egypt compelling all
persons, after death, to be submitted to this
process, either at private or public expense.
The cost of the cheapest process was from $20
to $500, but the wealthy and those of high
rank used more costly aromatics, and the
mask and exterior covering were richly orna-
mented with gold.
This custom continued for more than four
thousand years, but became one of the lost
arts about the year 700. It required from two
to three months to complete the process.
These mummies are object lessons in Egyptian
history, for they bear the imprint of the time
in which they were embalmed. The character
of the process and the style of the workman-
ship determine the period when art was flour-
ishing or declining, and whether the subject
belonged to the common or royal class.
In 1 88 1, an extraordinary discovery was
made in Egypt, or what was supposed to be
the tombs of the Pharaohs. One of Chicago's
citizens secured the body, which is now on
CHARLES F. GUNTHER, 203
exhibition, from this tomb. In contrast with the
other mummies, this one was much more ex-
pensively decorated, bearing evidence of high
rank. One who has traveled extensively and
studied Egyptian history says of this speci-
men: "The mask with its golden face, and
decorations of sacred bull, and the Scarabeus
emblems of immortality, the figures of deity,
a funereal scene, and possibly the very portrait
of the enbalmed Princess, are not only works of
the highest Egyptian art, but are most inter-
esting and instructive objects of study to all
who would have a knowledge of the remote
and wonderful civilization of Egypt. "
This valuable collection, which may be
viewed free of charge, is exhibited on the sec-
ond floor of Mr. Gunther's establishment, 2 1 2
State street.
Besides the above mentioned collection Mr.
Gunther owns the entire museum of war relics
exhibited in the famous Libby Prison which
was moved from Richmond, Virginia, to Chi-
cago, in 1 889. Its history as the palace prison
of the South during the late war is well known.
It is now filled with thousands of relics both
confederate and Union and is enclosed by a
204 THE WORLDS FAIR CITY.
massive stone wall, fronting on Wabash ave-
nue. The land, buildings, and collection cost
over $450,000, and is maintained at a great ex-
pense.
An old soldier, who points out the most in-
teresting objects with an intelligent story, is
employed as a guide in each apartment. No
ill feeling is expressed towards the South, but
the thought that after a storm then comes a
calm, impresses the visitor as he views these
mementos of war, which are review lessons in
American history.
It would require many pages to name and
describe the different articles exhibited in this
remarkable War Museum, but for the sake of
the rising generation who have been so fort-
unate as not to have lived in a time so peril-
ous, mention is made of some of the most
prominent features of the exhibit, hoping that
their preservation may be an omen that the
last war in the progress of civilization has
taken place.
There is a fine display of oil portraits intro-
ducing to us inhabitants of a past generation,
who seem to say to the beholder: "Time
was ours once, it is now yours. " A life-size
LIBBY PRISON. 205
portrait of John Brown, the famous anti-slav-
ery agitator, who was executed for treason
against the State of Virginia, at Charleston,
December 2, 1859, is a conspicuous figure
with an expression plainly denoting great
strength of purpose. Under the portrait is a
specimen of the famous pike with which he
proposed to arm the negroes in order to pro-
cure their freedom; also, his will, which he
made an hour before his execution.
There are a variety of mementos of Abra-
ham Lincoln. Among them are a picture of
the log house in which his father and mother
died, the chair used by him in his library in
the White House, the chairs that were in the
box at Ford's theater when he was assassin-
ated, and the bedstead on which he expired in
the White House ; also a hair sofa used in his
residence at Springfield, Illinois, all of which
have been preserved, not on account of their
richness, but of their significance in history.
A glass case contains manuscripts from Lin-
coln's hand, among which are his Thanksgiv-
ing and Fast-day proclamations.
There are many fine portraits of Union and
confederate officers and of battle scenes; one
206 THE WORLDS FAIR CITY.
in which the face of Gen. John A. Logan is
recognized is especially fine. It represents
the battle of Champion Hills. The guide
gives an interesting description of it, while
visitors may be seated and view the scene.
The Appomatox table, upon which Gener-
als U. S. Grant and Robert E. Lee drew up the
capitulation so memorable in history, and
which has been honored in reproduction by
painter and sculptor, is enclosed in a glass
case. It is one of the most treasured relics,
and was obtained at great expense.
All kinds of shot and shell are exhibited, be-
sides stumps which contain great cannon balls,
taken from the battle fields of Chickamauga,
Kenesaw Mountain, Chattahoochie, Lookout
Mountain and Gettysburg. There are speci-
mens of the various kinds of pistols, rifles, and,
in fact, everything connected with a marching
army.
( War manuscripts, consisting of the original
copy of the message of the president of the
confederate states, and of the many original
autobiographies written by confederate gen-
erals, are in abundance; besides, the original
commission that made Jefferson Davis an
LIB BY PRISON. 207
officer of the Mexican war, and the cipher letter
written to his wife after his flight from Rich-
mond, Va. The letter was copied by a lady
from Boston for one of the papers of that city.
In the same case are exhibited his old love
letters to Sarah Knox Taylor before she
escaped out of the window and went on that
clandestine journey with him, from her home
in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin, to be his bride.
Other valuable papers in the collection relat-
ing to the late war, are, the original manu-
script of Gen. Robert E. Lee's acceptance of
his command of the confederate army, and
his farewell address to the confederate army ;
also his field order issued upon the death of
Stonewall Jackson, and Albert Sidney John-
ston's address issued to his forces previous to
the battle of Shiloh.
Confederate money, maps and publications
are preserved here. Newspapers printed on
common wrapping paper, and on the plain
side of wall paper, prove the truth of that old
saying that necessity is the mother of inven-
tion, in times of war or peace.
Curious souvenirs (or relics) indeed, are the
stove, goose and shears, used by Andrew
208 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
Johnson, while working at his trade as a tailor.
But more marvelous is the fact that he arose
from this humble position to that of the high-
est office in the country. His old account
book is also preserved here. It may be accu-
rate in sum totals, but in orthography it is en-
cumbered with many superfluous letters of the
alphabet.
There is an old flag on exhibition that to
look upon is alone worth the admission fee. It
was embroidered with silk by hand in 1781.
The design is a likeness of Washington on
horseback, bearing the stars and stripes over
his head. His features are easily recognized,
but the material is somewhat damaged. This
is the first United States flag that was unfurled
at Richmond after the evacuation of the city
by the confederates.
An old style piano, which was taken from
the Rousseau plantation in one of the Southern
States, compared with the modern instrument
is a curiosity. The keys are often touched by
visitors but respond only in discordant tones.
However it does not compare in genuine
service to an old dilapidated wheelbarrow, a
relic of the late war, that is enclosed in a glass
LIBB Y PRISON. 2 09
case. The guide takes great pride in telling
its history. It belonged to D. G. Kalb, of
the One Hundred and Fourteenth Illinois Regi-
ment, and was used in the army by him as a
postal cart; the little tin box beside it con-
tained the letters.
Every material connected with the war is
represented in this great collection. It is in-
teresting in its character and associations ; and
it is also characteristic of the collector, Mr. C.
F. Gunther, who has a most remarkable pen-
chant for relic hunting.
The buildingper se is an ordinary structure;
interesting only for its history. The entrance
to the famous tunnel is still kept open, and one
who escaped through it is there to tell the story.
Manager Macloon, who is also a newspaper
correspondent, can tell many interesting remi-
nisences related by soldiers visiting Libby
Prison, who were once confined in it. An ar-
ticle, written by him, published in the Chicago
Daily News, dated February 9, 1891, gives
the following account of the escape of prisoners
through the tunnel:
Twenty-seven years ago tonight the famous ' ' Yan-
kee" tunnel from L,ibby prison, Richmond, Va., was
14
210 THE WORLDS FAIR CITY.
completed, and at 10 o'clock the digging party and
their chosen friends began to pass from imprisonment
to liberty. Before daylight the next morning 109
brave Union officers had made their escape. The dis-
covery of the event at roll-call the next morning cre-
ated such a scene of consternation among the rebel
officers who had charge of Libby as had never before
been known. Squads of rebels with bloodhounds and
rifles were immediately dispatched in every direction,
and within a few days fifty-eight of those officers, to
whom liberty was so dear, were recaptured and re-
turned to old Libby, the leaders of the party being
forced to do penance in the filthy dungeons for their
escapade. That escape is believed to be the most won-
derful in the annals of history. Libby at that time
confined about i , 200 Union officers, and as the Union
forces were nearing Richmond the confederates had
undermined the old building with many kegs of pow-
der, intending to destroy the building and its inmates
rather than have them reach the hands of the federal
troops. Many means of escape were devised, and
among the most practicable was that of Col. Thomas
E. Rose, of the Seventy-seventh Pennsylvania regi-
ment. He was the projector of the first tunnel, which
proved a failure for the reason that it ran into the
sewer. Then Major McDonald, of the loist Ohio, and
Major A. G. Hamilton, of the Twelfth Kentucky,
regiment, had a consultation with him, and they pro-
jected the tunnel through which the escape was made.
This tunnel commenced at Rat Hell (one of the base-
ments in L,ibby), and continued fifty feet underground
and opened in an unoccupied storehouse on the bank
of the James river. There was a secret party of fifteen
that quietly made their way into Rat Hell at 10
o'clock every night and returned before daylight for a
month. Then the tunnel was completed. The fifteen
LIBB Y PRISON. 2 1 1
of the secret party were each, by agreement, allowed
to take one friend, and the secret of the tunnel was
intrusted to Gen. H. C. Hobart, now a resident of
Milwaukee, Wis. , who agreed to wait an hour before
he announced the escape to another chosen few. The
first to leave the building through the tunnel were
Col. A. D. Straight and Capt. Scarce, of the Fifty-first
Indiana regiment; Major McDonald, of the loistOhio,
and Lieut. Sterling, of the Thirtieth Indiana. After
4he first thirty had been gone an hour to the minute
Gen. Hobart started the second party. But the secret
soon leaked out; there was a wild scramble, and before
daylight 109 had passed through the tunnel. Fifty-
eight were recaptured, and of the whole party about
sixty are now living. Col. Straight and the three
officers with him were secreted in Richmond by a loyal
lady named Van I^ew, who provided for them in the
garret of her house for four days, and then furnished
a guide who aided them to leave the city. For her
loyalty Gen. Grant made her postmistress of Rich-
mond during his administration. The surviving mem-
bers of the tunnel party are holding a reunion at the
Libby Prison War Museum today.
An affecting incident, which was published
in the Chicago Evening Journal, dated April
2, 1891, furnishes a vivid illustration of the
peculiar fatalities of our existence.
In connection with the history of old Libby Prison,
there are hundreds of interesting and touching remi-
niscences told; some of them are happy ones, others
are sad. Yesterday an old veteran that had boarded
in Libby against his own desire, twenty-five years be-
fore it was thought of as a war museum, sat in Manager
212 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
Macloon's office with a group of other comrades.
Somebody mentioned the tragic death of brave Col.
Forsyth, of the icoth Ohio, which was almost exter-
minated at Chickamauga by one of I/>ngstreet's terrific
charges. A noticeable mist crossed the veteran's eyes
as he remarked, "That calls to my mind one of the
saddest events of my experience in I^ibby. Colonel
Forsyth was a Toledo man, and was among the gallant
officers captured at Chickamauga. With other mem-
bers of the same command, the icoth Ohio, he was
taken to L,ibby and placed in the upper Chickamauga
room, one of the most crowded in the prison. He
became one of the most popular officers in Libby,
and was everybody's friend. To pass away the time,
we used to have a mock trial every day, and one of
the most memorable of these was the trial of Colonel
Forsyth by a mock court. Of course he was found
guilty, and the judge passed this sentence: 'And you
shall be confined in lyibby Prison until you die or are
exchanged.' This sentence was somewhat different
from the ordinary one, and all sentences were prepared
and delivered for the purpose of creating merriment
and laughter. Well, we had our laugh, but it was
soon followed by tears of true and heartfelt sorrow.
' ' It seems that Forsyth and his ' mess ' were quar-
tered in the north end of the Chickamauga room, and
as a rule they always huddled together for the purpose
of keeping warm. Sometimes they would peer out of
the windows, but as soon as they were seen by the
guard on duty on the outside the latter' s gun would
be brought to the shoulder and the prisoner at the
window would be commanded to move away. To
congregate about the windows was a violation of Maj.
Turner's (the prison commandant) orders. The morn-
ing following the mock trial Colonel Forsyth and
Captain Kelly unfortunately passed beyond the dead
LIBB Y PRISON. 2 1 3
line and stood for a moment at the window within
sight of the rebel guard. The latter deliberately raised
his gun to the shoulder, there was a flash and report,
and a death cry rang out in the upper Chickamauga
room. That bullet pierced the brain of poor Forsyth,
and passing through it struck Kelly's throat.
Comrades that had stood shoulder to shoulder
on the battle-field tenderly cared for both of them.
They called them by name, but when they spoke to
Forsyth the words fell on the ears of one who had
answered another call. The sentence, 'You shall be
confined in Libby Prison until you die or are ex-
changed/ passed in jest, had come true. Forsyth was
dead. We believed that young Kelly would die, but
the flow of blood was finally staunched and his life
was spared. The Colonel had no formal burial his
body was simply carted away. The guard that had
murdered him was not arrested or relieved, but gave
for an excuse 'that his gun was discharged by acci-
dent. The confederates were as indignant over the
affair as the prisoners were, and you can bet that that
guard never boasted of having killed a Yankee." A
handsomely engraved brass plate will soon mark the
spot on the floor of the Libby Prison War Museum
where Forsyth fell.
The grounds surrounding the old prison con-
tains relics of a massive structure, each of
which has historical value. One of the special
exhibits is a section of the great iron chain
which was stretched across Hudson river by
General Israel Putnam in 1776, in order to
prevent the British vessels from passing up
the river. It contains eighteen links, each
214 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
weighing one hundred and fifty pounds, all of
which were hand forged. The chain was orig-
inally 1,600 feet long, but, with the exception
of this section, and another small one at the
Brooklyn Navy Yard, it is still buried in the
mud at the bottom of the Hudson river, be-
tween West Point and Fort Constitution.
Relics of the late war found here are, one of
the plates that formed the slanting roof of
the celebrated ironclad vessel the Merrimac,
which after so many victories was forced to re-
treat when attacked by the Monitor, a brass
cannon, and a large torpedo, captured at Mo-
bile by Admiral Farragut, a gun carriage,
which was presented to Jefferson Davis by Sir
William Armstrong, of England, who was an
inventor and manufacturer; also, a section of a
water battery, used on the Potomac river for
the protection of earthworks.
Another interesting atticle, which belongs
to the collection of Lincoln relics, is the
weather-beaten, dilapidated old carriage that
President Lincoln owned and used in Wash-
ington, and which was afterward used by Mrs.
Lincoln in Chicago. For more than twenty
years this carriage was owned by an individual
CHARLES F. GUNTHER. 215
who, until Mr. Gunther made this famous
collection, considered it of no value.
These relics are viewed with much interest
and profit by students in history, thus mak-
ing the museum an attractive resort for teach-
ers and pupils of the schools and acade-
mies of Chicago and vicinity.
Charles F. Gunther was born in Wurtem-
berg, Southern Germany, in 1837. He came
to this country with his family when a mere
child five years of age. They settled in
Pennsylvania, where he resided until 1850,
when he removed to Peru, Illinois, at the head
of navigation of the Illinois river, and engaged
in mercantile pursuits at an early age.
During these years he was remarkable for
his strong instinctive qualities, being keenly
observant and of an unusually inquiring cast
of mind; he was never satisfied until he knew
the why and wherefore of everything that came
under his observation ; this fact accounts for the
attention he has given to scientific subjects and.
historical research, which has been demon-
strated so substantially in his collection of relics.
Before the late war, in the fall of 1860, Mr.
Gunther went to Memphis, Tennessee, where
2l6 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
he was soon employed by the firm of Bohlen,
Wilson & Company, the largest ice firm in the
South at that time. It may be remembered
that during this period business in the South
received a severe shock, all southern ports
being blockaded. Young Gunther found him-
self out of employment and shut out from the
North. However, these facts did not discon-
cert him, for his never failing buoyancy and
love of adventure, together with his admirable
adaptability to circumstances, served him well,
and he soon found occupation as purser on a
steamer running on the Arkansas and other
southern rivers, where he served until he was
taken prisoner in a raid made by the army of
General Blount, during the battle of Van
Buren, in 1863.
This event gave Mr. Gunther an opportu-
nity to return North, and it was not long be-
fore he reached his home in Peru, Illinois,
where he stopped only a few days. Then he
went to Peoria, where he was engaged in a
bank for a short time. Finally he came to
Chicago, and accepted an offer as traveling
agent from the firm of Sandford & Company,
wholesale confectioners. He also engaged to
CHARLES F. GUNTHER. 21?
do some business for a New York house. His
route was directly south, where he visited the
leading cities, meeting with success, although
it was at that time a novel manner of reviving
trade. Mr. Gunther was one of Chicago's first
commercial agents, or, rather, "drummers,"
so called on account of their efforts to drum
up trade.
Many interesting anecdotes of the late war,
and of his experiences in the South, are re-
lated by Mr. Gunther, who, during this time,
witnessed much suffering and privation, be-
sides the fear and terror of women and chil-
dren caused by the northern invaders, whom
they believed were worse than savages.
In 1 868 Mr. Gunther engaged in the confec-
tionery business for himself, in Chicago, where
he has prospered ever since. He is known all
over the United States as the originator of the
world renowned caramels as now manufact-
ured. Millions of pounds of this confectionery
are sold in this country and in Europe, where
they are called ' ' Chicago caramels. "
Mr. Gunther still continues to be a great
traveler. He has visited all parts of the
United States, from Alaska to the gulf coast,
2l8 THE frORLD'S FAIR CITY.
and he has crossed the ocean as many as
fifteen times, visiting all parts of Europe and
the Holy Land. He has a remarkable taste
for viewing works of art, antiquated and mod-
ern; in fact, it is his dominant characteristic.
Wherever he goes, picturesque scenes never
miss his sight. An old church upon the hill,
a castle in ruins, or a great steaming engine
skimming across the prairie, fill him with pleas-
ant thoughts and great satisfaction..
He avoids politics, but takes much interest
in current events and in modern invention.
With his strong will and untiring energy, Mr.
Gunther is sure to make a success in whatever
he undertakes. In the study of Free Masonry
he has attained the thirty-third degree, which
is the highest rank conferred by that organi-
zation. He is treasurer of that body formed
in Chicago
He has a fine residence on Indiana avenue,
where his family resides. There are only two
sons to inherit his wealth, one of whom is at-
tending school in Berlin, Germany. His wife,
who generally accompanies him on his travels,
is a most genial companion and thoughtful
mother. Mr. Gunther is a very busy man;
CHARLES F. GUNTHER. 219
however, as he is a member of the Union
League, Iroquois and other clubs of the city,
he, at times, relaxes his energies for social
enjoyment.
On his late trip abroad Mr. Gunther pur-
chased the famous painting of Columbus
which was executed by Chevalier Antonio
Moro for Margaret, Queen of the Netherlands.
It was painted in the year 1570, from two
miniatures belonging to the royal family of
Spain. The frame bears the arms and quar-
terings of Columbus, the oyster shells, the
anchor and sword. It will be exhibited at the
World's Columbian Exposition. This portrait
is said to be the best likeness of Columbus in
existence.
CHAPTER VIII.
NATHANIEL K. FAIRBANK.
"Two forces are at work in this world; one tending to con-
centration or centralization, the other to division or diffusion. 1 '
At this age in which so many seekers after
wealth are devoting their lives, before and
after maturity, to the hoarding of riches, it is
restful and comforting to find a man whp is
satisfied that he has in his possession enough
of this world's goods.
Nathaniel K. Fairbank is one of Chicago's
most wealthy men, but he has retired from
business pursuits, and is enjoying life as a man
who has done his duty, and has learned what
follows in the consistent order of such events.
To say the least, it is refreshing to note such
men for they are like the angel visits scarce.
But he should not be eulogized simply be-
cause he is a sane man, but should be counted
in as one of the select who see further than
the common millionaires, who are not strong
enough to discontinue accumulating, and are
not willing to take a rest and let some one else
have a chance.
NATHANIEL K. FAIRBA*NK.
NATHANIEL K. FAIRBANK. 221
Mr. Fairbank was born in 1829, in the town
of Sodus, Wayne County, New York, conse-
quently he has now reached the age when he can
look back upon a long life of work, successful re-
sults, perhaps some mistakes and not a few
of good deeds rendered to the human family.
His personal appearance is strikingly pleasing.
An intelligent brow, with eyes direct in ex-
pression, denoting a tendency to generaliza-
tion rather than to special observation, a nose
somewhat Roman in outline, but modified
enough to escape the accusation of carrying
pet ideas to extremes, yet prominent enough
to make him appear at times a trifle stubborn,
a mouth bespeaking tenderness and refine-
ment, all of which are set in a framework of
snow-white hair and whiskers, make him a
conspicuous personage among Chicago's en-
terprising sons.
Mr. Fairbank has been a resident of Chi-
cugo since 1855. He amassed his large fort-
une in the lard and oil refining business, but
he made his first start in industrial life as a
bricklayer, when only fifteen years of age.
This fact was probably due to his environments
at that time, for, according to the record of his
222 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
life, he soon changed his employment to that
of bookkeeper in a flouring mill, in Rochester,
New York, where he afterward became a
partner in the firm.
His course was ever onward, and his aim
was for the attainment of success. The suc-
cess that would make him comfortable, and
place him in a position to lift up humanity.
At the age of twenty-six he came to Chicago
as western representative of a grain commis-
sion house of New York. In this position he
remained over ten years. It is inferred that
he accumulated money in the business for he
is next recorded as a member of the newly or-
ganized firm of Smeadley, Peck & Com-
pany, and as furnishing capital for the build-
ing which was erected for the great enterprise
lard and oil refining. For four years busi-
ness was carried on successfully, when fire de-
stroyed the plant, causing a loss of $50,0x30.
But the next year, 1870, a new building,
which is now standing at the corner of Eight-
eenth and Blackwell streets, was constructed
at a cost of $80,000, and the business grew
more prosperous, becoming one of Chicago's
most substantial enterprises.
NATHANIEL K. FAIRBANK. 223
Although Mr. Fairbank says that he is
naturally inclined to be somewhat indolent,
it is very plain that he had a very nice
conception of the manner in which it should
be indulged; for he seems not to have let this
little weakness exist without ample provision.
' ' Life is a search after power. " And, if it is
a fact, that wherever the mind aims suitable
environments follow, this man has drawn, the
elements of a power for certain ends, by the
means of intellectual guidance. ' ' When a god
wishes to ride, any chip or pebble will bud and
shoot out winged feet, and serve him fora horse. "
Goethe said, ' ' What we wish for in youth
comes in heaps on us in our old age. " Here
is a proof of this statement. Mr. Fairbank
courted ease of the princely style; conse-
quently he never borrowed trouble, kept to
the even path, and was served by his instincts.
He may call himself a man of luck, but, as
ducks take to the water, eagles to the sky,
hunters to the forest, soldiers to the frontier,
Mr. Fairbank has proven the same law of
cause and effect, and the force of intellect
over environment.
224 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
Having gained wealth, he commenced at
once to show his interest in public matters re-
lating to the building up of the city, and has
proved a powerful factor in that capacity. He
was one of the prime movers in carrying out
the late George B. Carpenter's conception of
building Central Music Hall, a structure located
on the corner of State and Randolph streets.
This building, which has a number of office
rooms, is occupied by the Chicago Conservatory
of Music, Professor Cohn's School of Langua-
ges, and by a great number of physicians. In
1879 Mr. Fairbank presented the plans for Cen-
tral Music Hall before the public; and, by the in-
fluence of his endorsement, capitalists quickly
invested in stock. There is probably no better
paying building in the city ; stockholders realiz-
ing about two per cent, a month net profits.
The Newsboys' Home was at one time under
the cloud of a heavy mortgage, but Mr. Fair-
bank took it in hand and soon raised the
money to release it. Always giving liberally
himself, he inspired others to do the same. In
this way he performed double acts of charity;
for there are wealthy men who are never
clined to bestow favors unless prompted by
ST. L UKE' S HOSPITAL. 22$
the example 01 other rich men, or by the de-
sire for public applause. ' ' Human nature
grows by what it feeds upon, and if the mate-
rial side be over-fed it will expand at the
expense of the spiritual." In this way the
habit of accumulating money grows stronger
and stronger with those who have neither the
inclination nor desire to relieve the wants of
the afflicted.
In one of those monuments of human suffer-
ing St. Luke's Hospital is another object
of the care and provision of Mr. Fairbank.
This hospital, which is a noted institution of
the city, originated with a few benevolent
ladies during the civil war, in an effort to care
for the sick prisoners and soldiers of Camp
Douglas. In 1864 it was founded as a free hos-
pital where worthy poor people who were sick
could be cared for by nurses and physicians.
At that time the hospital accommodations of
Chicago were very undesirable, and Rev.
Clinton Locke, who is now president and
chaplain of the institution, realizing the situa-
tion, became interested in the project. He
preached a sermon in which he made a strong
appeal for the unfortunate sick.
15
226 THE WORLDS FAIR CITY
After the service a number of ladies asked
him to guide them in the work of which he
had so earnestly spoken. He said: "God
bless you for those words, we will undertake
it this very week. " A small sum of money
was contributed and a house of eight rooms
was rented for $300 a year. It had a few
trees in the front yard and a veranda. Furni-
ture was procured to make it comfortable, and
a man and woman were engaged to take care
of the sick. There was room for only six
patients. One of the best physicians in the
city kindly offered his services and the sign,
' ' St. Luke's Free Hospital, " was placed over
the gate. They were ready for patients.
The second patient admitted to the new
hospital was a man with delirium tremens who
brought the asylum into notoriety by jumping
out of a window and stabbing, with a pen-
knife, a woman who was passing the house.
This misfortune with many others in the way
of needed funds did not discourage the
benevolent spirit of the ladies and their pas-
tor, for it is recorded: " They went on taking
as many patients as they could, begging money
enough to keep out of debt, and praying God
ST. LUK PS HOSPITAL. 227
to put it into the hearts of their fellow church-
men to help them, so that they might do a
larger work." Another circumstance which
goes to prove how rich men may be influ-
enced, is noted in the history of the hospital,
expressed as follows: " In the providence of
God their [the benevolent ladies] social posi-
tion was such that they were enabled to get the
ear of rich and influential people, and for the
first year there was but little trouble getting
the money wanted."
Finally a charter was procured from the
Legislature, embracing in the government of
the house all the city parishes, and securing
its exemption from taxation. A larger house
was rented and the beds were all engaged
when it was ready to be opened. About this
time other hospitals were started, making it
more difficult to get money for St. Luke's; it
had ceased to be a new enterprise, and its
struggles were getting to be an old story.
Debts accumulated so fast that the president
began to feel somewhat disheartened. " One
o
day a creditor, " says the recorder, ' ' gave the
president some hard words about not paying
debts, and he was walking away from the
228 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
hospital with the thought, 'It is no use; we
will have to give it up; when he met the post-
man who handed him a letter containing a
check for $50, and these words: "My hus-
band died last night, and just before his death
he requested me to send this money to St.
Luke's. " This is one of my many similar ex-
periences. Such results were always attrib-
uted to the efficacy of prayer.
Another instance : ' ' One day a gentleman
came to the president and said, 'A large build-
ing, intended for a workmen's boarding house,
has just come into my hands. It is not fin-
ished; but if you think it will do for St. Luke's,
I will give $2,000; and, what is more, I and
one or two others will collect money enough to
finish it. ' The house was in a very mean part
of the town large, noisy railroad shops just
opposite it; but it was very near a large lake
[Michigan] and could get plenty of fresh air,
and, what is more, it gave a chance to grow,
* * * and from eighteen beds there could be
an advance of forty-four beds and two private
rooms for which charges would be made. "
The rector-president, Rev. Clinton Locke,
had charge of a large parish besides the infant
ST. L UK&S HOSPITAL . 229
hospital for which he worked and prayed. But
the great fire of 1871 made this institution
memorable, as the beds were in great de-
mand. The great disaster aroused charitably
disposed people all over the land, and money
was donated liberally, so that it was able to
pay off its indebtedness and supply many
wants in its equipment. Wealthy people were
inspired to do something for it, such as the
endownment of beds. The Churchman raised
$3,000 for one, a benevolent lady collected
$3,000 for another, and a stranger to every
one connected with the hospital left $4,000 in
his will to found another. A few bereaved rel-
atives supported a bed as a memorial, and the
public became more interested in its success
on account of its record.
The management is intrusted to a board of
twelve trustees, who are elected on St. Luke's
day by the rector and vestries of the different
parishes of the city, and by all who subscribe
$25 during the year. The bishop of the dio-
cese is visitor, and a city rector president.
The president practically manages the hos-
pital, and is responsible to the trustees. He
is assisted by a board of directors consisting
230 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
of ladies, representing all the parishes in the
city, who meet once a month to hold consulta-
tions regarding the interests of the hospital.
The medical board, whose services are given
free of charge, is appointed by the trustees.
The resident chaplain has the care of the
religious work and supervision of the library.
There is no distinction of creed; the Jew and
the Romanist have the same rights as the
Episcopalians. Any one who is sick and des-
titute is provided for if there is room.
It was during its struggles that Mr. Fair-
bank gave $25,000 toward the repair of this
institution, and has ever since contributed
toward its support. One of the wards was
endowed by him, and he has been for many
years a member of the board of trustees. The
hospital now rests upon a substantial basis,
although in the report of 1891 the following
statement is given: "The false idea prevails
that we are rich because some large sums have
been given us. We hear this everywhere, and
it has told greatly on our receipts. The large
sums given us all go into our endowment.
They cannot be taken for our current expenses,
only their income, and at the present rates of
ST. L UK&S HOSPITAL. 2 3 1
interest it takes a very large investment to
produce sufficient income."
In the report of 1890 is the following state-
ment: "The invested funds of the hospital
amount to about $100,000, and it owns land
worth $50,000, and there is no debt on the
building and the land which it occupies. It
gets an income from the investments of about
$3,800 a year, It earns some $14,000 from
private patients. Several large railways send
all their injured to us, and pay for them
and are thankful besides. It had twenty-six
beds supported this year by payment of $300
each. In each parish on Advent Sunday, ap-
pointed by the bishop as Hospital Sunday, a
collection is taken up. A good deal of money
is obtained by getting people to pledge on
cards so much a month, and having it every
month collected by volunteers. People not
churchmen contribute largely."
A large apartment building is now erected
upon the land owned by the hospital. Endow-
ments funds were used for the purpose, in or-
der to increase the income. It is anticipated
that it will add about $13,000 to the yearly
revenue. Although free patients are taken in
232 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
as readily as pay patients, it is acknowledged
that if it were not for the latter the institution
could not be supported. There are forty beds
in private rooms, some of them beautifully fur-
nished. The rates for these rooms range from
$10 to $25 per week, and if a private nurse is
provided, the charge is $15 extra per week.
The number of patients admitted to the hos-
pital in 1891 was i, 172, a little more than half
being free patients. Such has been the strug-
gle of St. Luke's Hospital; but it has survived
the trial and is now triumphant. A training
school for nurses is established in the hospital,
and a complete and well furnished diet kitchen
and cooking school, where all the nurses are
thoroughly taught the art of cooking for in-
valids. Of the whole number of patients
treated in 1891 only seventy-eight died; the
plurality of the number was caused by shock
from railroad accidents.
There are now a score of hospitals in the
city, all of which are private enterprises except
the Cook County Hospital, maintained by the
public. The importance of these institutions
cannot be over-estimated, especially those that
are sustained by private enterprise. But there
ST. L UK&S HOSPITAL. 233
are objections to all undertakings of reforma-
tion; and to quote from one who has looked
the situation over, it may be observed that the
negative side is not altogether imaginative.
One of England's celebrated physicians makes
the following comments upon the abuse of
hospitals:
1. "The crowding together of such a vast
number of diseased persons, and the germs
derived from such accumulations of every
form, are dangerous to the community, poi-
son the air with their exhalations, and ex-
change microbes.
2. "They foster habits of improvidence in
the poorer classes.
3. "Competition of the hospitals is ruinous
to medical practitioners.
4. ' ' The absurd restrictions which exclude
from the hospital staffs many of the men best
fitted to hold these appointments."
The first two objections are only worthy of
notice because they point directly at the social
fabric.
The care and attention these unfortunates
get in the hospital outweigh all dangers of the
first named objections. St. Luke's hospital
234 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
is immaculate in its appointments. Cleanli-
ness and order reign in every ward. Young
healthy, intelligent nurses are in constant at-
tendance and physicians with no incentive but
the desire for successful results quickly per-
formed, are always at hand. The second ob-
jection is a question of mental and moral
strength pertaining to the poorer classes, who
demonstrate their weakness by being, per-
haps, willing to be taken care of free of
charge. But this infirmity is not confined to
the one class, for it exists in a much more
harmful form in a portion of the wealthy
class who have amassed wealth by taking ad-
vantage of the laborer, who gets his surplus
reward in charity. Such is the manifestation
of energy, in one it dominates in the muscles,
and in the other it shows its power in its
brainy resources which may be directed for
good or evil.
Although hospitals are generally founded as
institutions of charity, provided and main-
tained by benevolent citizens, they are often
patronized by the well-to-do, who are glad to
have the privilege of such a haven, with the
assurance of the best professional attendance,
ST. LUKE'S HOSPITAL. 235
for reasonable remuneration. Hospitals are
also a great assistance to the medical frater-
nity, furnishing a field for observation and
annotation to the physician or surgeon, and
to the student a means of education.
Those who may be inclined to find fault
with the hospital enterprise, may look in vain
for something better at this stage of civiliza-
tion, and in the present environment of intel-
ligence. So long as there is so much strife in
the world for riches, the superior force must
provide for the weaker, when sickness or
misfortune come upon them, rendering them
helpless. To a sensitive spirit it seems de-
grading to accept such assistance without
recompense ; but it is only from a purely phil-
anthropic mind of keen sensibilities that a
remedy, for such humiliating dependence,
may be suggested.
The Prussians have adopted a system of
insurance against sickness that is very com-
mendable and, it is said, effects a vast amount
of good. The Contemporary journal of 1890
gives the following account of it:
"By the Prussian law of June 15, 1883,
all workmen are compelled to insure against
236 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
sickness. They can do so either through the
general office of their town or district, through
the local office of the parish in which they live,
through the private society organized by the
firm or factory where they are employed,
through a guild or public society, or through a
private office registered under the Act.
"All these offices are under the immediate
control of the local authorities, who act for the
State. Private offices may make rules for
themselves in matters of detail, but in all es-
sential points they must conform to the pro-
visions of the law in question. The amount
of insurance is i^ per cent, of the wages
earned. Of this, one-third is defrayed by the
employer, the remaining two-thirds being de-
ducted by him from the workman's wages
before they are paid.
' 'When a workman falls ill, he is entitled from
the beginning of his illness to free medical at-
tendance, with medicine, an allowance of money
and, if necessary, spectacles and various sur-
gical appliances. If he has no one to look
after him, or if he cannot be properly nursed
at home, he is admitted to the hospital, and
while he is there, if he has a family dependent
ST. LUKE'S HOSPITAL. 237
upon him, part of the money allowance is paid
over to them. If he is out of work, he is
assisted for a certain time with money from
the insurance fund. If he dies, burial money
is paid to his relatives. All these regulations
apply to women.
"Discretionary powers are vested in the
local authorities to increase or diminish,
under certain circumstances, the amount
of insurance paid, the amount of assist-
ance allowed, and the length of time during
which it is given. Contractors who employ
a large number of men, whether tempo-
rarily or permanently, in making railways,
canals and roads, in river or dyke works, in
building fortresses, etc., are obliged to estab-
lish an insurance fund. If they fail to do so,
they are compelled to pay out of their own
pockets to such of their workmen as fall ill the
amount of assistance prescribed by law, and
burial money to the families of those who die.
' 'Employers who do not carry out the obliga-
tions imposed on them by the law, or who use
their private insurance offices to exact from
their workmen more than is due, or put pres-
sure on them, are liable to fines. Between
238 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
8,000,000 and 9,000,000 male and female
workers are insured under the law of June 15,
1883.
"In its main features the above plan re-
sembles the system of benefit clubs by which
so many English working men provide against
the day of misfortune, with the radical differ-
ence that the latter is optional, and the former
compulsory, and therefore universal. The
German system is open to the objection that
it amounts to state socialism; but many who
have witnessed the misery caused by improv-
idence would be glad to see it prevented, even
at the cost of a slight infringement of the
Briton's hereditary privilege to do as he
likes."
Mr. Fairbank has no special hobby that he
rides, ignoring everything else ; for every pub-
lic enterprise in the city records his name as
one of its liberal patrons. The Art Institute
is one of his beneficiaries, and the Chicago
Club owes its fine building to the force of his
efforts. Many individuals have also been
bridged over difficulties by his encouragement
and assistance. His social instincts are strong,
and his love of friends is of such a nature that
NATHANIEL K. FAIRBANK. 239
their bereavment or loss would cause his sym-
pathies to be intensely aroused. He has a
fine substantial residence on Michigan avenue
near Eighteenth street, where his family, con-
sisting of his wife and seven children, enjoy
the privileges of wealth and the care and sym-
pathy of a kind protector.
Mr. Fairbank has traveled quite extensively,
and has viewed the wonders of the old world
with enjoyment. An old citizen of Chicago
says: "Of all Chicago's millionaires, Mr. Fair-
bank appreciates art and literature more than
any of them. " The two forces, concentration
and diffusion, are manifested in such a char-
acter; for he knows the limit of the first, and
he has demonstrated the benefit of the latter.
Although interested in public affairs, he has
never had any ambition for political power.
Colonel H. A. Wheeler, who is Mr. Fair-
bank's private secretary, is a witness to the
refutation of that old saying, that familiarity
breeds contempt. He has full charge of the
affairs of his employer, and, in a measure, of
the man; guarding him from the applications
of those who are seeking after means to de-
velop some great scheme, which, when viewed
240 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
with a cool head, shows only the visionary
conception of ambition without ability; but
always ready to assist in helping on a worthy
cause.
When a man gathers riches or knowledge
for the purpose of bestowing benefits upon his
fellow creatures, he makes himself famous;
but when he gathers wealth for the purpose of
ownership, he makes himself notorious.
POTTER PALMER.
CHAPTER IX.
POTTER PALMER.
"The ashes of a burnt up city are still smoking when the in-
defatigable Yankees begin to rummage amqng them, in order
to lay foundations of new brown stone palaces with marble
facades, and six stories high, all warranted fireproof." Satur-
day Review.
It is said that years ago it was commonly
thought that in whatever trade any one had
failed, there were two callings which were still
left for him. He could open either a school or
an inn. But, with the progress of civilization,
the requirements of the teacher and that of the
proprietor of a hotel, have developed from
limited qualifications to a broader gauge of in-
telligence. The teacher of these times must be
conversant with many branches of knowledge,
and the hotel proprietor must understand nearly
all branches of trade in order to succeed.
According to all records on the subject Pot-
ter Palmer was successful in his business pur-
suits before he built his big hotel, and, after
twenty years' experience, it may be observed
that he has made a most extraordinary success.
241
16
242 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
in the last enterprise. ' ' Pluck, plodding
and incessant work characterize every step, "
says a contemporary journal, in reviewing
Potter Palmer's career. ' ' One of the
secrets of his success is that there never
was any work in his establishment to which he
did not turn a hand, the same as a hired
man, when occasion demanded it. The story
they tell about his enacting the role of cham-
ber girl when his help went on a strike is true,
says the same correspondent, all of which
prove the truth of the statement made by a
citizen who has known him for years, that:
' ' His success was due to his quick recognition
of the fact that he could not do too much for
his customers. He was the first merchant in
Chicago who put up a placard in his store an-
nouncing that goods bought in his place could
be exchanged for other goods, or the money
refunded. A placard to that effect went with
every article of goods sold, and it gave people
confidence in him." This custom is now in
practice in all reputable dry goods stores in
Chicago.
The profits of a good business soon reaches
great proportions which should be utilized;
THE PALMER HOUSE. 243
consequently Mr. Palmer invested his large
surplus in real estate in Chicago. But the
great fire of 1871, which made so many human
beings homeless, destroyed all his buildings
and left him with an interest exceeding $200, -
ooo to pay, and no income. The ship-load
of iron which he bought in Europe for his
new hotel had just landed when the fire broke
out. In the first excitement caused by his
losses he tried to sell the iron at a sacrifice,
but there was no demand for it. Finally a re-
action of the mind which is always sure to come
at such times, strengthened his courage, and
instead of selling his iron he constructed the
hotel, which the writer in the Saturday Review
must have had in mind when he wrote the
paragraph given at the commencement of this
chapter.
Now, it may be put down as an alleged fact
that every one who has ever heard of the
World's Fair city has also heard of the Palmer
House; for its fame is both national and inter-
national. This hotel is located at the corner
of State and Monroe streets, with an entrance
from each street, leading to the grand hall and
to the rotunda, which is in a separate building
244 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
in the interior court. It is operated upon both
the American and European plans, at the op-
tion of the guest, who may rent a room and
pay for his meals separately, or settle for
room and board in the same bill. For those
who prefer the former, a restaurant is located
in the interior court, connected by a long hall-
way with the rotunda.
A stranger from the rural districts may at
first be somewhat bewildered by the rich
effects of material and design used in the inte-
rior of the building, but when he settles down
as a guest, receiving the consideration of the
attendants, who are well trained in courtesy
and service, he will note the beautiful and
graceful symmetry of the apartments so pleas-
ing to the eye. The floor, wainscoting and
stairs are of marble, designed in the most
elaborate and substantial manner. The wain-
scoting throughout the house is constructed of
thirty-four different kinds and colors of mar-
ble, brought from as many different parts of
the world. The grand stairs, which extends
from the basement to the upper floor, is con-
structed of Italian marble, each step and plat-
form cut from a solid block, and fitted together
THE PALMER HOUSE. 245
so as to form a strong combination that is
novel and curious in its mechanical device.
The balustrade is brass, ornamented to corre-
spond with the walls. It is said that there is
but one stairs in the world constructed in this
manner, and that is the one leading to the
whispering gallery in the dome of St. Paul's
cathedral in London. Its marble posts on the
first floor are surmounted by huge griffins in
bronze.
The dining hall of the Palmer House is
heavily decorated, making the effect somewhat
gaudy rather than artistic. The ceiling is sup-
ported by two rows of massive gilded columns,
the walls corresponding in detail. Three side
doorways connect this room with small dining
rooms the supper room, breakfast room,
ladies' ordinary and children's dining room.
In August, 1874, Lord and Lady Dufferin,
of Canada, visited Chicago, stopping at the
Palmer House. Lady Dufferin, who was
highly pleased with the modern city, described
her experience in the dining room as follows:
"Such a breakfast! No wonder Americans
despise our efforts in the way of hotels. Be-
ing out of the dominion, we arranged to have
246 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
our meals in the public rooms, so we went
into breakfast in an enormous hall and sat at
a small table. There were two smaller rooms
off rilled with tables, and quantities of black
waiters to attend upon the people, and a
lengthy bill of fare to select from. I must say
that everything was very good of its kind
tea, coffee, milk, eggs, and cooking all of the
very best, and it was amusing to see how it
was all managed. "
The linen used in the dining rooms is woven
in Ireland expressly for the Palmer House,
with the design of the building and the name
Chicago woven in the center of each table-
cloth. The china is of the best ware and
variety, in fact every appointment is compara-
ble to an elegant home ; except that the good
fare is provided without forethought or super-
vision; the servants are seen only when on
their best behavior, and no thought or care
may be given to economy of food or of service.
The servants do not expect to be fee'd; and if
guests are stupid enough to do so they will not
gain much by the practice, for everything is
systematically arranged, no one giving special
attention to the single guest.
THE PALMER HOUSE. 247
The millionaire, or citizen of local promi-
nence, may register at the Palmer House or
any other large hotel and find himself just one
of the numerous guests, receiving no more at-
tention than the commercial traveler, who is
now one of the most conspicuous of patrons,
and one of the connoisseurs in epicurism.
In the organization of service the manager
of this hotel recognizes only his staff of super-
intendents, which are the head clerk, steward,
head waiter, housekeeper, chef, head porter,
and head laundress. Each of these officials
engages his or her assistants, and is responsi-
ble for their efficiency and conduct. In this
way confusion is avoided and mistakes are
easily rectified.
The great kitchen where food is pre-
pared for the table is a very interesting feat-
ure of the Palmer House. The proprietor
gave this department his special attention,
consulting with the best authorities upon the
subject. It is a large building located in the
interior court, and has perfect ventilation
through shafts at the top of the roof, in order
to carry off all steam and odors arising from
cooking. An artesian well supplies pure water
248 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
for cooking. The cooking is performed over
an immense coal range, which requires the
attention of a fireman. Food is kept warm
by the means of steam pipes; and a sur-
prising feature of the whole management, is
that there is very little waste of the material
provided, after guests have been served.
Dishes are washed in the old-fashioned way;
each dish handled separately without the use
of a machine. Everything seems to be in its
place, and every servant busy with his or her
own duties.
The drawing room is sixty-two feet in
length and twenty-six feet wide. It is fur-
nished comfortably, with the aim of conven-
ience for guests. However, there is much
decoration combined with mere comforts. The
walls are adorned with strong paintings, and
the windows are hung with gorgeous laces,
satins and velvets. The mantle is massive,
and, with its different colors of marble artistic-
ally arranged, is an agreeable sight to the
guests, especially when they are seated near
the bright coal fire beneath it. The tables are
Florentine, and the upholstery is heavy and
rich in texture.
THE PALMER HOUSE. 249
The Egyptian parlor, which opens into the
grand drawing room, is called the gem of the
Palmer House. In all its appointments are
traces of Egyptian representations; the sacred
stork, the sphynx, and the hieroglyphic em-
blazonry are copied on the furniture which is
made more attractive by modern upholstery.
The horoscopic clock on the mantel and the
candelabra all remind one of that country. It
is evidently the work of an artist who studied
the relics, as preserved, of the builders of the
Pyramids.
One of the so-called bridal chambers opens
into the Egyptian parlor. It is not so richly
furnished as has been represented, and is used
by commercial travelers for a sample room as
often as by the bridal pair. The bed is of the
French style, with a canopy of plush drapery.
A closet and bathroom are attached, and a
grate with ornamental mantel, writing desk,
easy chairs and comfortable settees make up
the contents of this apartment. Although
there are other rooms furnished more ele-
gantly and in more modern style, this room is
given prominence on account of its being one
of the prime characteristic features of the
250 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
Palmer House, when it was first built, in 1871.
The daily use of furniture makes constant re-
pair necessary, and shabbiness is not tolerated
by the manager, who claims that although an
upholsterer is often employed, the framework
of the furniture is not displaced, nor the orig-
inal features changed.
The bar and billiard room, which is reached
from the rotunda by a short flight of marble
steps, is finished in the same style of marble
as prevails throughout the house. The counter,
which is wrought from costly marbles, carved
and polished, extends from one end of the
room to the other; and billiard tables of sub-
stantial and improved manufacture are in con-
veinent places. Upholstered high seats for the
comfort of guests are also provided. Mirrors
of immense size hang upon the walls, produc-
ing an imposing appearance of the room.
These rooms are probably the most profit-
able of all the rooms in the Palmer House; for
it is asserted that from the sale of liquors
alone there is one thousand dollars a week
clear profit. This is one of the ways Potter
Palmer makes his big hotel pay so well. It is
^ popular resort of traveling men, and there is
THE PALMER HO USE. 251
always a great number of Jews congregated
here. Everything is prepared and selected
for profit, and not caste. Mr. Palmer is not
an aristocrat, nor a caterer to royalty, unless
they can pay their way poor relations not
excepted.
When the Palmer House was first erected,
Potter Palmer, being a great lover of flowers
and shrubbery, conceived the unique idea of
having a greenhouse and conservatory on the
roof of his hotel, over the dining hall, and
opening out of the fifth floor corridor, the
other portion being two stairs higher. It was
one of the great attractions of the house; the
tables were decorated with the products of it,
and bridal parties and receptions were made
more pleasant and attractive by fresh flowers
and foliage. All seasons and climes were rep-
resented in this garden in the air orange
trees, trailing vines, beautiful roses and rare
camelias. But it was soon ascertained that
more rooms must be provided for the great
number of travelers, and that the conservatory
did not yield the profit that would be gained
by the rent of rooms, consequently the green-
house was made over into apartments.
252 THE WORLDS FAIR CITY.
About this time the sixth story, which was
originally constructed, lower than the others,
for the use of the servants, was raised four
feet, and the rooms were corniced and fur-
nished the same as the other floors, making
them as desirable as any in the house and in-
creasing the accommodations for guests to
seven hundred and forty-six rooms. Hun-
dreds of laborers were employed to carry on
the great undertaking of raising the large iron
roof, but it attracted no attention on account
of the thickness of the walls which prevented
the noise being heard. Five hundred jack-
screws were applied and turned in unison to
the sound of the fireman's whistle. It was
raised in sections and held by the screws until
the walls were built up the required height.
All of this work was performed without dis-
turbance in the other part of the house.
After the Palmer House was finished Potter
Palmer offered the following challenge to the
proprietors of every hotel in the city :
GENTLEMEN: Having erected a fire-proof hotel at
an additional cost of $500,000 over what it could have
been built for in the practically fire-proof style, and be-
ing unwilling that any other hotel in Chicago should
claim exception in this respect when the facts do not
THE PALMER HOUSE. 253
warrant it, I hereby invite such unscrupulous persons
to build a fire in the center of any chamber or room in
the Palmer House proper (the Wabash avenue exten-
sion excepted), the furniture, carpets, mirrors, etc., to
be undisturbed, and the doors and windows to be closed
one hour. If at the expiration of that time the fire
does not spread beyond the room, the person accept-
ing this invitation is to pay for all damages done
and for the use of the room. If the fire does ex-
tend beyond the room (I claim that it will not),
there shall be no charge for damages done. The
test can take place on the ist of June. If the invitation
is not accepted by that time, I propose, with the con-
sent of the underwriters of Chicago, to make the test
myself, believing that the result would be the same as
on the former occasion, when a fire burned for nine
hours in one of the rooms and did less than $100
damages.
[Signed.] POTTER PALMER.
The Palmer House is charged only one per
cent insurance to cover risk from outside, on
account of its unusual protection against fire.
The ordinary charges for hotels is two and a
half per cent. There is nothing combustible
used in the structure. Every wall is solid
brick and the floors and ceilings are of corru-
gated iron and plaster casts. Mr. Palmer,
endeavoring to advance the work on his hotel
before the time expired for free importation of
building materials, devised the scheme of work-
ing nights, by calcium light. A large force
2 54 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
of men were employed, and it was a great
sight to see immense quantities of heavy iron
put in place. More than six hundred tons of
iron beams were brought from Belgium for its
construction.
The hotel of the present time is the out-
growth of the old-time tavern, and it owes its
existence entirely to the locomotive which has
made traveling speedy and cheap, conse-
quently, commerce received a great impetus,
and the rambler has been encouraged to pursue
his way; wealth has been increased, and ease
and luxury have been provided for the favor-
ites of Dame Fortune.
Potter Palmer was born in Potter's Hollow,
New York, in 1826. He attended the common
schools of the town, and, during vacations,
worked as a dry goods clerk. In early youth
he left home and was employed in a store in
the western part of New York State. In 1852
he caught the western fever, and soon found
himself in Chicago with a small sum of money
to invest in a business in which he had ex-
perience. The city's population at that time
numbered nearly 60,000, and the chances for
a young and energetic man, who understood
PO TTER PALMER. 255
the science of trade, were not only good but
excellent. Potter Palmer was not wanting in
this respect, and he at once started *a. cheap
store which was patronized by customers hunt-
ing for bargains. Such bargains as give great
profits to the merchant was Mr. Palmer's aim,
and he succeeded ; for when the civil war
broke out he had become one of the wealthy
citizens of Chicago.
There is no record stating that Potter
Palmer served in the late war, but it is said
that when the war closed the government was
in debt to him over three-quarters of a million
dollars, principal and interest. It is an ill
wind that doesn't blow for somebody.
At the close of the war Mr. Palmer, believ-
ing that the dry goods trade would not be so
profitable in the future, sold an interest in his
store to Marshall Field and L. Z. Leiter, who
carried on the business, Mr. Palmer retiring
from active duty in the establishment. He
made investments in real estate located on
Michigan avenue and State street, where he
made great improvements by building. In
1869 he built a hotel, on the corner of Jackson
and State streets, which had the reputation
256 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
of being the largest and finest hotel in the
west. But the great fire of 1871 swept it
away before it had stood a year, and with
scores of others Potter Palmer believed him-
self financially ruined. However, as has been
related, he arose above the disaster, master-
ing the situation.
Today he is many times a millionaire. His
energies have all been directed to money-
getting; he has never manifested interest in
science, politics or religion, and is not a phi-
lanthropist. Every day that he lives he has
only to do nothing and he is a richer man.
How did he get his money ? By concentrating
his mind upon the "mighty dollar," hunting
for a profitable investment, and in taking
advantage of every opportunity that would
increase his income.
With such concentration of force without
the radiation of diffusion, material riches
is the result; but this man commands no
more respect on account of his wealth
than any other man of the same char-
acter, habits or ability. Riches feed the
crowd who enjoy luxurious entertainments,
while intellectual force attracts the thinkers
POTTER PALMER. 257
who move the world. He has a superb resi-
dence near the Lake Shore drive, where he and
his family, consisting of wife and two sons re-
side. But he may be seen every day at his
desk in the Palmer House apparently very
busy, especially when he doesn't want to talk
with troublesome visitors. He has nearly
reached the age of three score f and ten, and
still retains the keen shrewdness of the hotel
keeper who has grown old in the service
CHAPTER X.
LYMAN J. GAGE.
- Whatever of strength the man had in him will lie written in
ta? work he does.'* Carlyle.
Lyman J. Gage, who was President of the
World's Columbian Exposition in its formation
period, has a national reputation as a banker
and financier. It is said that he has been suc-
cessful in all his undertakings ; a prosperity that
is encouraging to every youth in America.
The character, habits and mental activity of
a man who has gained the applause of his
business colleagues and fellow citizens, are
always eagerly studied by the observer of hu-
man progress. You may in vain scan the feat-
ures of an individual in order to know his
peculiar characteristics; for many have tried
to find the key to the physiognomy, but meet-
ing with as much failure as success, conclude
that there is a law, concealed from human
knowledge, that is so subtle in its design re-
garding human nature that it is usually called
258
LYMAN J. GAGE.
LYMAN J. GAGE. 259
chance, a term that is meaningless only to the
scientist, who knows that it expresses what he
cannot solve.
Mr. Gage has a face indicative of intellect-
ual strength, earnestness of purpose, and the
ability to execute his plans. He may bear
the mark of a successful man, but the expres-
sion of thoughtfulness is too indelibly stamped
in his countenance, and too apparent in his
surroundings, to believe him a selfish one.
He is not one of the millionaires of the
country, a proof of his legitimate business
methods and benevolent disposition. How-
ever, he is well provided with worldly goods;
and no one accuses him of tampering with the
markets, or making combinations with fashion-
able ' 'Trusts." Humors or witticisms of that
sort he would not approve; "corners " he con-
siders, usually, not fair play, and gambling he
no doubt regards as superstitious idleness.
Born in 1836, Mr. Gage has had an oppor-
tunity to witness the various events and ca-
lamities of the nation; and of the rise and
downfall of institutions and individuals, he has
been a keen observer. Being a resident of
Chicago since 1855, ^ e * s familiar with the
260 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
remarkable financial growth, and history of
this far famed city, at the same time, he has
been the recognized leader in the profession of
banking. Before he was elected president of
the First National Bank, his present position,
he served eleven years as cashier in the Mer-
chants' Loan and Trust Company's Bank.
This long experience, together with his natural
talent, has eminently fitted him for the man-
agement of the second largest banking institu-
tion in the world,
An able writer on financial subjects says:
' ' Fortunately for Chicago, after the great fire
and the panic, but especially after the panic,
Mr. Gage's comprehensive mind and admir-
able courage led him to see that Chicago, as
an important center, still had a splendid basis
for banking, and he acted accordingly. Dur-
ing the western course of the tornado panic of
1873 Mr. Gage was neither weak-kneed,
vascillating nor mean. He believed in his
customers and depositors, and they believed
in him. His courage and humanity in that
dreadful trial of men's souls will ever be remem-
bered by the mercantile community of Chicago
with pride and gratitude. Alike in the meetings
NA TIONAL BANKS. 2 6 1
of the Clearing House Association and in
his bank office, he acted like a brave and
honest man, believing in the country and in
Chicago. "
Mr. Gage is easily approached. There is
no placard, ' ' Beggars, peddlers and canvass-
ers keep out," anywhere in sight. The First
National Bank of Chicago ranks among the
first in the United States. Transacting a
business amounting to about $ 1 4, ooo, ooo daily,
which requires a clerical force of about one
hundred and eighty-five men, implies a vast
amount of work, and much responsibility.
Besides a large European exchange, this in-
stitution carries on an immense business in
domestic and foreign collections.
Formerly Great Britain excelled all other
countries in the banking business, ' ' rescuing
every penny from idleness, and in getting the
utmost possible work out of it." But zeal
overcame prudence and a radical defect was
soon discovered which disturbed her industries
and disordered her trade. An English banker,
who investigated National Banks in this coun-
try says: " The reports of the comptroller of
the currency of the United States, brings out
262 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
into strong relief against the background of
recent British failures the superiority of the
American banking system. "
The National Bank owes its origin to the
war between the States which ended in 1865.
The bill, passed by the smallest majorities in
the House and Senate, was approved by the
President in February, 1863, and went into full
operation two years afterward.
A National Bank may be organized by any
number of citizens, not less than five, in any
place in the United States. No bank can be
organized with less than $50,000 in capital,
and in the larger cities more funds are re-
quired. The laws controlling their action are
stringent, and may at any time be amended
by the House of Representatives.
Before commencing business each bank or
association must deposit, in the treasury of the
United States, bonds to the extent of its
capital', and issue its own notes to circulate
as money to the amount of ninety per cent of
the bonds so deposited. For this privilege
the bank pays a tax into the National Treas-
ury of one per cent per annum on the average
of their outstanding notes.
NATIONAL BANKS. 263
They have the power to receive deposits,
and to lend money, but are forbidden by the
law to loan any one person, firm or corpora-
tion, at any one period, more than ten per
cent of their capital. They are likewise for-
bidden to charge or receive a greater rate of
interest than the law of the State allows its
own citizens to charge or receive where the
bank is located.
They may hold real estate for office pur-
poses, or such as they may take in the settle-
ment of debts previously contracted, but such
real estate must not be held longer than five
years.
The office of the bank where Mr. Gage pre-
sides is one hundred and sixty-four feet long
and eighty feet wide the largest single room
devoted to the banking business in the world.
All transactions are in plain sight, as well as
the numerous employes, which number sixty-
five more than any other banking house in the
United States. A cook and three waiters are
also employed who serve a warm luncheon
from 12 to 2 P. M. , to the officers and em-
ployes of the bank, free of charge. About
eighteen hundred letters are received daily,
264 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
all of which are opened before 10 o'clock in the
morning; mail received after that time is held
over until the next day. The policy of the
bank in employing assistants is to secure
young men to enter messenger department,
and be promoted according to capacity
and attention to business. This bank has
$4,000,000 more deposits than any other bank
in the United States.
Although Mr. Gage has not been directly
identified with the political strifes of the day,
he has not confined his whole attention to the
affairs of banking. One of our leading journals
reports him as ' ' having taken an active share
in all movements, looking to the amelioration of
the condition of the working men, and, in the
recent economic conferences where men of
widely varying views on the troubling social
problems of the time came together to ex-
change opinions. His wide knowledge of the
questions involved, and clear exposition and
statement of his convictions, imparted a
weight and authority to the discussions that
attracted the attention of the country. "
Not long since an article appeared in Open
Court, a Chicago publication, written by
MAKING BREAD DEAR. 265
General Trumbull, who has studied, and writ-
ten a great deal upon, economic subjects.
He puts himself in the position of a laborer in
the lowest rank, and pleads his cause, under
the signature, Wheelbarrow.
Making bread dear is the burden of his com-
plaint "Nature," he says, " the bounteous
mother, covers our share of the earth with a
carpet of green and gold, while bands of
criminals are permitted by the laws to discount
it and corner it, to bewitch it and bedevil it,
that it may become costly and scarce to the
workingman." He deals a severe blow at the
monopolists, who, he says, raise the price of
bread, meat, coal, etc., while he is in the toils of
corporations who shave his wages down to the
lowest point that flesh and blood can bear, and
have strength enough left to shovel. His
only consolation is that the revelry of mo-
nopoly cannot last forever, and that the hair
of Samson will grow again. His wages, he
says, has remained in figures much about
the same, while its power in the market has
varied greatly. He claims that the wealth of
the country has multiplied four fold and more,
while the population has only doubled, and
266 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
his property has not increased. Through the
increased power of machinery an hour's labor
now produces twice or thrice as much as it
did some thirty years ago, but Wheelbarrow
says he has no share of it. With much pathos
he admits that he has not the capacity to learn
the abstract principles of social science, but
adds that, if he had the genius, he is too
weary to exercise it. He then asks our states-
men to learn an object lesson in the home of
the laborer, that progress sometimes travels
hand in hand with poverty. "As making
bread dear is morally a crime, let us make
it a crime by law," suggests Wheel-
barrow. He appeals to the government, and
facetiously remarks that "Statesmen of
terrapin brain" tell him that he cannot possibly
be hungry, because statistics prove the increas-
ing fatness of the land. Wheelbarrow said
that he once visited the United States Sen-
ate in order to hear the debate, and the
only satisfaction he got was to hear these
millionaires argue that of the joint product
of labor and capital the share of labor was
absolutely and relatively increasing; but when
MAKING BREAD DEAR. 267'
he asked for his share of the dividends he
was told that he could get them from the
statistics.
The complaint of Wheelbarrow made such
a deep impression upon Mr. Gage that he
investigated the matter and replied under "-
the signature, Sympathizer.
' ' The spoken word, the written poem, is
said to be an epitome of the man," says
Carlyle. With this alleged fact in view, and
in order to bring the reader nearer to the sub-
ject of this sketch, Mr. Gage's reply is given
in substance:
' ' My heart burned with indignation as I
read Wheelbarrow's eloquent, if somewhat
ambiguous, indictment of society; for he is
truly eloquent, and when I read his glowing
words, I wondered why he did not turn his
attention to the bar, the pulpit, or the press,
because in either of these his mental gifts give
promise of success; and by his confession
pushing a wheelbarrow is hard, monotonous,
and unprofitable work. * * * On the
second reading, doubts arose in my mind, I
asked myself the question, Is this the statement
268 THE WORLDS FAIR CITY.
of real fact, or is it a sketch in which a
fervent imagination has outrun sober fact and
reasonable judgment?
***** * *
"Determined to be thorough in my exami-
nation of the matter, I called on a farmer
friend showed him the article, and asked him
if the farmers were engaged in the wicked
combination. He replied, ' I know of no com-
bination to make wheat or flour high. I do
know that the price is so low that the farmer
has little remuneration for his toil. Statistics
prove that the average pay to the farmer is
only about eighty-two cents a day. ' * * *
" I then called upon a miller who I know is
honest. He said, ' There is no combination
among millers. If we get twenty-five cents a
barrel for the use of our mill, and the risk we
take, we are satisfied.'
*******
" I then went to the Board of Trade, and
talked with a man, not an operator himself,
but well acquainted with all the course of
trade and speculation in the form of cereal
and other products dealt in in this market.
He read the accusation of Wheelbarrow and
MAKING BREAD DEAR. 269
said, ' This kind of loose talk has no real
foundation in fact. * * * No one wants
to make bread dear; no one wants to make it
cheap. The speculator operates to make
money. He buys hoping for a rise, or he
sells for future delivery hoping for a decline.
* * * If the short seller was too numer-
ous, grain would go down and bread would be
cheap; but the agriculturist would suffer, and
if this influence continued long enough, he
would cease to raise wheat, when a reaction
would ensue wheat would become scarce and
high, and bread would become dear.
$ ( $ $ )|c $
' One immediate effect of the operation de-
scribed is to make a continuous cash market
for all products so dealt in, and the two forces,
it may be safely asserted, operate to bring the
average price of wheat to a fair equilibrium,
under the law of supply and demand. At
least it is true that in an open market such as
usually exists, the current price is an expres-
sion of the agreed opinions of the world as to
the fair value of the article. I say world,
because the world trades in our market.
* * * I might go on and speak about
270 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
corners, so-called, but perhaps I have said
enough. '
' ' No, I replied it is about corners that I es-
pecially want to hear, for I suspect that, if
anywhere, there will be found the true occasion
for Wheelbarrow's severe strictures, so he
continued.
' ' Now, it occasionally happens, at infre-
quent intervals, that some one man, or a
small group acting together, will take advan-
tage of a moment when the actual stock of
wheat or provisions in store is small, and
secretly buy it all. With the actual property
thus in possession, they will make contracts of
purchase with the unsuspecting seller for
future delivery. The short seller is thus occa-
sionally caught and put in chancery by the
wily, and perhaps unscrupulous, dealer, who
has thus cornered the market.
Some years ago, Jim Keene, of New York,
tried the game, and he lost $2,000,000 or
more.
$ $ , $ J|t
Ten years ago, a Cincinnati clique tried it,
and they lost enormously ; some of them
MAKING BREAD DEAR. 2 7 I
interested are now in the penitentiary, where
Wheelbarrow says they belong. But these
are only episodes. * * * Their influence
is so short they seldom affect the price of the
product to the actual consumers.
%. % ^c ^: * % %
"Having thus exhausted the chief specifica-
tions of Wheelbarrow, I did not pursue the
question into other fields. My own mind was
greatly relieved, and I have thought others
among your sympathizing readers might be
similarly affected by this perusal.
' ' Now Wheelbarrow might be asked in
what way has he contributed to increase
wealth fourfold. As a wheeler of earth, has
his power increased fourfold, or even doubled,
over his predecessor, a thousand years ago?
* * * If he will take note of the table of
prices for the things which he consumes, he
will find the purchasing power of his dollars
has increased.
' ' I dislike to criticize his essay in unfriendly
terms, but it is that kind of writing, now so
much in vogue from labor agitators, and
would-be reformers, which hurts the cause it
272 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
would help, confuses the true issues, obscures
sound judgment, and helps to paralyize the
efforts of those who would gladly aid the
humbler members of society to attain a better
hold on life."
A reply, so thorough, and so honest in its
investigation, shatters perceptibly the com-
plaint of Wheelbarrow. However, he is not
vanquished, but, with that dexterity pe-
culiar to logicians, he rises to the occa-
sion and defends his position so admirably
that it is given, in substance, in his own
language.
"In the last number of the Open Court, I
find a formidable criticism by a sympathizer
who reproves me as a would-be reformer.
if. : )|c $ . $ if
" It moved him so strongly that he investi-
gated the evils I denounced. * * * The
first witness offered by him for the defense
is a farmer. * * * Sympathizer went to
the wrong farmer. He should have gone to
one of those grateful farmers who sent a
memorial to the very forestaller I complained
of, thanking him for raising the price of wheat
by a ' corner, ' in which hundreds of men were
MAKING BREAD DEAR. 273
'squeezed' into poverty, the prime article of
life bewitched, and the hunger of the poor in-
creased.
* ******
" It is a mistake that the farmers' pay is
only eighty-two cents a day. Statistics may
say that, but they cannot prove it because it
is not true. * * * I admit that the farmer
is much poorer than he ought to be ; I admit
that he is the victim of numerous legalized ex-
tortions, but as he seems to enjoy them and
fears that they may be lifted from him, I will
try to bear his poverty with resignation, al-
though I have no patience with my own.
1 ' The next witness is a miller. * * * The
honesty of millers is proverbial, but I think
this testimony will not stand the test of cross-
examination. * * * According to the jour-
nals published in the milling interest, negotia-
tions have been for several months in progress
looking to a combination of the big millers to
freeze out the little ones and abolish that
' fierce competition. ' I have no doubt that the
conspiracy will eventually succeed.
"The next witness was a man who testified
for the Board of Trade. He was one of those
18
274 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
exasperating witnesses who know too much
and hoodoo the side that calls them. * * *
His evidence, however, verified my complaint,
and showed that the price of bread can be ar-
tificially raised by operations on the Board of
Trade. * * * Let Sympathizer bear in
mind that the ' speculator ' spoken of ' oper-
ates ' on the bread of the poor, the staff of
life to the working man, while it is a trifling ele-
ment in the rich man's bill of fare.
"Just think of a man wasting his religion in
praying for a rise in the price of wheat! This,
too, in a prayer sometimes three months' long.
Or, to sell for future delivery, hoping for .a
decline. * * * Is it really true that no
man can prosper unless at the expense of
others?
* * * * * *
1 ' Not only do the ' operators ' pray for these
unnatural prices, but they work for them, and
effect them. * * * What is gambling but
opinions backed by moneyed risk? Step for-
ward, gentlemen, and back your own opinions.
' ' Manufacturing or commercial industry
backed by moneyed risk is a very different
thing to the speculation on the prices of things
MAKING BREAD DEAR. 275
which the seller does not own and the buyer
does not want; things which are not now and
never will be in the possession of either party,
and perhaps which are not yet in existence.
* * * In a market subject to artificial de-
rangement, the poor man must always pay for
a speculative margin which the baker must
keep on the price of bread to protect him
from a possible rise in flour. * * *
"The details of the testimony of the wit-
ness reveal commercial business in its most
heartless form, when the measure of one man's
gain is the measure of another man's loss.
* * * I offer the fact that the great 'cor-
ner of three months ago did actually raise the
price of bread in the city of Chicago.
' ' The coal barons of New York, who levied
a tax on all consumers of coal, are well re-
membered still. Answer that if you can.
5f JfC ^C ^JC if* ff> -f*
' ' Sympathizer says that I have no right to
claim an interest in the increase of my coun-
try's wealth. He says that as a wheeler of
earth I can do no more than my predecessor
did a thousand years ago. That is true and I
only ask wages in proportion to the rank of
276 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY
my wheelbarrow in the scale of productive
activities.
' ' The wealth of a country is the product of
all its industrial forces working together. Let
us suppose that of this product the wheelbar-
row contributes one part, the jackplane two
parts, the trowel three, the plough four, the
yardstick five, and so on up to the banker's
ready reckoner, which we represent as ten.
In twenty years the product of them all has
doubled; shall the banker's share be twenty,
the merchant's ten, the jackplane's four, and
the wheelbarrow's only one? * * * If I
did not wheel earth some one else would have
to do it, perhaps the bricklayer, or the clerk,
or the merchant, or the banker, for wheeling
of earth must be done. * * * Without
me to stand on they must have worked upon a
lower plane.
* ******
1 ' While other men grow up with the coun-
try, must I stand still ?
* * *****
' ' Have I no inheritance in the legacy of the
past ? Did the great inventors and discoverers
leave me nothing when they died? As well
MAKING BREAD DEAR. 277
tell me that Shakspeare, Goethe, Plato,
Newton, Bacon, left me nothing. I am heir
of -all the men whose genius has multiplied the
moral and material riches of the world.
Every man is co-heir with me in the great in-
heritance and every woman too.
"Sympathizer kindly suggests if my wheel-
barrow wages is too low, I turn my attention
to the bar, the pulpit or the press. This is
like the physician who advertised advice
gratis to the poor, and when they came for it
recommended that they try the waters of
Baden-Baden. Does Sympathizer know of
any wealthy congregation in want of a preacher
of my peculiar faith ?
4 ' Let it not be thought that my censures
were aimed at the Board of Trade as a cor-
poration, or at its members as a class. They
were aimed at certain methods practiced by
certain men with privileges and opportunities
of the board, methods which are confessed
and condemned by Sympathizer and his wit-
nesses.
"When I demand cheap bread, I do not
wish to deprive the farmer, the miller, or the
278 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
Board of Trade man, or anybody who con-
tributes to its production and distribution of
his reward.
%. %. %. if. ^c % -if.
' 'The honest business of the Board of Trade,
as Sypathizer explains, is to equalize the price
of wheat, and facilitate its journey from the
farmer to the laborer in the city. I
think Sympathizer strengthens my position.
I see clearer than ever that ' making bread
dear' is a crime."
Wheelbarrows reply is characteristic; he
has summoned his 'classic inheritance' and rhe-
torical strength, made palatable by good com-
mon sense, and invites his readers to the feast.
Let us see how Sympathizer relishes it. No
doubt he will do it the justice of a connoisseur,
tasting all the dishes.
*********
' ' Accepting Wheelbarrow's formula, may
it not be true that wheelbarrows, as a group,
taken together, do get their portion doubled,
as jackplanes, as a whole, receive their double
portion ? If, therefore, the units com-
posing the wheelbarrow group increased in a
faster ratio than the units composing the
MAKING BREAD DEAR, 279
jack-plane group, the share to the units in the
wheelbarrow group would be relatively less
than would fall to the units or individuals
composing the jackplane group. If all men
were wheelers there would be no productivity.
* * * Society can afford to that group, as a
division, only a certain share.
" Statistics seem to prove that the compar-
ative increase seems to favor the lowest class
of workers. * * * Any increase of indus-
trial productivity will benefit all classes, but
the least skilled do comparatively profit most
of all. The question is a large one. It de-
serves serious and continued study. It is a
hopeful sign that modern thought is becoming
engaged with it. Let us hope that through the
intelligence of Wheelbarrow, and the growing
intellectual power evident on every side among
workingmen, the great question of our social
economics will find at last a just and final so-
lution.
"It is anomalous that one who has never
owned a bushel of wheat, nor more than one
barrel of flour at any one time, should find
himself defending speculation in breadstuff's.
But as the probability is that Wheelbarrow is
280 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
in about the same case, we both have the ad-
vantage of looking at the subject from a com-
paratively disinterested standpoint; and I
think we both desire to find the truth.
"His review of my criticism is keen and
searching; but it appears to be a little disin-
genuous. He says: 'Just think of a man
wasting his religion praying for a rise in wheat.
This, too, in a prayer three months long. ' Per-
haps I ought to have stated in specific terms
that a speculator rarely prays, and if he does,
it is as often that he prays for a decline as for
a rise.
' ' Again, my 'witness' did not defend corners.
* * * But Wheelbarrow scolds my witness
as a defender of these objectionable, though
brief, influences, and that is not quite ingenu-
ous. * * *
" I am ready to join with Wheelbarrow in
denunciation of the kind of 'cornerers' who
resemble pirates. But there remain the ' cor-
nerers ' whose actions my witness likened to
that of a hostile raid in the rear of an army.
It is often excusable. It is frequently patriotic
and praiseworthy.
MAKING BREAD DEAR. 281
' ' There is frequently an influence at work
which, if left unchecked, would rob the farmer,
if no one else, of his hard earned reward.
This influence is the 'short seller.' Like the
poor, he is always with us, though more auda-
cious. * * * He will sell for future delivery
if any one will buy.
' ' In former times governments performed
the functions of the Board of Trade equalizing
the price of grain by establishing storehouses,
buying when the price of wheat was low and
selling when it was high. They thereby low-
ered the price of bread in hard times and
raised it in good times, thus favoring now the
farmer and now the consumer. A socialistic
government would have to do the same as did
the old paternal governments. Whether they
would do it as well as the Board of Trade
does it now, remains doubtful.
' ' Now let us suppose a case which has more
than once had real existence. A ' rich ' man
on the Board of Trade discovers that the mar-
ket price of wheat is at a point that does not
bring the farmer his ' deserved reward. ' In
the belief that such a state of things cannot
long continue, this rich man buys largely.
282 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
The market declines. He finds that he has
purchased for an early delivery nearly as much
as the total stock in our warehouses, but the
price is falling.
' ' He goes upon ' 'Change. ' A score of voices
are offering to sell, by the thousands, by the
hundreds of thousands of bushels. * * *
He discovers that a planned campaign has been
inaugurated by the ' bears ' to break the market
to the lowest point, and by heavy calls on him
for margins, compel him to let go his holdings,
and sell to them at their own price.
' ' To face such a position requires nerve and
courage of the highest order. If this buyer
has it, and can control the capital necessary,
he will buy all that is offered. He will corner
the market, in order to protect himself. If
he is successful he teaches reckless men, who
have no regard for the farmer's 'deserved
reward ' that there is retribution for their reck-
less disregard of equity. Under these con-
ditions his action is patriotic and praiseworthy
* * * # # '# #
"But when Wheelbarrow demands his
wages doubled, his own, and of course, those
of all wheelers of earth, too, he prays for making
MAKING BREAD DEAR. 283
bread dear; for higher wages must increase
the expenses of building railroads, and if any
improportionate increase of wages took place
on a larger scale, it might prevent roads to be
built and thus would necessarily make it im-
possible for many farmers to go West, and
those who live West could not send their wheat
East.
"Wheelbarrow means what is right and
just, but he has one fault, and that is his
rhetoric. What is the use of sentimentality
in economical questions?
' ' There are two aspects of the question of
making bread dear. Labor agitators, as a
rule, demand that the bread they buy must
be cheap, but for the bread we make we
should demand the highest price, and the
short sighted, credulous listeners are apt to
believe him who promises most. They do
not see that agitators preach ' yes and no ' in
one breath, that sour and sweet at the same
time comes out of their mouth. * * *
" Henry George says in Progress and
Poverty, that if but the landlords were taxed
out of existence, we would realize the ideal of
V
284 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
the communist. Everything free. * * *
Who will then work? 'That is just the
advantage of it, ' I am told, ' wages will rise,
they will rise as high as they never have been,
and men will not work at all unless it be for
the pleasure of work. '
"Mr. George has a great folio wership and
whatever be the merit of his ' ideas of land
taxation, ' nobody seems to be aware of the
Utopian scheme of what constitutes Georgism
proper.
*******
1 ' There is an untruth in every exaggeration
and every untruth contains poison. Let us
work to produce bread, every one in his way.
But at the same time let us bear in mind that
bread means human labor. Any artificial
combination to make bread dear for the benefit
of a few conspirators is to be condemned. In
that I fully agree with Wheelbarrow. But let
us not demand that bread be too cheap, for
that would necessarily degrade a certain num-
ber of human lives into abject poverty, and
deprive them of their due reward for having
contributed to make bread."
MAKING BREAD DEAR. 285
The controversy between ' ' Wheelbarrow "
and Sympathizer, upon making bread dear,
has been skillfully handled on both sides.
However, despite the testimony of Statistics,
that Wheelbarrow condemns, and which
Sympathizer quotes from liberally, Wheelbar-
row has a grievance. But the question is,
Does he make his attack in the right direc-
tion ? ' ' To predict the Future, to manage the
Present, would not be so impossible, had not
the Past been so sacrilegiously mishandled;
effaced, and what is more defaced!"
If Wheelbarrow will only consult Nature's
Laws, he would find that his condition is the
result of artificial laws made by the Past.
Why should he or any one else who is able to
wheel earth, be obliged to buy bread, dear or
cheap? Has not Nature's bountiful dispenser
given him land that he may raise wheat to
make bread? Does he believe that God
created him without rights to his natural in-
heritance ; a slave to others ? His condition is
the effect of a system of depredations com-
mitted by the Past, depriving him of his
birthright. The truth cannot be ignored; the
earth belongs to the living, and not to the
286 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
dead, who have been privileged to ' corner ' it
in parcels for idle and arrogant descendents.
Mr. Gage converses in very friendly terms
with socialistic agitators of all schools. They
meet together, at his residence, and converse
freely concerning the means of relieving the
difficulties of the laborers. He says that he
stands intermediate between an absolute In-
dividualism and complete State Socialism.
"A believer in the freedom of the individual"
he says, ' ' I believe in the value of the freest
and fullest voluntary co-operation, industrial
and otherwise."
In a course of economic conferences between
business men and working men, Mr. Gage de-
livered an address in 1888, on Banking and
the Social System. He handled his subject
adroitly, speaking first of the character of
man, his history and his environments.
Whether his authority is from Statistics or Ob-
servation, he states that ' 'with the mechanical
inventions, we have witnessed growing econom-
ics in the distribution of the products of in-
dustry and a corresponding improvement in the
actual reward to the class, that the division of
labor has developed, known as wage earners. "
LYMAN J. GAGE. 287
In a flight of fancy he described in relief of
the dark background the wonderful growth
of civilization promoted by an elastic political
constitution, which gives us freedom and
prosperity. The organization of labor, and
the combinations known as " Trusts " he be-
lieves are the same in spirit, and will soon be
brought face to face, like hostile forces.
"They are against the natural order, "he
says, ' ' and the natural order is more powerful
than man's devices. But this new movement
of labor combination and capital combination
must go on until the experiment has been fully
tried and its results practically determined.
The hopeful sign of the present, and the best
promise for the future lie in the fact that society
is becoming awake with redemptive zeal. In
the development of two principles, self-re-
straint and self-control in the individual, and
a broader humaneness, a more generous sym-
pathy pervading society, lies the hope of the
future."
The subject of this sketch was born in Mad-
ison county, New York. His father, Eli A.
Gage, was a hatter by trade, earning small
compensation, and supporting his family in a
288 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
frugal manner. His son, Lyman, had the ad-
vantages of a common school until he entered
the Oneida Central Bank, at Rome, New
York. Two years later, 1855, he came to Chi-
cago and started in business for himself with
a planing mill. At th end of a year he found
himself without means and $300 in debt, so he
gave back the planing mill to the man from
whom he had bought it, and agreed to pay the
$300 as soon as possible. He then secured a
position at $50 a month, and arranged with his
creditors to pay $25 a month on the debt.
About this time he was engaged as cashier by
the Merchants' Loan and Trust Company,
and has been in the banking business ever
since. "The secrets of Mr. Gage's success
are, in addition to honesty and uniform cour-
tesy, his infinite tact and absolute fairness.
These made him a model World's Fair Presi-
dent, and have endeared him to the laboring
people as well as the entire public," says a
prominent citizen of Chicago.
When Mr. Gage resigned his position as
President of the World's Fair Directory, he
was presented with a book designed especially
for him. It is illuminated throughout in the
LYMAN J. GAGE. 289
style of the ancient prayer books. It has fine
hand paintings of the Exposition buildings,
and allegorical representations of the different
industries. Every part of the work was done
in Chicago. The motto opposite his portrait is:
"Honor and fame from no condition rise,
Act well thy part, there all the honor lies."
The title page is announced as follows: "Tes-
timonial and resolutions unanimously adopted
by the Board of Directors of the World's Co-
lumbian Exposition on the retirement of its
President, Lyman J. Gage."
Mr. Gage's resignation was greatly regretted
by the Directory and by the public, for his
comprehensive intelligence, and his untiring
loyalty of purpose as presiding officer, made
his services almost indispensable.
19
CHAPTER XL
HERMAN H. KOHLSAAT.
" An infinitude of tenderness is the chief gift of all truly great
men." Ruskin.
Every man is a law unto himself, and, de-
spite all sentiment in the matter, is subject to
the discussions and criticisms of the world.
The idea inferred from the statement made by
Emerson, that every spirit makes its house,
but afterwards the house confines the spirit,
apparently shirks the responsibility of the in-
dividual, and throws the blame, or credit, as
the case may be, on Fate ; but the transcen-
dentalist defines fate as an expense of ends
to means, or organization tyrannizing over
character.
" If you please to plant yourself on the side
of Fate, and say, Fate is all; then we say a
part of Fate is the freedom of man. Forever
wells up the impulse of choosing and acting
in the soul. Intellect annuls Fate. So far as
a man thinks, he is free. And though nothing
290
HERMAN H. KOHLSAAT.
HERMAN H. KOHLSAAT. 29!
is more disgusting than the crowing about
liberty by slaves, as most men are, and the flip-
pant mistaking for freedom of some paper pre-
ambles like a ' Declaration of Independence, '
or the statute right to vote, by those who have
never dared to think or to act, yet it is whole-
some to man to look not at Fate, but the
other way; the practical view is the other,
His sound relation to these facts is to use and
command, not to cringe to them. ' Look not
on nature, for her name is fatal, ' said the ora-
cle. The too much contemplation of these
limits induces meanness. They who talk
much of destiny, their birth, star, etc., are in
a lower dangerous plane, and invite the evils
they fear."
What a wholesome lesson for contemplation
Emerson has given in his essay on Fate! He
has opened a window and let in the light of
intellectual freedom, for those who are in
darkness, regarding nature's limitations. He
rouses you to activity, and by a new. direction
of your thought you are born again ; a heavy
weight is removed; you see clearer; the chains
of bondage to Fate are broken, and you find
yourself a free man. Let us hear him further:
292 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
"Every jet of chaos which threatens to ex-
terminate us, is convertible by intellect into
wholesome force. Fate is impenetrated causes.
The water drowns ship and sailor, like a grain
of dust. But learn to swim, trim your bark,
and the wave which drowned it will be cloven
by it, and carry it, like its own foam, a plume
and a power. The cold is inconsiderate of per-
sons, tingles your blood, freezes a man like a
dew-drop. But learn to skate, and the ice
will give you a graceful, sweet and poetic mo-
tion. The cold will brace your limbs and brain
to genius, and make you foremost men of
time. Cold and sea will train an imperial
Saxon race, which nature cannot bear to lose,
and, after cooping it up for a thousand years
in yonder England, gives a hundred Englands,
a hundred Mexicos, the secrets of water and
steam, the spasms of electricity, the ductility
of metals, the chariot of the air, ruddered the
balloon, are awaiting you."
Herman H. Kohlsaat, one of the foremost
business men of the World's Fair city, pos-
sesses a character which has demonstrated the
power of Mind over Fate. On account of the
keen insight he has manifested in business
HERMAN H. KOHLS A AT. 293
transactions, combined with an eminently fine
conception of justice, and the tenderness of
feeling that has always characterized the true
philanthropist, he represents a type of human-
ity that is interesting to the public. Born
without a fortune to place him in environments
that would have directed his course otherwise,
he has, at an early age, succeeded in gaining
wealth, and is not accused of monopoly, nor
of unfairness in his dealings. He is the pro-
prietor of the Chicago Inter Ocean, one of the
oldest newspapers of the city, and is the
owner of considerable real estate, besides sev-
eral restaurants, located in different parts of
the city.
Nature did not endow Mr. Kohlsaat with a
robust constitution, but he inherited a mental
force which has directed his efforts, effecting
successful results. He used his mental force.
His biographer says: "Herman H. Kohlsaat
was born near Albion, Edwards county, Illi-
nois, March 22, 1853. When one year of age
his parents moved to Galena, Illinois, where
he grew up to the age of twelve years, doing
farm work and attending the public school in
the meantime. In November, 1865, he came
294 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
with his parents to Chicago, and at once en-
tered the public schools. In 1868, when his
father died, he left school, and gradually
worked up from cash boy in Carson, Pirie &
Co. 's dry goods store, to his present enviable
position. When his business ventures began
to prosper he turned his attention to real es-
tate, and his excellent judgment in making
investments is matter of record. Mr. Kohl-
saat is benevolent to a fault, yearly spending
thousands of dollars in relieving want; and
there is probably not a charitable institution
in the city that has not partaken of his bounty.
Indeed, he considers himself the steward of
his large income. He is the founder of the
Colored Men's Library, and there are few
men who stand closer to, or are more trusted
by the laboring men at large in this city than
he is. He is a self-made man, and, contrary
to the adage, does not admire his maker. Mr.
Kohlsaat was married in 1880 to Miss Mabel
E. , daughter of E. Nelson Blake, and resides
with his family two children in a handsome
residence on Prairie avenue.
Mr. Kohlsaat's father was the Illinois State
Agent for the American Bible Society, and
HERMAN H. KOHLSAA T, 295
preached in the country school houses. This
calling was not adopted by the son, identically,
but as it is recorded that he yearly spends
thousands of dollars in relieving want, has he
not dispensed many blessings that are essen-
tial to comfort, if not the basis of religion?
"Man's spiritual advancement depends upon
his physical well-being," says the Rev. Dr.
Taylor, when preaching on the Daily Bread
Question. ' ' That, " said he, ' ' is the impres-
sion that is gradually making itself felt among
those who have devoted especial attention to
the subject. The case is similar to that of a
leaking vessel at sea. Not only must the
pumps be kept going, but the leak must be
stopped before the ship is safe. The causes
of poverty must be sought out before perma-
nent relief can be secured. It was only a few
days ago that I read in one of the city papers
of a gathering of New York's so-called aristo-
cratic society, many of them descendents of
the early Knickerbocker families, where it was
said each guest consumed two quarts of cham-
pagne. In another column of the same paper
I read of a young man, fresh from the coun-
try, who deliberately shot himself in one
296 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
of the parks because he had literally noth-
ing to eat.
' ' Twenty-five years ago, " continues the
preacher, ' ' the churches began to realize that
they must do something besides expounding
creeds. They found that mental argument
had little force with a hungry man. A hungry
philosopher thinks only of bread and cheese.
When he obtains these, he becomes again the
philosopher. Men and women begin to real-
ize that spiritual life has a physical basis. The
kind of food, where we eat, color, raiment
and surroundings have their influence on the
mind.
' 'The physical world affects our thoughts and
feelings in a measure that we are just begin-
ning to understand. National characteristics
are formed by the environments of man. Here
in this great cosmopolitan city we are discov-
ering that Christianity has a bread basis. It
used to be thought that religion could be made
by arts similar to those employed by the cab-
inet maker. That, in fact, it was a sort of
veneer that could be stuck on with a sort of
glue that required a six months' probation be-
fore it was firmly set. The experience of our
HERMAN H. KOHLS A A T. 297
times has taught us that this veneer will come
off. The good things of life grow ; they are not
gained by manipulation. Place a man among
the slums, and he will gradually assume the
nature of his surroundings. You or I would
become criminals if compelled to live in some
parts of the city.
"The darkest feature of the times, and the
greatest source of atheism of the present day,
is not the works of Voltaire, Huxley, and the
efforts of Ingersoll, but the squalor that is ex-
haled on every breeze that passes lower Clark
street. The real anarchist is not the hopeless
poor, but the mighty corporation and the com-
bination of powerful interests. The result of
these combinations is that the small owners
are forced off the train and beneath the wheels,
where they are ground to dirt."
Mr. Kchlsaat has already practiced the
theory promulgated by Doctor Taylor. Al-
though he does not pose as a philanthropist
nor preach his doctrine, Philanthropy never
had a better representative. The Colored
Men's Library, which he founded, is another
specimen of his good works. "It is only a
small affair, " he says. But the purpose which
298 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
prompted the effort was greater than that of
those who have left by bequest, thousands of
dollars for libraries to be founded after their
death in their name. Mr. Kohlsaat carried
out the idea as a means to an end, which was
to provide a resort for colored men, so they
could read profitable books, or amuse them-
selves by innocent games, thus endeavoring
to counteract the attractions of the saloons or
other pernicious influences.
The library is located in the center of the
district occupied by the colored population, on
Dearborn street. It is provided with about
six hundred volumes of popular books, con-
sisting of works of fiction, history and biogra-
phy. A long table in the middle of the room
is generally surrounded by young men earnestly
engaged in reading. The bible, which is al-
ways in use, has a much used appearance, in-
dicating the tendency of these minds. " It
is the book of all books, " said an African of the
pure type, who was tracing with his fore-fin-
ger the lines: "Therefore all things whatso-
ever ye would that men should do to you, do
ye even so to them ; for this is the law and the
prophets."
HERMAN H. KOHLS A AT. 299
"You all feel very grateful to Mr. Kohlsaat
for his kindness to you, " remarked the vis-
itor. "Oh, yes," replied one of the number,
' ' we do, bpcause he has done so much for
us, and he don't take it out in talk either."
Another one said: ' 'We are not the only one he
helps; the white mission school and the Free
Kindergarten schools all are helped by him."
" He must be very wealthy," said the vis-
itor. "Oh, no," was the reply, "he can't be
'cause he gives so much."
These men are mostly waiters who are em-
ployed at the hotels and restaurants; and have
a few hours of leisure every day. The library
room is comfortable and clean in appearance.
The floor is covered with oil cloth and the
walls are papered. Portraits of noted colored
men hang upon the walls, and also one of Mr.
Kohlsaat, which was copied by Mrs. S.
Laing Williams, a colored woman, who pre-
sented it to the library. Lectures are given
during the winter months, in the library
rooms, by talented men in the city who en-
deavor to direct and stimulate the energies of
these men to higher and nobler aims. Mr.
Kohlsaat bears all the expense of the enterprise.
300 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
He is a socialist who advocates a harmo-
nious arrangement of the social relations of
mankind, and would not oppose the theory of
Bellamy, or that of Henry George, if either
one could bring about good results. He stands
between the capitalist and the laborer, and,
according to the legal rights of the country and
the moral rights of humanity, does his duty as
a citizen.
On the third day of June, 1891, a bronze
memorial statue of the hero of Appomattox
was unveiled at Galena, Illinois. It was the
gift of Herman H. Kohlsaat, who was a mere
lad when Ulysses S. Grant went from his
home to join the army thirty years before.
The occasion brought the largest assemblage
that was ever known in the city, exceeding by
fully 10,000 that which witnessed the return
of Grant from his tour of the world. Eight-
een special trains were run in order to accom-
modate visitors, who came from all parts of
Illinois, besides many from Kansas, Nebraska,
Iowa and Wisconsin. The Masonic, Pythian
and other fraternal societies took charge of the
visitors, and all public halls in the city were
open for their reception.
HERMAN H. KOHLSAAT. 301
There were one thousand veterans in the
line of parade, the old ninety-sixth under
command of General John C. Smith heading
the column. The Grand Army Posts were
also in the procession. Public buildings and
many private houses were decorated with
flags, and mottoes, and portraits were sus-
pended across the streets. The motto: "He
Worshiped Here, " was displayed on the facade
of the Methodist Church. Ex-Governor
Hoard, a friend of Mr. Kohlsaat delivered
the presentation speech as follows:
I am requested on behalf of one of the distinguished
citizens of your State, Mr. H. H. Kohlsaat, of Chi-
cago, "a man whose soul delighteth in goodly deeds,"
to tender you this noble memorial of General Grant. I
need not tell you in set words of the purpose of the
donor. I need not speak of the rare soul that lies be-
hind this noble gift, of his generosity, of his patriotism,
of his abiding love for his fellow men and his country,
All this is a thousand times more expressively told in
the silent, yet eloquent presence of yonder heroic
statue. Who shall paint the rose, or adequately tell
of the subtle essence of its perfume? Who shall bound
by descriptive phrase the love of a mother, or define
the devotion of a wife?
' ' A good and perfect gift ' ' like this, and the
creative spirit of the giver? Who shall hope to bear
them to your hearts on the failing wings of speech?
There is the largeness of our country itself in the
throbbing purpose of this hour. No narrow local horizon
302 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
confines the significance of this event. Speak the
name of Grant and we are in touch with the heart of
the nation. Into this brief moment is crowded the
memory of that vast concourse of events which con-
vulsed our government with the throes of threatened
dissolution. Our eyes grow moist again with the sor-
rows of the past, or brighten at the recollection of its
triumphs.
Once more we are struggling in the pitiless embrace
of that mighty stream of history, borne, God only
knows whither. Instinctively now our thoughts are
upon him, who was ever our invincible and uncon-
querable pilot, the God-given Grant. Inseparably
connected with the name of Grant will always stand
the city of Galena. He was your own beloved citi-
zen. Here he uttered the words that were pregnant
with all the after meaning of his career. Entering his
store the morning after the dispatch came announcing
the surrender of Sumter, he put on his coat and said:
"The Government educated me for the army, and al-
though I have served through one war, I am still in
debt to the Government, and willing to discharge the
obligation." Loyal words, brave words, and in the
light of all they meant for the weal of the American
nation, they are sublime words. There was set before
him a supreme necessity, his country's peril. He ac-
cepted his duty as do all great souls, in the white light
of the simple truth. Called of God to this great mis-
sion, he answered to every summons as did Samuel of
old, "Here am I."
So it was with Washington; so it was with Lincoln;
so it is with the humblest citizen who bravely does his
duty. From his youth to the day of his death the
ruling passion of his spirit was love of the truth. In
this sign he conquered all the treasons of life. The
demagogue and the scheming politician could not
HERMAN H, KOHLSAAT. 303
understand such a man. How can the crooked under-
stand the straight? How can the false understand the
true? How can the coward understand the brave?
Saturated with the irresistible logic of a lofty patriot-
ism, there could be no place in his heart or purpose
for the misleading sophistry of selfish ambition.
Young men, in the light of this great example, and
the honor and glory the world has accorded it, how
grandly stands forth the truth of that utterance of the
Great Teacher: "He that will lose his life shall save it!"
How inspiring, amid all the sordid greed and self-
seeking of men in public affairs, is the transparent
heart, life and purpose of General Grant ! No man
ever plowed himself into conviction of his fellows with-
out this Christ-like quality of putting his purpose above
himself. The common people, rarely at fault, always
trusted him and he never failed them. Fortunate is the
nation that has such an example of manhood, patriot-
ism, courage and fidelity.
Citizens of Galena, receive this gift, made doubly
precious by the sublime life and devotion to country of
him it represents. As you have always guarded the
name and fame of Grant, so guard and preserve this
memorial, and round about you shall be the prayers of
the American people, Hast and West, North and South.
As Governor Hoard pronounced the words
' ' Citizens of Galena, receive this gift, " the
fingers of little Pauline Kohlsaat, the beautiful
daughter of the donor, pulled the cords
of the covering and the flag fell. As the
bronze effigy was thus exposed the cheers of
the multitude broke forth, the band played
"Hail to the Chief," and the pretty child, too
304 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
young to be conscious of the meaning of the
deed which she had accomplished, was
lifted to a seat beside her father on the plat-
form. Hon R. H. McClellan delivered the
response, formally accepting the monument in
the name of the city. He said:
MR. KoHivSAAT: I am requested by his Honor,
the Mayor, to respond, in the name and on behalf of
the citizens of Galena, to the eloquent address of pre-
sentation to which we have just listened with intense
interest and satisfaction. This is to me, personally, a
very grateful office, and yet I find myself not a little
embarrassed, at the outset, by a knowledge of the fact
that personal allusions to yourself especially flatter-
ing allusions (and I can make no others on this oc-
casion) are distasteful to you that j r ou shrink from
praise as other men do from censure. We all know,
sir, that you are as modest as you are munificent, and
while Fortune has showered her golden gifts upon you
with lavish profusion, you generously devote a large
measure of these gifts to private charities and to edu-
cational and patriotic objects, doing all this in a quiet,
unostentatious way, neither expecting or desiring
praise or profit, admiration or applause. There are
those who
"Do good by stealth and blush to find it fame."
The people of Galena are not insensible to the high
honor you have done them; and the weighty obliga-
tions you have laid them under, in giving to their city
this magnificent statue of their former illustrious fel-
low-citizen. They admire its beauty, they appreciate
its worth and significance, and they accept it with the
profoundest gratitude. They promise to protect and
HERMAN H. KOHLSAAT. 305
preserve it, and to forever guard it with a vigilant and
jealous care. They have prepared this beautiful park
for its reception, and they intend to increase its at-
tractiveness and make it a place to which, in future
years, pilgrims and patriots from all parts of this great
country may come, and here at this shrine erected by
your generosity, pay loyal homage to the memory of
the eminent man it commemorates.
As a work of art, this statue is a thing of beauty
and will be to us a joy forever. In form and features
the people of Galena recognize it as a true and' faithful
likeness ot" "Grant, Our Citizen" as he was wont to ap-
pear when he lived in our midst, and walked a familiar
figure upon our streets. Historians have given us a
record of his deeds. You have done more and better
you have given us Grant himself, as he looked and
as he was.
And whilst we give all honor and heartfelt thanks
to the liberal donor, we would not forget the rising
young artist whose fertile genius conceived and whose
skillful fingers moulded this .splendid, lifelike effigy.
We crown him here today with the chaplet of our ap-
plause, and wish him that fame and fortune to which
his geniusand his art entitle him. In examining this
monument we notice the name of Grant cut upon it in
bold relief, as it should be; the name of the sculptor is
also there, but the name of Kohlsaat, with charac-
teristic modesty, is not permitted to appear upon it.
But, sir, let me assure you, that though your name
be not chiseled upon this marble, it is deeply engraven
upon the hearts of the grateful people of Galena, who
will never allow it to be dissociated from this, your
princely gift to them.
Traditions survive ages after written records have
perished ; and in the remote future, when printed
records of this day's transactions shall have faded into
20
306 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
rayless oblivion, the future fathers of Galena will
bring their children to this shrine and teach them its
history and its lessons; and they wiil tell them who it
was that erectea it and gave it to their city; and thus
the name of Kohlsaat, associated with it, will go down
by tradition from generation to generation as long as
this bronze and everlasting granite shall endure-
But the precious moments are vanishing and I must
stop. And now, in conclusion, let me say that for
this grand memorial of a grand man, in the name and
in behalf of all good and true American citizens North
and South, East and West, who honor valor and pa-
triotism and consecrated devotion to the Republic I
thank you. In the name and on behalf of these old,
brave soldiers the Grand Army of the Republic
who followed their Great Commander through perilous
years of bloody war to glory and to victory I thank
you. And finally, in the name and on behalf of the
citizens of Galena, the happy recipients of your pa-
triotic benefaction, whose hearts now swell with emo-
tions of inexpressible gratitude, I sincerely and em-
phatically thank you.
Mr. McClellan, in his compliments to Mr.
Kohlsaat, expressed the united sentiments of
all who know the man. But the gift to Galena,
and the honor paid to the dead hero, would
not be so commendable if it were not for the
fact that the deed is made more prominent by
the broad background of ' ' gifts to private char-
ities and to educational and patriotic objects,"
which the speaker mentions. These acts are
what disarms the critic when impelled to
HERMAN H. KOHLSAAT. 307
ascribe other motives than that of honoring the
man who arose from obscurity to the office of
the highest magistrate of the nation ; the man
who could not make a long speech, drive a
sharp bargain, nor master mathematics, but
could lead an army on to victory.
Governor Fifer, of Illinois, spoke for the
people of the State, extending thanks to the
giver, and the congratulations of all lovers of
liberty that he had been generously moved to
thus link his name with all that is worthy and
noble and heroic in the history of his country.
Judge Crabtree, the next speaker, paid trib-
ute to the ' ' Boys in Blue, " and in their name,
and in behalf of the Grand Army of the Re-
public, tendered ' ' thanks to the gentleman
whose great generosity and ardent patriotism
had made the occasion possible. "
After the above responses, a surprise, in the
form of an elegant solid silver punch bowl,
lined with gold, was brought forth and pre-
sented to Mr, Kohlsaat, from the people of
Galena. David Sheean made the presenta-
tion speech in the following appropriate words:
MR. KOHI<SAAT: There remains for me a pleasant duty
to discharge for your friends, the residents of Galena,
308 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
not upon the published programme, and of which
you have not been apprised, but the due performance
of which is, nevertheless, demanded by our people.
Possessing an agreeable recollection of your youthful
life while you dwelt among them, and now, in your
manhood, recognizing your noble qualities, not alone
manifested in your magnificent patriotic gift to your
early home, but also in your whole conduct through
life, so worthy of emulation by the ambitious youth of
our country, your fellow-citizens of Galena ardently
desire that, in addition to their plaudits, mingled with
those of the people of this and other States of the
Union, which you receive today, you should take
with you some special evidence of their appreciation of
your character.
They have, therefore, without distinction of creed or
class, nationality or party, unitedly prepared for you
this token, with a representation of your generous gift
engraved upon it, and desire to present it to you as a
souvenir of this day, and of the occasion that assembles
here this vast concourse of people, and as an expres-
sion of their own lasting regard for yourself. They are
fully conscious that your retiring, modest disposition
would fain forego this presentation; but that fact only
makes the pleasure of it still greater to them, and
makes you still more worthy oi it.
Take it, then, from the hands of your grateful fellow
townsmen in the kindly spirit in which it is given;
and, by it, be you ever reminded, wherever you go and
wherever you dwell, that the people of your old home
not only honor and feel honored by Grant as their citi-
zen, but also that in yourself they sincerely believe they
have another quiet citizen, engaged in the peaceful av-
ocations of life, in whom they are further honored, and
whom they delight in honoring.
On behalf of all the people of Galena I now present
to you this souvenir.
HERMAN H KOHLSAAT. 309
When Mr. Kohlsatt accepted the souvenir
the people cheered vigorously, calling his
name. He stepped forward on the plat-
form and said: "Gentlemen, I cannot make
a speech, but I thank you."
Engraved on the bowl is a cut of the monu-
ment, and the inscriptions;
" Large was his bounty and his soul sincere."
"Thy modesty is a candle to thy merit."
PRESENTED TO
HERMAN H. KOHLSAAT
BY THE CITIZENS OF GALENA, ILL.
June 3, 1891.
Chauncey M. Depew was the orator of the
day, and his panegyric of Grant may be re-
corded as his best effort in the line of oratory.
It cpntains not only the story of Grant, but
the analysis and development of a character
which has made a part of the world's history.
The study of such men "leads us to an ele-
mental region wherein the individual is lost,
or wherein all touch by their summits. " Their
power lies in the diffusion of their force, which,
in the case of Grant, required an occasion to
310 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
educe it. The qualities of Grant, at these
times, would be useless, but those of Mr.
Kohlsaat are indicative of the ideal philan-
thropist, who is needed at all times.
Mr. Depew has shown Grant's character,
and the occasion which made him famous, in
a clear light, bringing out the true effect of
the man's qualities, and impressing his hear-
ers with the elements, or abstract ideas, which
make up a strong character.
The full text is given as follows:
Thirty years ago your city of Galena numbered
among its citizens a man so modest that he was little
known in the community; a merchant so humble that
his activities were not felt in your business. Three
years later his fame illumined the earth, and the cal-
culations of every commercial venture and of every
constructive enterprise in the country were based upon
the success or failure of his plans. He was then sup-
porting his family on a thousand dollars a year, and be-
fore the third anniversary of his departure from your
city he was spending four millions a day for the pres-
ervation of the Union. One of the patriotic meetings,
common at that period all over the North, was held
here to sustain President Lincoln in his call for seventy-
five thousand men to suppress the rebellion. The ardor
and eloquence of John A. Rawlins so impressed an
auditor whom none of the congressmen and prominent
citizens on the platform had ever met, that he subse-
quently made the orator his chief of staff and Secretary
of War. Some one discovered that Captain Grant, a
graduate of West Point and a veteran of the Mexican
HERMAN H. KOHLS A A T. 311
war, lived in the city, and he was invited to preside at
the formation of a military company. He was so diffi-
dent that few heard his speech of three sentences, but
in that short address was condensed all the eloquence
and logic of the time. ' ' You know the object for which
we are assembled. Men are needed to preserve the
Union. What is your pleasure?" He organized and
drilled that company and led it to the Governor at
Springfield. By that march Galena lost a citizen and
the republic found its savior.
While others were enlisting for brief periods, he be-
sought the adjutant general to assign him to duty for
the war, but the War Department had forgotten him.
He struggled for days to work through the brilliant
staff into the presence of General McClellan, but the
young dandies scornfully and successfully barred his
way. It was soon seen that the obscure military
clerk in the office of the Governor of Illinois was
capable where all the rest were ignorant, and that un-
der his firm and confident hand order was evolved out
of chaos and raw recruits disciplined into soldiers.
Though he was unknown and unnamed to the public,
the executive recognized in him the organizing brain
of the military forces of the State. To a reluctant
President and hostile Secretary, the Illinois delegation
said, ' ' Where most of the appointments are experi-
ments, try Captain Grant as one of your brigadier gen-
erals." Thus the commonwealth which had so hotly
pressed Lincoln for the chief magistracy of the repub-
lic, assumed the responsibility for Grant as commander
of the army.
These marvelous men were the products of that char-
acteristic intuition of the West which quickly discerns
merit and then confidently proclaims its faith. Educa-
tion and experience make old and crowded communi-
ties averse to leadership unless it has been trained and
3 1 2 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITT.
tested. They accept nothing outside the record. The
fact that the conditions are new and the emergency
greater than the schools have provided for, are stronger
reasons for selecting only the men who have approxi-
mately demonstrated their ability. For all the ordi-
nary emergencies of life the rule is excellent. But it
sometimes happens that the captain who has success-
fully weathered a hundred gales, is saved from ship-
wreck, in a hurricane, by the genius of a subordinate.
It is not that the uneducated and untrained can, by any
natural endowment, be fitted for command. Lincoln,
as a statesman, had studied politics on the stump and
in Congress, and Grant, as a soldier, had learned war
at West Point and in Mexico. The opportunity had
not come to either to stand before the country with
Seward, Sumner and Chase, or with Scott, Halleck
and McClellan. The East, following the traditions
and practice of the centuries, presented tried and fa-
mous statesmen at the Chicago convention, and saw
the army of the Potomac led to defeat and disaster for
years by admirable officers, who were unequal to the
supreme perils of the handling of gigantic forces upon
a vast arena. The West gave to the country for Presi-
dent the rail splitter of the Ohio, and, to lead its forces
in the field, Grant, Sherman and Sheridan.
Grant's career will be the paradox of history. Par-
allels cannot be drawn for him with the great captains
of the world. Historians, by common consent, place
Alexander the Great, Hannibal, Julius Caesar and Na-
poleon Bonaparte in the front rank. But each of them
had learned the art of war by continued service and
unequaled opportunities, and displayed the most brill-
iant qualities at every period of their achievments.
Hannibal and Caesar had won universal fame in the
thirties. Alexander died at thirty-three, grieving be-
cause he had no more worlds to conquer, and Napoleon,
HERMAN H. KOHLS A A T. 313
at thirty-seven, was master of Europe. But Grant, at
forty, was an obscure leather merchant in Galena. As
a cadet at West Point he had risen only just above
the middle of his class. As a subaltern on the frontier
and in Mexico, he had done no more than perform his
duty with the courage and capacity of the average
West Pointer. He had pursued agriculture with his
customary conscientious care and industry. He was
not afraid to do the work of the farm himself, nor
ashamed to ride into St. L,ouis upon the load of wood
which he was to sell, or to pile it up for his customer,
and yet almost any farmer in Missouri was more suc-
cessful. Clients failed to retain him as a surveyor,
his real estate office had to be closed, and he was not a
factor in the tanner's firm.
But the moment that the greatest responsibilities
were thrust upon him, and the fate of his country rested
upon his shoulders, this indifferent farmer, business
man, merchant, became the figure of the century. The
reserve powers of a dominant intellect, which ordinary
affairs could not move, came into action. A mighty
mind, which God had kept for the hour of supreme
danger to the republic, grasped the scattered elements
of strength, solidified them into a resistless force and
organized victory. He divined the purposes of the
enemy as well as he knew his own plans. His brain
became clearer, his strategy more perfect, and his con-
fidence in himself more serene as his power increased.
He could lead the assault at Donelson, or the forlorn
hope at Shiloh, or maneuver his forces with exquisite
skill and rare originality of resources at Vicksburg, as
the best of brigade or corps commander, or before
Richmond, calmly conduct a campaign covering a con-
tinent, and many armies with consummate general-
ship. At the critical hour during the battle of Sedan
when the German emperor and Bismarck were
3 14 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
anxiously waiting the result, and watching their silent
general, an officer rode up and announced that two
corps of the German army marching from oposite di-
rections had met at a certain hour. The movement
closed in the French and ended the war. Von Moltke
simply said, "The calculation was correct." Grant had
not the scientific training and wonderful staff of the
Prussian field marshal, but he possessed in the highest
degree the same clear vision and accurate reasoning.
The calculation was correct and victory sure.
The mantle of prophecy no longer descends upon a
successor and the divine is not revealed to mortals.
There exists, however, in every age masterful men,
who are masterful because they see with clear vision
the course of events and fearlessly act upon the fore-
cast. By this faculty the statesman saves his country
from disaster or lifts it to the pinnacle of power, the
soldier plucks victory from defeat and the man of affairs
astonishes the world by the magnitude and success of
his operations. It was pre-eminently Grant's gift.
Four days after the first shot was fired at Fort Sum-
ter he wrote from Galena a letter to his father-in-law
predicting the uprising of the North and the fall of
slavery. Others saw only the commercial spirit of the
free States; he, far in advance of the public men of the
time, divined that superb patriotism which inspired
millions to leave the farm and the family, their busi-
ness and their homes to save the Union. While states-
men of all parties were temporizing and compromising
with the slave power, this silent thinker, in the rear
ranks of the people, pierced with undimmed eyes the
veil which had clouded the vision of the nation for a
hundred years. His calm judgment comprehended the
forces in the conflict, and that their collision would
break and pulverize the shackles of the slave. When
taking observations, while standing with his staff on a
HERMAN H. KOHLS A AT. 315
hill within short range of Fort Donelson, he said:
"Don't be afraid, gentlemen; Pillow, who commands
there, never fired first at anything." His assault
would have been rashness, except that he knew Pillow
and Floyd, and they both ran away and left the be-
sieged to their fate. At Shiloh, when all his assistants
had failed or despaired, he turned the worst of dis-
asters into one of the most significant of triumphs.
His plans did not contemplate defeat. The move-
ment he always made was "advance." The order he
always gave was "Forward!" When Buell told him
that the transports at Pittsburg Landing would not
parry away one- third of his force Grant said: "If that
becomes necessary they will hold all there are left."
His Vicksburg campaign was against all the teachings
of the military schools and the unanimous opinions of
his council of war. A veteran strategist cried in in-
dignant remonstrance: "You will cut loose from your
base of supplies, and that is contrary to all the rules."
Grant answered: "Unless we capture Vicksburg the
North will cut off our supplies," and the sorely be-
reaved and disheartened people were transported with
joy and hope by the Fourth of July message: "Vicks-
burg has surrendered." The Western armies never
knew their resistless power until they felt the hand of
their master. No better or braver body of soldiers
ever marched or fought than the Army of the Poto-
mac. It lost battles through bad generalship, and
generals by camp jealousies and capitol intrigues.
Thousands of its heroes fell in fruitless fights, but it
never wavered in its superior confidence and courage.
At last it found a leader worthy of itself, and after
scores of bloody victories ended the rebellion under
Grant. We are not yet far enough from the passions
of the civil strife to do full justice to the genius of the
general who commanded the rebel army. England's
316 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
greatest living general, Lord Wolseley, who served
with him, assigns him a foremost place among the
commanders of modern times. He possessed beyond
most leaders the loyal and enthusiastic devotion of his
people, and he was the idol of his army. In estimat-
ing the results and awarding the credit of the last
campaign of the war we must remember that General
Lee had defeated or baffled every opponent for three
years, and that after a contest unparalleled in desper-
ate valor, frightful carnage and matchless strategy he
surrendered his sword to Grant.
The number of men who have led their generation
and whose fame will grow with time is very few in any
nation. Their unapproachable position has been
reached because no one else could have done their
work. They appear only in those crises when the life
or future of their country is at stake. The United
States is surprisingly rich in having possessed three
such exalted intelligences in their first century, Wash-
ington, Lincoln and Grant. The father of his country
stands alone among the founders of States and defend-
ers of the liberties of the people, as pre-eminently the
chief in both war and peace. It is the judgment of his
contemporaries and of posterity that none other of the
soldiers or statesmen of the revolution could have won
the war for independence as commander of the armies
or consolidated jealous and warring colonies into a na-
tion as the first President of the republic. In our second
revolution the administration of the government and
the conduct of the war equally required the supreme
ability and special adaptation for the emergency. For
the one was found Abraham Lincoln, and for the other
Ulysses S. Grant. As we look back through the clari-
fied atmosphere of a quarter of a century of peace, con-
gresses and cabinets, with their petty strifes and
wretched intrigues, are obscured by the wisdom and
HERMAN H. KOHLS A AT, 317
work of the martyr President. He was a man of the
people, and always in touch with them. He strength-
ened the wavering, lifted up the faint-hearted, and in-
spired the strong.
From him came the unfaltering patriotism and un-
failing confidence which recruited the depleted army
and filled the exhausted treasury. Lincoln's faith and
power protected Grant from the cabals of the camp,
from the hostility of the Secretary of War, from the
politicians in Congress, and from his constant and ex-
treme peril, the horror of the country at a method of
warfare which sacrificed thousands of lives in battle
and assault for immediate results. But time has demon-
strated that this course was wiser in tactics and more
merciful to the men than a Fabian policy and larger
losses from disease and exposure. Without this im-
pregnable friend Grant's career would, on many occa-
sions, have abruptly closed. Without the general in
supreme command, upon whose genius he staked his
administration and to whose skill he intrusted the fate
of the republic, there might have been added to the list
of illustrious patriots who have fallen victims to the
unreasoning rage of a defeated and demoralized people
the name of Abraham Lincoln.
The most signal services rendered by Grant to his
country were at Appomattox and in his contest with
President Johnson. The passions aroused by the civil
war were most inflamed when the confederacy collapsed.
Grief and vengeance are bad counsellors. One serene
intellect was possessed of an intuition which was
second to prophecy, and was clothed with power. He
saw through the vindictive suggestions of the hour
that the seceded States must be admitted to the Union,
and their people vested with all the rights of American
citizenship and all the privileges of state government,
or the war had been fought in vain. He sternly
3 1 8 THE WORLDS FAIR CITY.
repressed the expressions of joy by his troops as the
vanquished enemy marched by, with his famous order,
"The war is over, the rebels are our countrymen
again, and the best sign of rejoicing after the victory
will be to abstain from all demonstrations in the field."
He gave to the confederates their horses and belong-
ings, and told them to go home, cultivate their farms
and repair the ravages of war. He assured all, from
lyee to the private soldier, that they would be safe and
unmolested so long as they observed their paroles.
To enter Richmond, the capital of the confederacy,
whose spires had been in sight of the besiegers so long,
would have been a resistless temptation for a weaker
man. But his mind was not spectacular display or
triumphal marches over humiliated foes. It was bent
upon peace and pacification. I know of no scene in
our history so dramatic as the meeting between Lin-
coln and Grant at the White House three days after
the surrender at Appomattox. The President, who
had so loyally sustained the general, and the general,
who had so magnificently responded to the confidence
of the President, met for the last time in their lives.
Grant returned with deep emotion the fraternal grasp
of the only man in the country who fully understood
and was in complete accord with the policy of recon-
ciliation and repose. Yesterday it was destruction,
tomorrow it must be reconciliation. That night the
bullet of the assassin ended the life of our greatest
President since Washington, and postponed the settle-
ment of sectional difficulties and the cementing of the
Union for many years. It gave the country the unfort-
unate administration of Andrew Johnson, with its
early frenzy for revenge and determination to summa-
rily try and execute all the rebel leaders, and its later
effort to win their favor by giving States without
pledges for the Unionist or the freedman, and the
HERMAN H. KOHLSAA T. 319
government without evidence of repentance or hostages
for loyalty. The one sent consternation through the
South and helped undo the work at Appomattox, and
the other unduly elated the controlling powers in the
rebel States, and necessitated measures which produced
deplorable results. Grant stood with his honor and
his fame between the raging executive and the confed-
erate generals and prevented a re-opening of the war;
he stood with drawn sword between the chief magis-
trate and a revolutionary Congress, and stayed another
rebellion.
There have been many Presidents of the United
States and the roll will be indefinitely extended. We
have had a number of brilliant soldiers, but only one
great general. The honors of civil life could add
nothing to the fame of General Grant and it has been
often argued that his career in the presidency detracted
from his reputation. Such will not be the judgment
of the impartial historian. He was without experi-
ence or training for public life and unfamiliar with
politicians and their methods. The spoils system
from which he could not escape, nearly wrecked his
first administration. His mistakes were due to a qual-
ity which is the noblest of human virtues, loyalty to
friends. Even at this short distance from scenes so
vivid in our memories party rancor has lost its bitter-
ness and blindness. The President will be judged not
by the politics or policy of the hour, but according to
the permanent value of the republic, of the measures
which he promoted or defeated. The fifteenth amend-
ment to the constitution was sure of adoption as one
of the logical results of the war. By it the Declaration
of Independence, which had been a glittering absurdity
for generations, became part of the fundamental law
of the land, and became the subject of pride and not
apology to the American people. The President's
320 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
earnest advocation hastened ratification. On great
questions affecting the honor and credit of the nation
he was always sound and emphatic.
A people rapidly developing their material resources
are subject to frequent financial conditions which cause
stringency of money and commercial disaster: To se-
cure quick fortunes debts are recklessly incurred, and
debt becomes the author of a currency craze. Presi-
dent Grant set the wholesome fashion of resisting and
reasoning with this frenzy. Against the advice of his
cabinet and many of his party admirers he vetoed the
inflation bill. He had never studied financial prob-
lems, and yet the same clear and intuitive grasp of
critical situations which saved the country from bank-
ruptcy by defeating fiat money, restored public and
individual credit by the resumption of specie pay-
ments. The funding of our war debt at a lower rate
of interest made possible the magical payment of the
principal. The admission of the last of the rebel States
into the Union and universal amnesty for political of-
fenses quickened the latent loyality of the South and
turned its unfettered and fiery energies to that devel-
opment of its unequaled natural wealth which has
added incalculably to the prosperity and power of the
commonwealth. These wise measures will ever form
a brilliant page in American history, but the admin-
istration of General Grant will have a place in the
annals of the world for inaugurating and successfully
carrying out the policy of the submission of interna-
tional disputes to arbitration. The Geneva conference
and judicial settlement of the Alabama claims will
grow in importance and grandeur with time. As the
nations of the earth disband their armaments and are
governed by the laws of reason and humanity they
will recur to this beneficent settlement between the
United States and Great Britain and General Grant's
HERMAN H. KOHLS A AT. 321
memorable words upon receiving the freedom of the
city of London: "Although a soldier by education
and profession I have never felt any fondness for war,
and I have never advocated it except as a means of
peace " and they will hail him as one of the benefac-
tors of mankind.
He has been called a silent man, and yet I have often
heard him hold a little company in delighted atten-
tion for hours by the charm of his conversation. His
simple narrative was graphic, his discussion lucid, and
subtle flashes of humor sparkled through his talk.
He said that when he spoke to an audience his knees
knocked together, and this was evident in his manner
and address, but the speech was often a welcome mes-
sage to the country. As he was speaking one evening
with considerable embarassment, he pointed to a
speaker who had just entered the hall, and said: "If
I could stand in his shoes and he in mine how much
happier for me and better for you." Who of this gen-
eration could fill that great place ? As the years in-
crease events crowd upon each other with such volume
that the lesser ones are crushed out of memory. Most
reputations are forgotten by the succeeding genera-
tion, and few survive a century. In our thousandth
year as a nation the only statesmen or soldier of our
first hundred years whose names will decorate the cel-
ebration will be Washington and Hamilton for the be-
ginning, Webster for the middle period and Lincoln
and Grant for the close.
General Grant was the product and representative
of the best element in our social life. Home and its
associations have been the training and inspiration of
our greatest and noblest men. They have come from
the class which had neither poverty nor riches, and
which was compelled to work for the support of the
family and the education of the children. Its members
322 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
are God-fearing men and loving, self-sacrificing
women. It gave us Lincoln from the farm, Garfield
from the tow-path. Sherman from the crowded house
of the brave and the struggling widow, Sheridan from
the humble cottage, and Grant from the home of the
country storekeeper of the Ohio wilderness. These
men never lost their sympathy with every human lot
and aspiration, or the homely simplicity of their early
conditions and training. Grant was a clerk in the cus-
tom house and President of the United States, a lieut-
enant in Mexico and commander-in-chief of the armies
of the Union, numbering over a million of men, the
unknown junior in a tanner's firm at Galena, and the
guest of emperors and kings. But the memory of the
church of his mother was ever visible in his reverent
regard for her teachings. The applause of soldiers for
their commander, of partisans for their chief leader,
and of the world for one of its most illustrious heroes
was grateful, but the sweetest music for him was
within the family circle, in the loving companionship
of his wife and children and the prattle of his grand
children. Though he received such honor and recog-
nition abroad and such distinction at home, he was
always, whether in the presence of royalty or of the
people, a modest, typical American citizen.
Through the verses of great poets runs a familiar
strain, through the works of great composers an oft-
repeated tune, and through the speeches of great ora-
tors a recurring and characteristic thought. These
are the germs which exhibit the moving forces of their
minds. During the war "I propose to move immediately
upon your works," "I shall take no backward step."
" I propose to fight it out on this line if it takes all
summer, ' ' are the beacon lights of the plans and strat-
egy of Grant the soldier. At Appomattox, "The war
is over," "The rebels are our countrymen again;" at
HERMAN H. KOHLS A AT. 323
the threshold of the presidency, ' ' Let us have peace;"
on his bed of agony and death at Mount McGregor,
when his power of speech was gone, writing to a con-
federate general by his bedside, " Much as I suffer, I
do it with pleasure, if by that suffering can be accom-
plished the union of my country," are the indices of
the labors, the aspirations and the prayer of Grant the
statesman and the patriot.
The figure of Grant is eight feet high, and
stands on a pedestal ten feet high, the front
of which is a brown granite slab, inscribed
with the words: "Grant, Our Citizen." A
bronze laurel wreath is above the inscription.
On the rear slab is a historical bas-relief,
which represents General Grant accepting the
surrender of the confederate chief at Appo-
mattox. The scene of the two generals shak-
ing hands after signing the terms of surrender
is reproduced. Behind General Lee stands
General Rawlins, and Colonel Marshall, Lee's
military secretary. On the right side, behind
General Grant, the famous Phil Sheridan,
Colonel Bowers, Colonel Parker, Grant's
private secretary, General Horace E. Porter
and General Babcock complete the group. It
is very finely executed.
The monument stands in a beautiful park,
containing six acres, in the heart of the city,
324 THE WORLDS FAIR CITY.
prepared for the purpose by the citizens of
Galena.
' ' The heroes of the hour are relatively
great, of a faster growth; or they are such in
whom, at the moment of success, a quality is
ripe which is then in request. Other days will
demand other qualities. Some rays escape
the common observer, and want a finely
adapted eye."
The traits of character that have been ex-
hibited in Mr. Kohlsaat are great as a combi-
nation ; taken separately they are in common
with many persons. His personal appearance
does not declare him a shrewd man of the
world, but impresses one that he has keen
sensibility, and a gentleness of disposition
rarely seen in man ; but a closer study of the
features reveals in the chin a firmness of pur-
pose approaching obstinacy, which is so free
from harshness, that it would not be called a
fault. His manner indicates native refinement,
and not the extreme modesty or diffidence
that has often been attributed to him; it is
true that he does not relish puffing or undue
praise, but genuine appreciation he never mis-
construes.
HERMAN H. KOHLS A AT. 325
Mr. Kohlsaat, like many other successful
men, apparently did not inherit business ca-
pacity from either of his parents; however, as
the desire of one generation is generally de-
veloped, or brought out, in the next, thus
proving the evolutionary growth, the fruit of
his character is probably due to an inherited
idea, so subtle is the law of Life. A re-
fined taste, a delicate constitution, or a lofty
imagination naturally creates a desire for
elegant surroundings. Although having been
reared under the influence of the Christian re-
ligion, Mr. Kohlsaat is not a member of any
church. He attends Dr. Henson's church-
Baptist of which his wife is a member.
At one time he expressed his admiration of the
principles innate in the character of ' ' Fishin'
Jimmy," who, as described by Annie Trum-
bull Slosson, possessed all the elements of
knowledge, which he expressed in simple
homely language. ' ' His art was a whole
system of morality, a guide for every-day
life, and education, a gospel. It was all any
poor mortal man, woman, or child needed in
this world to make him or her happy, useful,
good. " ' ' He had not cared for books, or
326 THE WORLDS FAIR CITY.
school, and all efforts to tie him down to study
were unavailing. But he knew well the books
of running brooks. No botanical text-book or
manual could have taught him all he knew of
plants and flowers and trees."
A specimen of the long lost plant known to
science as subularia aquatica was shown to
him by a scientist, and he knew it at once,
saying: ' ' There's a dreffle lot o' that pepper-
grass out in deep water there jest where I
ketched the big pick'ril, I seen it a foot high,
and it's jucier and livin'er than them dead
sticks in your book." The story of Jesus
when told by a fisherman, in the ' ' meetin'
house," with incidents of His life as he con-
versed with fisherman, touched the heart of
Jimmy and he never lost the impression. He
said: " It's more'n forty year ago now, but I
rec'lect it same's 't was yest'dey, an' I shall
rec'lect it forty thousand year from now if I'm
'round, an' I guess I shall be."
The character as delineated by the author is
suggestive, and compares favorably with the
esoteric knowledge claimed at this day by a few.
Mr. Kohlsaat has two elder brothers, both
of whom are living in Chicago. One of them,
HERMAN H. KOHLS A AT. 327
C. C. Kohlsaat, is a Judge of the Probate
Court. Ernest W., the eldest is proprietor
of a bakery establishment.
' 'Some men are born to own, and can ani-
mate all their possessions. They should own
who can administer; not they who hoard and
conceal; not they who, the greater proprie-
tors they are, are only the greater beggars,
but they whose work carves out work for more,
opens a path for all. For he is the rich man
in whom the people are rich, and he is the
poor man in whom the people are poor; and
how to give all access to the masterpieces of
art and nature, is the problem of civilization."
CHAPTER XII.
PHILIP D. ARMOUR.
"To make great acquisitions can happen to very few."
Philip D. Armour is one of the few men
who possess the remarkable faculty of fore-
sight, judgment and decision, which is so
essential in business transactions. He did
not inherit wealth ; he was not rocked in the
cradle of luxury, but the elements of pros-
perity were implanted in his nature, and, with
a sound constitution, and an earnest purpose,
he has made environments which are vouch-
safed to but very few.
In order to. know the man you must find
him in his works ; for when you have grasped
the dominant faculty, the whole development
of his character is revealed.
Apart from his extensive railroad interests,
and the cares incident thereto, Mr. Armour is
known by his vast, and indeed, unparalleled
packing business. His agencies are not con-
fined to the United States, but embrace also
328
PHILIP D. ARMOUR. 329
the principal markets of Europe. His em-
ployes number over ten thousand, and the
business transacted amounts to over $65, -
000,000 annually.
This mammoth enterprise would be beyond
the ability or safe conduct of any one man
however gifted and energetic, but for the sys-
tematic method, and the division of the va-
rious departments, all of which have several
heads, by which Mr. Armour oversees the
whole, standing, as it were in the center, with
a view of the entire structure, so skilfully or-
ganized.
Incessant vigilance can alone protect such
multifold and complicated interests; but he is
said to be an indefatigable worker, being en-
gaged in his office, when in the city, from
seven o'clock in the morning until six in the
evening. He deals in numerous manufactured
articles, such as canned meats, extracts of
beef and oleomargarine.
Mr. Armour buys cattle in great numbers,
which are slaughtered in Chicago at the cele-
brated stock yards. It is his intention to sup-
ply meat to dealers in the country towns, but
many of them refuse to buy of him, prefering
330 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
to patronize the small stock raisers in the
vicinity. But he says, ' 'If you will not buy
meat of me, I can establish a market in the
town where it can be sold at a lower rate than
you can afford to sell it." Then the inde-
pendent butcher feels much abused and either
complies with the terms of the great pork king,
or goes out of business. So Armour gains his
point. He bears no ill will against the small
dealer, but has a general interest in the peo-
ple or a special interest in his business. He is
one of the combine known as the ' 'big three"
Armour, Swift and Morris.
Some persons say that Mr. Armour is a
very benevolent man, while others say that al-
though he gives away a great amount of
money, he is not a charitable man in the broad
sense of the term. It is very difficult, how-
ever, to get at the truth concerning a man
who has so many interests; his friends report
him favorably and his enemies exaggerate every
fault. He is not easily approached, neither
is he talkative, therefore his true character
must be judged by his works, which like Shaks-
peare's have been attributed to other brains.
His former partner, Michael Cudahy, deserves,
PHILIP D, ARMOUR. 331
perhaps, more credit for having successfully
established the great business of Armour
than the head of the firm himself, accord-
ing to the report of the Chicago Daily
News: ' ' His brain [Michael Cudahy] was
the superintending genius of that vast plant
which has introduced the name of Armour to
all lands where American pork is known. The
Cudahys kept in the back ground. They had
their headquarters in the packing houses.
They were familiar with the sights of slaughter;
running blood, streaming sides, and the chop-
ping block. They knew every step of the
business."
In the same column is the sentiment of Mr.
Armour who says: "I loved him [Michael
Cudahy] as a brother, from the start, and I
always shall. He was true as steel. When
he came to say good bye before going to
Omaha, I felt a big ugly lump crawl up in my
throat. When I took his strong honest hand
and felt it grip my own, I knew it was the
grip of a man who had been true to me for
twenty-five years."
Such is the character, in business, and in
friendship, of the man; strong whichever way
332 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
he leans. The Chicago Tribune says : ' ' There
is one man in Chicago who said this: ' It is
Armour's will that has made him what he is.
He fixes his eye on something ahead, and no
matter what rises upon the right or the left he
never sees it. He goes straight ahead in pur-
suit of the object and overtakes it at last. He
never lets up on that for which he starts out.
He is said to be as bitter an enemy as he is
strong in his friendship. Being intervieved
concerning his career at one time, he related
the following story: "My first transaction
was a love affair. It wasn't successful. But
it was the turning point of my life. It led to
my expulsion from school. Forty years after,
a man walked into my office and called me
out. I knew him. He was Professor Hyde.
He said he had heard of my success in life and
had come to tell me that in the matter of that
expulsion he was the only member of the
faculty who had voted for my retention. I
said to him, you have been a long while
coming in with your explanation. He went
out. I meant what I said. I have had the
action of that faculty laid away under my vest
ever since."
PHILIP D. ARMOUR. 333
Although the great packerhas built a mission,
he makes no claims to being religious. He be-
lieves, he says, in the religion of sixteen ounces
to the pound. However, a reporter of one of
Chicago's newspapers vouches for the follow-
ing: "I was down in New York the other day
with my brother. To tell you the truth I was
in a ticklish transaction. I was trying to get
out of it. My brother said to me; 'P. D.,
you'll have to build another mission. One
won't square this thing with the Almighty."
The mission referred to is located at the
corner of Thirty-third street and Armour ave-
nue. Some .years ago the late Joseph F. Ar-
mour, brother of Philip D., made a bequest of
$100,000 for the purpose of building a mission,
and Mr. Armour has faithfully carried out his
wishes, adding liberally to the amount sub-
scribed, and sparing no expense in making it a
success. He has often said that it was his best
investment; and there is no doubt that it is a
great satisfaction to him to have some way to
use his immense income, and reimburse the
class who has assisted in making the revenues.
The institution, the main entrance to which
is on Thirty-third street, is built of pressed
334 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
brick and brown stone, constructed in the
most solid and substantial manner. Mr. Ar-
mour was, undoubtedly, impressed with the
forethought of the wise man who built his
house upon a rock. "And the rains de-
scended, and the floods came, and the winds
blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell not:
for it was founded upon a rock." Modern in-
vention, however, has mastered the art of
building, so that the wise man of today may
safely build his house upon the sand.
The interior woodwork throughout the build-
ing is of polished oak. In harmony with the
solid character of the whole structure, the
furniture is substantial and complete. How-
ever, as we cast our eyes on the visible, we
are only looking for the invisible. It is the
spirit of the work carried on within these walls,
and the mental force that impels it, that must
be examined.
The first floor, or basement, contains rooms
on the left side of the hall, which are fitted up
especially for children. There is a large kind-
ergarten apartment, in which one hundred
and fifty pupils may be accommodated. It is
well adapted for the purpose, being cool and
THE ARMOUR MISSION. 335
airy in summer, with a nice play ground, and
in winter it is equally comfortable. A day nur-
sery, kitchen and play-room are also joining.
The kindergarten department is perfect in its
equipment for the Froebel system of instruc-
tion. Children of the age of from three to six
years are admitted here, the full number be-
ing in attendance eleven months of the year.
It is under the direction of Miss Mary Ely and
Miss May Ayers, her assistant.
Visitors to the mission should not fail to in-
spect this part of the work. It represents the
first systematic direction of the young mind,
and is one of the most important branches of
pedagogics. Spectators, at once, will be car-
ried away with enthusiasm when they look at
these little ones whose faces are bright and
clean, and their apparel plain and neat as
they march in order, play innocent games, and
sing tuneful songs, with piano accompani-
ments. Recreations are interspersed with in-
struction of a primary and moral character.
They can tell you all about the original ele-
ments, and recite quite intelligently on the use
of water, with practical demonstrations, at
their little tables, where food is cooked and
336 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
linen washed, showing how indispensable is
this liquid.
The teachers have culled many gems of
child-wisdom from these little philosophers,
who, already, are developing domestic, polit-
ical and theological tendencies. In one in-
stance, when the teacher was endeavoring to
explain why the Fourth of July is celebrated,
in order to prove the result of the lesson, she
asked the question, " Have we a king now?"
A little girl, with the organ of reverence well
developed, answered very promptly, "Yes."
Feeling quite discouraged with the failure, she
asked her to name him, when the pupil, with
great confidence and triumph portrayed in
her countenance, said, ' ' God. " Another ex-
planation, which defined more clearly the
meaning of the lesson, without destroying the
spiritual belief of the youthful theologian fol-
lowed. Thus goes on the molding and re-
molding of these tender youths. Obedience
to parents and teachers is taught here as one
of the prime moral obligations.
This useful and systematic training is in-
valuable to those who take advantage of the
opportunity. Instruction of this kind is usually
THE ARMOUR MISSION 337
accessible only to the wealthy, but here it is
free to all, "without money and without
price. " Mr. Armour occasionally visits these
little ones, and they look upon him, the teach-
ers say, with a great deal of reverence.
An industrial school is also sustained here.
Boys are instructed, two hours, every Satur-
day morning, except in the summer months.
Their work consists of freehand drawing, clay
modeling, wood carving, and water colors.
Specimens, which are placed on exhibition in
one of the mission rooms, display skill; the
wood carving is especially attractive, in fact the
execution is such that it is difficult to convince
visitors that it was performed by amateurs.
The table made by the boys, for Mr. Armour,
shows great skill in workmanship. On the
whole, it is all of such high merit, as to be a
credit to the talent and industry of the young
artisans. Great praise is also due the super-
intendent and assistants for their direction and
success in the undertaking.
However, this is only the beginning of a
greater work. The new Manual Training
School, with complete and practical advan-
tages, is now being erected.
22
338 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
The girls' school is held on Saturday after-
noons, from two to four o'clock. All branches
of plain sewing are taught, including dress-
making. The average attendance is about
two hundred. Mrs. Julia Beveridge is super-
intendent of the Industrial School.
The first floor also contains a reading room,
which is free to all, whether attendants of the
mission or not. About sixty papers and maga-
zines, besides the morning and evening city
newspapers are placed on file.
Another feature of the mission, the entrance
to which is on Armour avenue, first floor, is a
dispensary, where, on an average, forty pa-
tients receive, daily, free medical treatment.
Four rooms are used for this purpose; a large
reception room, consultation and operating
rooms, and a drug store. T. B. Swartz, M. D. ,
has charge of this department. He gives en-
tire satisfaction, professionally and otherwise.
Patients receive kind attention from him, and
his skillful treatment of disease elicits their
warm approbation.
Dr. John S. Perekhan, who is an Armenian
by birth, is assistant physician and surgeon.
Although he is, comparatively, a young man,
THE ARMOUR MISSION. 339
his earnest attention to his profession has
gained him many friends.
Only the poor and unfortunate are expected
to take advantage of the free dispensary. The
maladies, with which this class are mostly
afflicted, Dr. Swartz says, are indigestion,
caused by improper food; rheumatism, the re-
sult of exposure, or overwork, and that class
of diseases which come under the head of
colds. Besides, there are a very few who are
chronic medicine-takers, a disease which has
not yet been named by the profession.
The second floor contains the main audience
room, eight class rooms adjoining the pastor's
study, officers' rooms, library and two large side
rooms, to be used for Sunday-school purposes,
and for small gatherings.
The third floor contains a large and hand-
somely fitted up lecture room, which is
chiefly used for social, literary and prayer
meetings.
The main audience room, including the gal-
lery and side rooms, will accommodate a con-
gregation of about thirteen hundred, and by
throwing open the glass partition between the
gallery and the lecture room, the number may
340 THE WORLDS FAIR CITY.
be largely increased. When tested to its full
capacity a Sunday school of about two thou-
sand members may be seated.
With all of the side rooms and the lecture
room closed, an audience of a few hundred will
comfortably fill the room. The seats are ar-
ranged in an oval form, so as to bring the au-
dience near the speaker, The acoustic proper-
ties are perfect. Its symmetrical form, elabo-
rate frescoing and colored glass windows, make
it very attractive. It is also provided with a
large organ, that has pipes on both sides of the
platform.
Besides nine hundred bibles, the library
contains fourteen hundred volumes, which are
all carefully selected, in order that their influ-
ence may be morally secure. Members of the
Sunday school have the privileges of this
library. The pastor has charge of the relig-
ious department, or rather that part of the work
of the mission which pertains to the moral
and spiritual training, which is as follows :
The children's Sunday morning service, at
eleven o'clock. This service consists of reci-
tations and responsive readings in addition to
the song service, and a short sermon, usually
THE ARMOUR MISSION. 341
illustrated, by the pastor. The congregation,
is composed, usually, of as many adults as
children, Seventy-five children, who sing
solos, duets, quartets, anthems and choruses,
compose the choir. There are some excellent
voices in this choir.
The next religious service is the Sunday
school, in the afternoon at three o'clock, when
from eleven hundred to sixteen hundred chil-
dren and adults gather for the study of the
bible. The school is under the superintend-
ence of Mr. Edwin Burritt Smith, assisted by
an able corps of officers and teachers, of whom
there are about one hundred and thirty. It has
an enrolled membership of about two thousand
pupils, which are classified into three distinct
departments the infant and the intermediate
departments, and the main school, each having
a well defined grade.
When in the city, Mr. Armour always at-
tends this school. He takes no part in the
work or exercises, but heartily enjoys seeing
the good cause progressing so satisfactorily to
all concerned. The children have already
learned that he is their friend, and often you
may see a small group of boys approach him
342 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
and, with suppressed timidity, the more
courageous one says, ' ' Mr. Armour, will you
give us a watch ? "
Mr. Armour always meets this question with
an encouraging word, if he does not grant the
request, which is not always practicable or
necessary; but he knows that he started the
idea himself, therefore he blames no one.
Probably when he was a boy he was very
fond of a watch, so that, in giving presents to
numerous boys, he always selected that arti-
cle. This fact "spread like wildfire" among
the children, and they evidently think he
raises watches like turnips, or digs them out
of an everlasting mine. However, they are
learning that the crop is sometimes exhausted,
or that the mine occasionally fails to pan out.
This Sunday school attracts many visitors
from all parts of the city and country; repre-
sentatives of the press often drop in, take a
seat near the door and view the scene.
They always express satisfaction, particu-
larly with the discipline, which, without any
display of authority, enables so many differ-
ent classes to be instructed with interest and
comfort. One young man a newspaper scribe
THE ARMOUR MISSION. 343
ventured in here one Sunday afternoon, in
order to penetrate the mysteries, to him, of
Sunday-school work. His intellectual face and
respectable appearance at once attracted the
attention of Mr. McCord, a former pastor,
who was always attentive to strangers, as well
as keeping an eye on the little folks, and he
courteously invited him to take a seat upon
the platform. He ' ' declined the honor, " he
says, on account of ' ' professional modesty. "
He preferred to sit with the children, who, he.
said, ' ' were brushing up their throats and
rousing their nervous energy for a burst of
melody. " He finally observed that ' ' although
all the unfeathered songsters were not night-
ingales, it was a delight to hear about a thou-
sand of happy children trying to ring down
the roof." He adds: " There were no falsetto
notes in this chorus. Every boy and girl sang
out as if sending sounds of cheer to another
band of earth-born saints in some adjoining
State."
After this wholesome enjoyment his trouble
commenced, and he poured forth his tale of
distress in the columns of the Evening Jour-
nal, as follows:
344 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
It seems to be a law of the place that everyone who
goes there must do something useful, so the Journal
man was beguiled by the superintendent into taking a
class. Now the lesson for the day happened to be the
parable about "The sower that went out to sow." It
was all plain sailing while the young ladies in the class
were reading the verses in turn, but when it came to
commentary and instruction the improvised teacher was
as much embarrassed as if he had been brought face to
face with a Waterbury watch. Journal reader ! you
are, of necessity, an intelligent, patriotic and highly
educated person. Suppose you were taken suddenly
before a class of a dozen young ladies and informed
that you were to enlighten them upon the parable of
the sower; now, honest Injun, what would you do?
Your acquired knowledge of agriculture and United
States geography might have enabled you to bring up
New Jersey as the sandy soil, fit only for market gar-
dening and strawberries; the Rocky Mountains, of
course, would suit admirably for the stony ground
upon which good seed is wasted; apples and such friv-
olities might flourish in New York State, but the
good ground which brought forth a hundred fold of
the staff of life is the prairie empire of Illinois ! With
such a favorable start you might have gone on for an
hour, but, as a matter of fact, you would not have had
such a start, as you never would have thought of agri-
culture until you were safe in the street car on your
way home.
The poor young man had to drop back into ancient
history by trying to engage his pupils' attention upon
the map of Palestine, which was very conveniently at-
tached to the school book. From Syria the class wan-
dered across the Mediterranean to Greece and Rome,
stopped for a moment to discuss "Ben Hur " then
meandered over Europe, and, following the course of
THE ARMOUR MISSION. 345
Christianity, was on its way across the ocean to Chi-
cago when the sound of a hymn broke up the journey.
The girls smiled, and the young man heaved a sigh of
relief, while he recorded a vow that upon the next oc-
casion he would ask the superintendent for some
' 'pointers " as to the proper method of treating parables.
The scribe, no doubt, felt very keenly his
neglected education in biblical lore. It is said
that the girls complained very bitterly of the
young man's lack of explanatory notes, and
pronounced him "no Christian."
The evening religious services are the Chris-
tian Endeavor Societies, adult and junior.
Both meet at seven o'clock in different apart-
ments. The adult has about one hundred mem-
bers and the junior about sixty, both of which
are wide-awake and progressive. The regular
evening service follows the ' ' Endeavor " meet-
ings, at eight o'clock. This service attracts
from seven hundred to eight hundred adults,
who show a marked interest in the work. A
large chorus choir, under the leadership of Mr.
Thomas James, leads the singing at this serv-
ice. Although the Mission Church represents
no distinct sect, there is a membership of two
hundred and thirty communicants, among
whom are earnest workers for the great cause.
346 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
The Armour Mission Visitor, which is pub-
lished monthly, for gratuitous distribution in
the Sunday school, says : ' ' What the children
and youth of the poor, and those in moderate
circumstances need, is not charity, but oppor-
tunities to come in contact with the things
which educate and elevate. For this Armour
Mission stands. Mr. Armour acts on the the-
ory that if such an institution as Armour Mis-
sion is rich enough to furnish all the facilities
needed by the young, it is of no importance
whether its children are rich or poor. "
On account of the attractive exterior and in-
terior of this edifice, and the wholesome influ-
ence of the pastor, many families attend the
meetings who would not enter any other
church. Rev. John D. McCord relates one
particular case of a family of seven chil-
dren the oldest of whom was thirteen years
of age strolling into the mission one Sunday
with their parents for curiosity sake. They met
with such a hearty welcome, and were so
strongly impressed with the teaching and
wholesome influence, that they have continued
their attendance, being now regular members.
THE ARMOUR MISSION. 347
By this means they were raised from vice and
indifference to morals, to respectable citizens
and earnest Christians.
Every Friday afternoon gospel meetings for
children are held. The children learn the
scripture and the ten commandments. One of
the children attending these meetings said:
' ' I took Jesus into my heart three weeks ago,
and He is helping me at home and at school."
The pastor's Bible class meets Friday evening
at eight o'clock.
When Rev. Mr. McCord was pastor he or-
ganized the Busy Bee Society which met
every Wednesday afternoon at four o'clock.
These meetings were very interesting, espe-
cially to those who love children. Perfect free-
dom of thought was manifested; and the influ-
ence pervading the mission was more apparent
here than in any other gathering. Although
Mr. McCord presided, the officers were elected
from the society. Each one was required to
sign a pledge, the copy of which is given
below.
348 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
ARMOUR MISSION.
BUSY BEE COVENANT AND PLEDGE.
/ accept the Lord Jesus Christ, as my Savior. I give
myself to Him to be His child, purposing to love and serve
Him all my life; I will try to lead others to Him, and do
them all the good I can.
I will not lie. nor steal, nor swear,
Nor use tobacco anywhere;
Nor wine, nor beer, nor whisky drink,
Which God-like souls to ruin sink.
Name
Date Address.
The exercises consisted of recitations, songs
and piano solos. It was amusing to see these
little "Busy Bees" gather around Mr. McCord
with queries or complaints. He, unquestion-
ably, has mastered the great problem, how to
deal with children. They approached him
with confidence and respect, and his methods
of governing them were remarkable; with dig-
nity of demeanor, great adaptation was dis-
played a rare faculty, indeed.
In addition to the work thus indicated as
sustained by the mission there are the Ladies'
Aid Society, which meets every other Wednes-
day afternoon, the mid-week prayer meeting,
THE ARMOUR MISSION. 349
held every Wednesday evening, and meetings
at the homes on Tuesday evenings. The latter
is conducted by the Andrew and Philip com-
mittee, organized for the purpose of banding
Christian young men together under a leader,
to give invitation to the gospel meetings.
The manner in which this mission is sup-
ported is unique, and very characteristic of
the man to whom credit is due. Through the
generosity, consistency and appreciation of
Mr. and Mrs. Armour, an endowment con-
sisting of the land and buildings one hun-
dred and ninety-four flats comprising one
block and a quarter, have been conveyed to
the mission. This splendid property fronts
Thirty-third street on the north, Dearborn
street on the east, Thirty-fourth street on the
south, and Armour avenue on the west;
the avenue has elegant stone sidewalks and
gas lamps equal to the best in the city.
These flats have every convenience and
comfort of modern architecture ; hot and cold
water service, bath rooms, electric bells, and
kitchen ranges. Each flat has six or seven
rooms, with a coal and storage room in the
basement. Free water, free janitor service,
350 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
a night watch with police authority, and a
superintendent to see to every want afforded.
These buildings are constructed in the same
solid and substantial manner and of the same
material as the mission building, except the
interior woodwork, which is stained Georgia
pine.
Careful attention has been given to the
plumbing and ventilation, and the grounds,
both front and rear, are kept in perfect con-
dition, giving the whole region a wholesome
and attractive appearance. Thus the future
of the Mission has been made secure, and a
permanent place for the intellectual, moral
and Christian culture of the youth insured.
The whole investment amounts to over $ i , ooo, -
ooo. The income from the buildings is esti-
mated at about $50,000. The rent ranges
from $20 to $35 per month.
It is always interesting to trace the career
of a successful man, for not always one path,
but various paths lead to the same destina-
tion. Some are brilliantly lighted with inci-
dents of adventure, like that of Beaumarchais,
while others have been dull and gloomy with
the even ways of the plodder.
PHILIP D. ARMOUR. 351
Philip D. Armour was born in Stockbridge,
Madison County, New York, in 1830. His
first years were spent on a farm, where he
had the advantages of a common school. It
may be inferred that, although he was an in-
dustrious lad, he was not a plodder. He was
a thinker, but not a recluse. He was an
observer; not a mere looker-on, but one who
systematized every combination of known
facts, without being aware of this subtle
energy, and without any special ambition.
The faculty was as yet embryonic, slow in
growth, but strong and solid in quality.
At the age of twenty he became restless.
Having studied farming synthetically and
analytically, he concluded it was not his call-
ing. The sowing, growing and reaping of
grain was a simple cause to effect, that did
not furnish enough calculation for the finer
play of his talents. At this time the Cali-
fornia gold fever was raging, and Philip per-
ceived at once an outlet for his pent up
energies. Joining a company which was
about to undertake the overland route to the
promised land, he started out, with small ex-
perience and great expectations. However,
352 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
"it is known that his ' dirt ' never ' panned. '
It is known that he was taken sick and lingered
in the vicinity of death, away out in California.
It is known that through friends he left the
fields of gold and came back and settled in
Milwaukee, Wisconsin. John Plankinton was
there buying and killing hogs. It is known
that he gave P. D. Armour a job as clerk, and
that from that time P. D. Armour continued
to grow in the favor of John Plankinton until
the firm of Plankinton & Armour was estab-
lished," says the Chicago Tribune.
This happened during the war when pork
was in great demand for the army. Prices,
in that commodity, were rising gradually until
the spring of 1865, when it was selling at $40
a barrel. New York dealers became greatly
excited, and, believing that it would go up
still higher, bought eagerly all the pork they
could grasp.
Mr. Armour looked upon the situation in a
far different light. He foresaw that the war
was nearly ended, and that pork, instead of
rising in value, would suddenly collapse. Mr.
Plankinton coincided with this view; Mr.
Armour at once started for New York, and
PHILIP D. ARMOUR. 353
made a great sensation in Wall street, by
selling pork short for $40 a barrel. Then
came the news of the fall of Petersburg; a
change was produced in the pork market,
Richmond was taken, and the confederate
army surrendered. Then Mr. Armour bought
the pork for $ 1 8 that he had sold for $40, be-
fore he owned it. This was his first great
success in speculation; it made him a million-
aire.
The successful stroke gave him confidence,
and he moved to Chicago in 1875, to
make arrangements for a more extensive
trade. From that time, " fortune knocked at
every door, window and keyhole of Mr.
Armour's mansion. That this same fortune,
which is so fondly wooed, hunted and begged
by countless thousands without avail, refuses
to leave Mr. Armour's embrace. ' It walketh
with him by day, ' and when he ' wraps the
drapery of his couch about him and lies down
to pleasant dreams,' it nestles in the silken
folds, and greets his waking moment with a
golden caress," says the scribe.
In Andreas' History of Chicago, there is
a short sketch of the life of P. D. Armour,
354 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
which gives the following incidents: " In 1878
operators on the Board of Trade, large and
small, thought it a good year to sell pork.
Other packing houses joined with the crowd
against Mr. Armour, who was forced to sup-
port the market, for many months at a great
loss. It cost him more than a million dollars,
but he foresaw that the tide must change, and
in 1879 the tide did change, and he recovered
his losses with an added profit of many mill-
ion dollars. He has conducted several opera-
tions in wheat with great success, and is
a bold and daring speculator of great fore-
sight."
Despite the envy created by this man's
great wealth, which is estimated at from
twenty-five millions to fifty millions of dollars,
his power has made him a prisoner, by crowd-
ing out every other faculty. Reading wearies
him; and to think abstract thoughts, is almost
beyond his comprehension. Religion, to him,
means sixteen ounces to the pound, and
charity, the giving of a few dollars. As he
paces up and down the corridor of the ' 'Armour
Mission," Sunday afternoons, he seems not
to hear the bible lesson which is repeated, in
PHILIP D. ARMOUR. 355
clear tones to the little ones, about the dangers
or perils of the rich man. His interest is
in the material part of the work of the mission,
which is never neglected, but bears the mark
of prosperity.
Those who have noted the gradual develop-
ment of Humanity, may perceive an interest-
ing Specimen in every organization that has
developed powerful qualities which move the
world and help on progress. But, at the same
time, they will agree with that great American
philosopher, who, after keen observation and
deep reflection, said: "Very few of our race
can be said to be yet finished men. We still
carry sticking to us some remains of the pre-
ceding inferior quadruped organization. We
call these millions men; but they are not yet
men. Half engaged in the soil, pawing to get
free, man needs all the music that can be
brought to disengage him. If Trade with its
money; if Art with its port-folios; if Science
with her telegraphs through the deeps of space
and time, can set his dull nerves throbbing,
and by loud taps on the tough chrysalis, can
break its walls, and let the new creature
emerge erect and free, make way, and sing
356 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
pean! The age of the quadruped is to go out
the age of the brain and of the heart is to
come in."
Mr. Armour has two sons, J. Ogden and
Philip D., who are partners in the firm of the
Armour Company. They live in a fine resi-
dence on Prairie avenue.
FERNANDO JONES.
CHAPTER XIII.
FERNANDO JONES.
" One man has stronger arms, or longer legs; another sees by
the course of streams, and growth of markets,- where land will
be wanted, makes a clearing to the river, goes to sleep and
wakes up rich." Emerson,
FERNANDO JONES came to Chicago in the
spring of 1835 his fifteenth birthday and
since that time, has been more or less connected
with the real estate business. There is prob-
ably no other man in the city who is better
posted in the history of land values, and title
deeds, or has a better knowledge of old citi-
zens, than he.
The great fire of 1871, which, in less than
twenty-four hours, burned down over twenty-
four hundred acres of buildings a great num-
ber of them being substantial brick or stone
structures also, destroyed records of the
Recorder's office, the Probate records, and the
proceedings of the courts, together with all
maps of subdivisions. A portion of the books
of the abstract firms were saved, however,
357
358 THE WORLDS FAIR CITY.
and are the only means now in existence of
ascertaining the original title to land in Cook
county.
If any one wishes to find out anything about
an old resident of the city, or to hunt up an
obscure title, he gets an interview with Mr.
Jones, who can not only tell the facts, but
every detail connected with them. He recites
the history traditionally, and is perfectly at
ease when conversing upon the subject of
Chicago Real Estate. One question brings
forth a volume of information. For instance:
' ' What do you know about the real estate of
Chicago?" says the questioner. Mr. Jones
sits down in his arm-chair, for he is a man of
leisure, and gives the following interesting
information :
"Chicago was the first locality in the world
that adopted a method of posting titles to real
estate by placing all conveyances of the same,
consecutively under the head of a certain
tract, block or lot, instead of depending upon
an index of names of grantor or grantee. For
instance: All conveyances of Lot i, in Block
i, in the original town of Chicago as found
upon record in the Recorder's office are posted
CHICAGO REAL ESTATE. 359
upon the same page together with mortgages
and releases of the same, thus making search
of titles, etc., expeditious.
' ' Edward A. Rucker, the originator of the
system, in connection with James H. Rees,
formed the Abstract firm of Rees & Rucker,
afterwards Rees & Chase, and finally Chase
Brothers. Two other firms, Shortall & Hoard
and Jones & Sellers, had been engaged in
the business twenty-five years before the de-
struction of the public records. The books of
the latter firm were stored in fire proof vaults
and were taken out several days afterward
unharmed. The former firm saved only a
portion of their books.
4 ' These firms united after the fire, forming a
co-partnership known as the Title Guarantee
and Trust Company. Their office is a veritable
hive of industry, where two hundred busy
workers are preparing abstracts of titles, or
guaranteeing the title, to lots in the county.
"The Indians who first occupied the land
in Chicago had no title deeds, but when the
war for Independence of the United States
closed in 1783, it was found that the State of
Virginia claimed a title, through a cession of
360 THE WORLDS FAIR CITY.
the King of England, to the whole territory
northwest of the Ohio river. In 1784,
Virginia ' ceded it to the United States, the
government of which recognized the rights of
the Indians, and in 1795 sent General Anthony
Wayne to confer with them. He made a
treaty with various tribes of Indians, including
the Ottawas, Chippewas and Pottowattomies
of Illinois, ceding one piece of land at the
mouth of the Chikago river emptying into the
southwesterly end of Lake Michigan, where a
fort formerly stood. ' It was laid out accord-
ing to the rectangular system, which was
adopted by Congress, in 1784, and of which
Thomas Jefferson was chairman of the com-
mittee that reported it.
"Fort Dearborn was built in 1804 and oc-
cupied by a garrison until August 15, 1812,
when the troops abandoned it, and retreated
to Fort Wayne. They had proceeded a little
over a mile when they were attacked and
captured by hostile Indians, and over a hun-
dred persons including a number of women
and children were killed and scalped. The
fort was rebuilt in 1816, but was finally aban-
doned as a military post in 1837. In 1830 the
CHIC A GO REAL ESTA TE. 3 6 1
Commissioners of the Illinois and Michigan
canal surveyed a part of section 9 in township
39, north of the base-line of range 14; east of
the 3rd principal meridian on the Chicago
river near its mouth, into Blocks and Lots,
and named it the town of Chicago. Lots were
sold to officers in the garrison, to the few set-
tlers around the fort, and to fur traders.
' ' The marvelous growth of ' Tadmor in
the wilderness, ' in the deserts of Asia has been
one of the wonders related in history, but is
nothing compared with the growth of Chicago.
Less than one hundred years ago the State of
Illinois was a part of Illinois County of the
State of Virginia. When Illinois was organ-
ized in 1818, the present County of Cook was
part of Peoria County, the county seat being
Peoria. Chicago, in 1832, was organized as
a village with less than one thousand inhabit-
ants. There was only one bridge across the
river, and no wharves, no sidewalks, no public
buildings, except a jail and a hog pound on
the public square.
' ' My father, William Jones, purchased
of John Baptiste Beaubien the first lots
in Chicago sold to a non-resident. He
362 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
paid one hundred dollars apiece for them.
The two lots were each eighty feet front and
located on South Water and Lake streets,
between Dearborn and Clark streets. These
lots are now valued at more than half a
million.
"At that time, land, per se, of the city
was of very little value. But speaking of real
estate reminds me of a circumstance that hap-
pened in 1838. Giles Williams, a salt dealer,
who was a friend of our family, made a pres-
ent to my sister's boy, a week old, of the deed
of a lot, twenty feet in width on Randolph
street, where the new German theater now
stands. He placed it in the hands of the
child, who accepted it with an instinctive
grip, thereby making good the possession.
The value of the property at that time did
not exceed one hundred dollars, forty years
afterwards, he, William Jones King, sold it for
two thousand dollars a foot, having realized
a good income from it in the meantime.
"In 1833, when my father, who was a
deputy superintendent of the Harbor work
at Buffalo, came to Chicago, four brothers by
the name of Morrison, came with him to work
CHICAGO REAL ESTATE. 363
upon the harbor here. Each of them bought
a lot on Clark street, near Madison, for one
hundred and fifty dollars, the same lots are
now worth $500,000 apiece, and are rented for
$50,000 a year. That year my uncle, Benja-
min Jones, bought the land where the post-
office now stands, for $805, and five years
later sold it for $6,000. Today, 1892, it is
valued at $5,000,000 $50 a square foot.
Land near Eighteenth street and Prairie ave-
nue that was sold in those days by the gov-
ernment for $1.25 an acre, and in 1850 at
$100 an acre, is now valued at $1,000 a front
foot.
' ' There was a man who came here from
Germany about forty years ago, and, having
about $4,000 loaned it, taking a mortgage on
eighty acres of land near State street south
of Twenty-second. The owner was not able
to pay the debt at the time specified and had
to give up the land. This was a great disap-
pointment to the creditor who wept like a
child, on account of his apparent misfortune;
but he found subsequently that his land was
as good as a gold mine, for it is now worth
millions of dollars.
364 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
"At the Canal celebration in 1836, Chief
Justice Theophilus W. Smith, in a speech
made on the Fourth of July, said: 'I am
neither a prophet nor thte son of a prophet,
but the spirit of prophecy is upon me this day.
Fellow-citizens, listen! In ten years you will
see a city of ten thousand inhabitants on the
shore of Lake Michigan; in twenty years
from this time, twenty thousand; in fifty
years from this time, fifty thousand; in a
hundred years from this time, one hundred
thousand.' An Irishman in the crowd spoke
out, saying: ' Arrah! now, ye won't be living
thin, so that no one can tell you how big a
lie ye are telling.' The people, believing that
he was talking at random, stopped him, with
great laughter, declaring that if allowed to go
on he would make it a million; never thinking
that his prophecy was exceedingly modest, in
comparison with the real facts as now demon-
strated. "
The Chicago Daily News, of March 12,
1892, gives some interesting bits of the " an-
cient history" on the same line as follows: In
1830 James Harrington bought one hundred
and six acres of land south of Twelfth street
HENRY GEORGE. 365
for $133.70. It was bounded by what are now
Twelfth, Sixteenth, and State streets, ex-
tending to the lake. Mr. Harrington was
a real estate hustler in those days. In 1835
he sold forty-four acres in the north end
to John S. Wright for $3, 509, 60. Mr. Wright
sold the property in 1839, for $7,939 and
thought the bargain a good one.
In the same column a more modern deal
is noted: "One prominent real estate dealer
bought, in 1890, a lot on the east side of the
street north of Gunther's. (State street near
Adams). It had a frontage of only nineteen
feet, and the price paid was $46,000. It was
improved by a four-story building, the rental
from which amounted to about six per cent
on the investment. The front foot valuation
was a trifle more than $2,421. A few days
ago, 1892, the purchaser refused an offer of
$125,000 for the property, which indicates a
valuation of $6,579 a front foot."
The above sentiments furnish material for
the followers of Henry George, who is making
efforts to nationalize the ownership of real es-
tate. In his essay on The March of Civili-
zation he writes: "When William the
366 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
Conqueror parceled out England among his fol-
lowers, a feudal aristocracy was created out of
an army of adventurers. But when society
had hardened again, a hereditary nobility had
formed, into which no common man could
hope to win his way, and the descendants of
William's adventurers looked down upon men
of their fathers' class as beings framed of
inferior clay. So, when a new country is
rapidly settling, those who come while land is
cheap, and industry and trade are in process
of organization, have opportunities that those
who start from the same plane when land has
become valuable and society has formed can-
not have."
The statement is quite true, but there are
always exceptions to every rule, as the fol-
lowing statement may prove: In 1889, H. H.
Kohlsaat purchased the northwest corner of
Dearborn and Madison streets, measuring
twenty by forty feet, for $150,000, which was
commented upon at the time on account of its
apparently high price. Before he consum-
mated the bargain, he received applications
for space in the building which would have
yielded 8^ per cent net on the investment.
HKNR Y GEORGE. 367
But in about two weeks he sold it for $200,000;
or rather leased the lot for ninety-nine years
for $10,000 a year, which is equivalent to 5
per cent on $200,000. The property was
leased by the Inter Ocean Company, who
erected a fine building upon it.
This is probably the highest price ever paid
for land in this city being $250 a square foot.
Henry George says: "What more prepos-
terous than the treatment of land as individual
property! In every essential land differs from
those things which being the product of human
labor are rightfully property. It is the crea-
tion of God; they are produced by man. It
is fixed in quantity; they may be increased
inimitably. It exists, though generations
come and go; they in a little while decay and
pass again into the elements.
' 'To secure to all citizens their equal right
to the land on which they live does not mean,
as some of the ignorant seem to suppose, that
every one must be given a farm, and city land
be cut up into little pieces. It would be im-
possible to secure the equal rights of all in
that way, even if such division were not in it-
self impossible. * * * All that it is
368 THE WORLDS FAIR CITY.
necessary to do is to collect the ground rents
for the common benefit.
' ' Nor to take ground rents for the common
benefit, is it necessary that the State should
actually take possession of the land and rent
it out from term to term, as some ignorant
people suppose. It can be done in a much
more simple and easy manner by means of the
existing machinery of taxation. All it is neces-
sary to do is to abolish all other forms of taxa-
tion until the weight of taxation rests upon the
value of land irrespective of improvements,
and takes the ground rent for the public
benefit.
" Under this system no one could afford to
hold land he was not using, and land not in
use would be thrown open to those who wished
to use it, at once relieving the labor market
and giving an enormous stimulus to produc-
tion and improvements the user might make.
On these he would not be taxed. All that his
labor could add to the commonwealth would
be his own, instead of, as now, subjecting him
to fine. Thus would the sacred right of prop-
erty be acknowledged by securing to each the
reward of his exertion.
SINGLE TAX. 369
' ' That great part of this fund which is now
taken by the owners of land, not as a return
for anything by which they add to production,
but because they have appropriated as their
own the natural means and opportunities of
production, and which as material progress
goes on, and the value of land rises, is con-
stantly becoming larger and larger, would be
virtually divided among all, by being utilized
for common purposes."
One great argument that is brought up
against the single tax theory is that farmers
will have to bear the burden of taxation, while
the wealthy who may have small investments
in lands escape without paying their due pro-
portion. Henry George explains the case as
follows: "While at first blush it may seem
to the farmer that to abolish all taxes upon
other things than the value of land would be
to exempt the richer inhabitants of cities from
taxation, and unduly to tax him, discussion
and reflection will certainly show him that the
reverse is the case. Personal property is not,
never has been, and never can be, fairly
taxed. The rich man always escapes more
easily than the man who has but little; the
24
370 THE WORLLTS FAIR CITY.
city, more easily than the country. Taxes
which add to prices bear upon the inhabitants
of sparsely settled districts with as much
weight, and in many cases with much more
weight, than upon the inhabitants of great
cities. Taxes upon improvements manifestly
fall more heavily upon the working farmer, a
great part of the value whose farm consists of
the value of improvements, than upon the
owners of valuable unimproved land, or upon
those whose land, as that of cities, bears a
higher relation in value to the improvements."
An instance of the above statement is known
in Chicago. It shows the wonderful rise in
ground values and the relation of improve-
ments and soil. The ground where the Grand
Pacific Hotel stands belonged to the Peck
estate. In 1873, it was leased to the Pacific
Hotel Company, for ninety-nine years at eight
per cent, on an agreed valuation, with a new
valuation every ten years afterwards. The
lot is 185 feet on Clark street and 125 feet on
Jackson street. The valuation of the land
was $187,500, making the annual rental $15,-
ooo. The company erected a hotel at a cost
of about $850,000, half of which covered this
SINGLE TAX. 371
lot. Mr. Peck neglected his right to a revalua-
tion in 1883, so the original rental was paid.
In 1886, L. Z. Leiter bought the ground,
which has since been valued at $800,000. At
the rate of eight per cent the rent would be
$64,000, but the company concluded that they
would sell the lease, including that portion of
the building standing on the ground, for $40, -
ooo. This is the result of the increase in the
value of land and the decrease in the rate of
interest, as five per cent is now the prevailing
rate for such investments.
Drake, Parker & Company, the proprietors
of the hotel, pay a rental of $100,000 a year:
$44, 600 of it is paid to Mr. Leiter.
The officers of the Single Tax Club of Chi-
cago have been making efforts to ascertain the
discrepancies existing between the rental
values of real estate and the municipal revenue
derived therefrom through taxation. Mr. J.
T. Ripley, vice-president of the club, furnishes
the following facts: "Four down-town lots,
worth $1,650,000, tlu rental value of which
at 5 percent is $82,200, \vere taxed in 1889
$10,360.76 the owners pocketing an un-
earned increment of $72, 139.25.
372 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
"An unimproved lot at the corner of Mon-
roe and La Salle streets was assessed at five
and six-tenths per cent of its value, while an
improved lot on the corner of Clark and Ran.-
dolph streets was assessed twenty per cent of
its value; an improved lot corner of Dear-
born and Madison streets twelve per cent
of its value, and one on the corner of
Clark and Madison nine per cent, of its
value. "
Mr. Ripley adds: "The discrepancies in
valuation either indicate favoritism on the
part of assessors, or else a hit or miss method
of assessing valuations, which does not inspire
confidence in officials entrusted with such vast
interests. Assessors in swearing to faithfully
discharge their duties take oath of their in-
tention to assess all property at its fair cash
selling value. It is perfectly understood that
nothing of the kind is expected; the idea being
apparently that a low valuation by the asses-
sors will prevent an over-valuation by the
State Board of Equalization, and the result is
that the property is under-valued about 88
per cent, while millions of dollars result-
ing from the growth and progress of the
SINGLE TAX. 373
community are allowed to be confiscated by
individuals, who render no services in return."
"It is interesting to note in this connec-
tion," says Mr. Ripley, "that the absentee
landlord is a factor in Chicago as well as in
Ireland. A gentleman in Kentucky derives
an income of $26,000 annually for the ground
rent of a lot on which stands the Ashland
Block, at the corner of Clark and Randolph
streets; and a thrifty citizen of Lowell, Massa-
chusetts, an annual ground rental of $50,000
for a lot, corner of State and Monroe streets;
a resident of Medford, New York, a revenue
from ground rent of a lot, corner of Monroe
and Dearborn streets, of $40,000; while it is
stated that one-third of the business done in
the last month, March, 1892, by a leading real
estate firm was the sale of lots to non-resi-
dents, who had never seen the land they were
buying, and were confidently purchasing mort-
gages on the industry of the present and
future population of Chicago.
"While conducting this investigation we
have become more and more impressed with
the beautiful simplicity and certainty of the
Single Tax, as compared with the chaotic
374 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITT.
and unjust system now prevailing. One vice
of the existing system is that it is extremely
difficult to obtain information that will enable
him to decide whether, or not, he is unjustly
taxed; the discriminations which prevail, be-
ing hidden in the asssessor's books. The sys-
tem of taxation on land values alone would
enable the public to know whether or not they
were being robbed. "
The Chicago Times published an article, on
real estate, which gives some interesting facts:
' ' The block bounded by Madison and Mon-
roe streets on the north and south, and by
State and Dearborn streets on the east and
west, belongs to the school lands. It is the
choicest part of the city, where the highest
prices prevail. The improvements are not
very modern though renting at high figures.
' ' The total valuation placed on this block
by the school board and appraisers, including
all the frontage on the four streets, $2, 725,356,
and the total income derived from the prop-
erty for the benefit of the school fund is $163,-
521.36. The estimates of the property made
by prominent real estate operators range from
$5,000,000 to $6,000,000. The leases run
FERNANDO JONES. 375
until 1995, but a new valuation is provided
for in 1895.
Fernando Jones was born in Forestvilles,
Chautauqua County, New York, May 26,
1820. His parents afterward moved to
Buffalo in the same state, where Fernando
attended the public school, and was a pupil
of Millard Fillmore, the thirteenth President
of the United States.
In 1832, his father came to Chicago and
purchased land. Three years later he re-
turned with his family to make a home in the
new settlement. He then started a hardware
and stove establishment, with William Jones
and Byron King on South Water street; at
that time it was the only business street in the
town. Before the arrival of the cargo of stoves,
and at intervals afterwards, Fernando was
employed as clerk in the United States
Land office, commencing early the business
which he has pursued the greater part of his
life. During this time he learned the lan-
guage of the Indians, so that he could con-
verse quite fluently with them, and was able
to act as interpreter for those who dealt with
the Indians, as well as to deal with them
376 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
occasionally upon his own account, at the
two Indian payments held here after his
arrival.
The educational advantages of the ' ' town "
in those days were not sufficiently advanced
for young Jones, and his parents were not
satisfied to have him commence a busi-
ness life so early, so they sent him to the
academy in Canandaigua, New York, where
he completed the academical course in two
years.
It was while attending this school that Mr.
Jones became acquainted with Stephen A.
Douglas, who was then studying law in the
office of John C. Spencer. Their friendship
lasted till the death of the noted statesman.
The Jones family, which consisted of ten
children, inherited consumption, and all ex-
cept two, Fernando and K. K. Jones, suc-
cumbed early to the disease. After Fernando
returned from school and engaged in the real
estate business with his father, his health
failed, and, fearing the dreaded disease, con-
sumption, he at once started for the southern
climate where he remained a couple of years,
principally in Kentucky. He gives some
FERNANDO JONES. 377
interesting accounts of acquaintance with
"Greasy Bob," Wickliffe, Cassius M. and
Henry Clay, and Vice-President Richard M.
Johnson while residing in that State. His
health being fully restored, he returned to
Chicago, only to soon leave it again, for he is
next recorded as a citizen of Jackson, Michi-
gan, where he was engaged in editing a
monthly magazine devoted to temperance,
education and agriculture. Wilbur F. Storey,
late editor and proprietor of the Chicago
Times, was one of the firm who printed the
magazine.
It appears that the young man was not
satisfied long with his work in Jackson, for he
returned to Chicago, where his parents still
lived, and soon after went to Rock Island,
Illinois, where he resided for some time man-
aging large real estate interests. About 1853
he disposed of his property in that town, and
returned to Chicago again. Then he engaged
in the preparation of a set of abstract books
with John D. Brown and the late Gen. R. W.
Smith, formerly of Rock Island. They fol-
lowed the system originated by Mr. Rucker,
which, with improvements made by Mr. Jones
378 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
and his subsequent partner, Alfred H. Sellers,
is the same as used in Chicago today. During
all his temporary absences from his home
he seems to have ' ' kept the run " of men and
events in Chicago, and preserved their his-
tories in his remarkable memory.
Mr. Jones was married July 7, 1853, to Jane
Grahame, of Henry County, Illinois. She is a
very attractive lady, and is intelligent and
energetic. Her influence has been great in
the efforts to promote the welfare of women,
professionally and otherwise. She was one of
the ladies who made the effort, and with suc-
cess, to admit women to the Chicago Univer-
sity. Her husband is always a co-worker in
all interests pertaining to the welfare of the
public, and never discourages or opposes Mrs.
Jones' plans.
They have two children Genevieve, the
wife of George R. Grant, a lawyer in Chicago,
and Grahame Jones, who was recently gradu-
ated at Harvard University, and is now a law
student. They have a fine, substantial resi-
dence on Prairie avenue, which is elegantly
furnished, and contains rare pictures, statuary
and candelabra imported from Europe. Mr.
FERNANDO JONES. 379
Jones, with his family, has spent much time
abroad, residing in Venice, Rome and Men-
tone one year at each city. They lived in
Florence, Italy, three years, and in Paris
two years.
During his residence abroad he traveled ex-
tensively over the continent, and entertained
the readers of the Chicago Times by corre-
spondence at the same time.
Although Fernando Jones has passed the
age of three score and ten, Time has dealt so
gently by him that he scarcely looks fifty-five.
He stands erect, and his faculties are as keen
and strong as those of much younger men.
Not long since a lady called to see him at the
Abstract office to make inquiries about a title
deed. When he presented himself she said
that the Mr. Jones she wanted to see was an
elderly man. After considerable argument
by Mr. Jones she was convinced that he was
the man.
Following closely the career of Mr. Jones it
may be seen that he is a man of wealth, with-
out, perhaps, being a millionaire, and that
this wealth has been accumulated by dealing
in real estate and real estate titles. Naturally
380 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
he would be inclined to look askance at
the nationalization of the land, but as he has
always conformed to the laws of the nation and
is inclined to be ingenuous regarding the
rights of the people, he may yet be a convert
of the Single-Tax remedy for social troubles.
CHAPTER XIV.
MARSHALL FIELD.
" The craft of the merchant is this bringing a thing from
where it abounds to where it is costly." Emerson.
Marshall Field, the merchant prince of the
World's Fair city, is, probably, the most ex-
clusive and the most inaccessible of all her
enterprising sons.
' 'Estimates as to the size of very great fort-
unes, " writes Amos W. Wright in Harpers
Weekly of March 21, 1891, "are nearly
always largely guess-work, but it is of interest
to know that close friends of Mr. Field place
his wealth at present at about $30,000,000."
This great amount of money was accumu-
lated through commercial transactions, and
with the assistance of a large clerical force,
showing that this gentleman's judgment, when
buying and selling dry goods, is sound in a
commercial sense, and that he has the organ-
izing faculty well developed.
Mr. Field may believe in co-operation, but
he does not practice it, for he still continues
383
384 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
his business in a manner that indicates that
he is trying to add more millions to those
already accumulated. His investments are
wide and various, being a large stockholder
in railroads, and owning valuable real estate
in the city and elsewhere. The wholesale and
retail dry goods stores of Marshall Field &
Company do a business amounting to the sum
of $35,000,000.
' ' The individual who can direct the rise of
and hold in intelligent control a business of
$35,000,000 a year, reaching from beyond the
Alps to the other side of the Rocky Moun-
tains for it involves branch houses in Eng-
land, France and Germany must possess,
aside from mercantile foresight and sagacity,
remarkable powers of organization, and of
judging the men through whom he must
necessarily act. These qualities Mr. Field
has in an eminent degree. He commands
with masterly success an army in constant
active service, and did he wear a sword the
world would be quick to call him great. One
who can marshal the growing forces and
resources of civilization as they are developed,
and use them promptly in his service, keep
MARSHALL FIELD.
MARSHALL FIELD. 385
abreast in the line of his operations with the
demands of a rapidly increasing population
throughout a vast region, possesses qualities
of mind quite equal to, if different in some
respects from, those of the foremost states-
man and soldier; and as the paths of peace
and productiveness gradually gain precedence
over those of military and political strife,
such abilities as his gain recognition accord-
ingly."
The above paragraph, quoted from the
sketch of Mr. Field in Harpers Weekly, is
remarkable on account of its rhetoric. Mar-
shall Field may be a Napoleon in commerce,
but has he given the world anything that may
be beneficial to the future generations? He,
with other millionaires, has shown that great
private fortunes are accumulated, and that it
may be accomplished through the organization
of labor forces, but he has not demonstrated
that he has not taken advantage of his power,
or that he recognizes the true value of his
assistants. Until he manifests the spirit of a
great soldier or a great statesman he will not
gain that recognition that Mr. Wright would
credit him.
25
386 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
However, Mr. Field shows exquisite taste
in the arrangement of his business ; for beauty,
order and congruity are seen in all his belong-
ings. The massive stone structure in which
his wholesale trade is carried on occupies one
block, and is an ornament in the neighbor-
hood. The retail store on State street is also
a fine edifice, where throngs of customers are
served daily. Formerly goods were not dis-
played in the windows, but the prevailing
style of decoration practiced by other mer-
chants, who were prosperous, has been also
adopted by Marshall Field, and goods
may now be seen in great abundance and
variety, making a fine display in the win-
dows.
On account of the great increase of his
trade, Mr. Field is about to enlarge his retail
store by building a nine-story block at the
southwest corner of Wabash avenue and
Washington street, east of the main building.
The cost of the site amounts to nearly $1,000, -
ooo. The building will be strong, beautiful
and convenient, built in the Spanish renais-
sance style; the exterior being of brick and
terra-cotta.
MARSHALL FIELD 387
Mr. Wright says, with truth, that Marshall
Field's success did not come from the absence
of competitors, for they were numerous
enough ; and it may be added that there is not
another firm which did business twenty years
ago in Chicago that is here today. Nine
out of ten in mercantile life do not succeed.
But Marshall Field possesses the key to suc-
cess in trade. "He was born so," says one
who has known him from his childhood.
1 ' When he was at school he was a trader of
Jackknives we called them Barlow knives
then and I remember that he never made a
trade in which he didn't get the best knife. I
have lifted the lid of his desk and counted as
many as fifteen Barlow knives piled up in
one corner. He was not a playful boy at
school, as most boys were. He was generally
reserved in his manner. "
The residence of Mr. Field, which is on
Prairie avenue, just across the street from
that of Fernando Jones' home, is a plain,
substantial building. It is said that it is fur-
nished tastefully, and that the walls are
adorned with gems of art a small but excel-
lent collection. "He is not like some rich
388 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY,
men, who order pictures in blocks of five from
leading dealers, giving them so much time
and no more to obtain them, the dealers
repairing to the Rue Bonaparte, where there
is a factory of old and modern masters,"
writes one who has had access to the home of
the merchant prince. He adds: " Mr. Field
pursues a totally different course, buying no
pictures that he has not seen and liked. The
consequence is that he has already a collection
one that will be quoted, and that will con-
tain standards of criticism the one thing of
absolute necessity in Chicago, and, indeed, in
every city of the United States."
The writer quoted above gives a description
of some of the paintings, as follows: " He has
a Corot, which ought to form the standard by
which people should judge Corots; and a
Millet, which, though small, is one of the
best pictures that the artist ever painted ; and
a Teniers, which is a pearl, and would be
given a place of honor in any national gallery
of old masters in Europe. He has a charm-
ing, exquisite Henner, and a strong, charac-
teristic, genre painting by Defregger; a
piquant little canvas by Vibert, the painter of
MARSHALL FIELD. 389
epigrams; an excellent painting by Meyer von
Bremen; a splendid, but too small, head by
Elihu Vedder, the Blake of America; a fine
example of Schreyer, and some others of less
importance. "
It may be seen that Mr. Field was partial
to painters of established reputation, as an
evidence of true commercial advantage. But,
when he makes a choice in the pieces of art,
more characteristics are displayed, for naturally
he will show more of his taste or feeling in the
selection of a design. As the artist, who pub-
lished an account of Mr. Field's collection in
the Chicago Daily News, has examined and
reported the style of these selections, it is
given below:
' ' There are two examples of Corot, but one
is very small, and hung so that it cannot well
be seen. The other is truly a standard Corot,
and one sees in it immediately the source of
much of Daubigny's inspiration. It represents
a meadow through which a languid stream
flows. Men are carting hay, and there are
women down by the river's side. Beyond the
stream the pasture stretches away with great
breadth. There are trees painted in Corot's
3QO THE WORLDS FAIR CITY.
happiest manner close by the river, and there
are others in the middle distance, a little
wanting in transparency. Beyond is a back-
ground in which the artist has in the breadth
of a quarter of an inch represented a great
stretch of country, and then comes the beauti-
ful sky. * * * The touch is remarkably
light and delicate, and the picture has in gen-
eral an exquisite freshness and transparency.
' ' There are two pictures of Millet, but one
is a pastel in which there is nothing save the
motive of pleasant life that distinguishes the
artist. But the other one is undoubtedly a
standard work, and, in the opinion of the
writer, far superior to the Angelus. It repre-
sents a strong, stout, peasant woman coming
from the watering place with a great pitcher
on her shoulders, but, instead of holding it
with her hand, a cramping and constrained
attitude, she keeps it in place by a noose,
which she holds at arm's length. The sun
has set, and the round yellow moon has risen;
there is enough diffused light in the air to en-
able one to see colors, the green pastures
spread out and reaching back into gloom, and
the dull blue of the woman's dress, with the
GEMS OF ART. 391
contours of her study frame. The picture has
long been an artist's picture, one quoted by
painters for the softness of the light, and for the
genius with which the painter struck the inter-
mediate key between the diffused light of
twilight and the faint moonlight of the just
risen moon. Artists admire a picture for the
art there is in it. Whether, as some critics
claim, you can see in the movement of the
woman a softening and a tenderness produced
in that rugged nature by the influences of the
twilight, or whether this is the pure imagina-
tion of those who think that because they
would be affected the woman must be, mat-
ters nothing. This picture takes rank for its
artistic qualities, whatever may be the case
with other pictures painted by J. F. Millet.
' ' The painting by Teniers came from the
Secretan sale, and is a well-known and
thoroughly authenticated canvas. It repre-
sents a farmyard in Holland, surrounded by
farm buildings, with just a glimpse of the resi-
dence which has one of those quaint Dutch
gables called after Queen Anne, although
they had been in vogue in Holland for nearly
a century. Cows, sheep, goats, have been
392 777^ WORL&S FAIR CITY.
driven into the yard to be watered, and the
man in charge of them is seen in the back-
ground bringing a fresh tub for that purpose.
At the well is a stout farm girl filling a big
pitcher of coarse stoneware, and around the
coping are vessels of highly glazed pottery
which are to be washed. A little imp of a
boy approaches the girl, evidently to ask her
to hurry up and let them water the stock. It
is early in the morning, for the shadows are
lingering still about the buildings. In the
background, on the right-hand side, is a little
bit of landscape, a creek with high and steep
banks and open country beyond, with a hill
against the horizon. The charm of the thing
is the complete naturalness of it, and the ex-
traordinary command of the artist over lights
and shadows. * * * Very few colors are
employed, but these are used with wonderful
mellowness, and the painting attracts atten-
tion at the first glance by the liquidity and
transparency of the coloring.
4 ' The Henner is a portrait of a young lady,
said to be a good likeness, though perhaps a
flattering one. The flattery is not in any ex-
altation of the expression, or any improvement
GEMS OF ART. 393
of the features, or any heightening of the soft
lustre of the eye but in the exquisitely suave
texture of the skin, which the artist has ren-
dered in a way that was never seen on any
face in the world. * * * But it is none
the less certain that the portrait is more than
a portrait, for it is a most fascinating picture,
full of color charm, with the most transparent
shadows, and full of vitality, and expression.
It will be treasured as a picture long after it
has ceased to have value as a portrait.
' ' Defregger's picture represents an old
hunter reciting to a thrilled audience some
dangerous adventure in the Alps in his youth.
There are two girls, types of Tyrolean beauty,
one fair, an ideal Gretchen, the other dark as
a Provence rose, each a foil for the other's
loveliness. The most attractive listener is a
giant mountaineer whose back is to the spec-
tator, and it seems to heave with sympathy.
"Meyer von Bremen's picture is a very
famous one, so famous that it has been repro-
duced in a thousand periodicals and art
journals. It is called The Kind Sister, and
represents a little girl taking out of the bare
foot of a younger brother a troublesome thorn,
394 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
while an elder sister attempts to pacify him.
He is blubbering more than quite becomes
his sex, and his roars of anguish are much
more audible than the bells of the Angelus, if
it is not heresy to say so. The three figures
are well-drawn, and the coloring is remark-
ably pleasing and transparent, and, what is
more, of an honest character, for this picture
will preserve its freshness and naive charm
when many pretentious paintings have gone to
pieces, and have become blurs upon canvas. "
In these pieces of art Mr. Field has most
likely indulged his taste in not only design, but
in his preference for renowned artists. A man
who is so sensitive regarding his surroundings
is often misunderstood by the community, and
called proud and arrogant, when he is only
the victim of his organization. Should a
worthy person, who was clad in untidy gar-
ments, present himself to Marshall Field for
an interview, he would be at a great disad-
vantage; for that gentleman would be repelled
on account of the person's exterior appearance.
He might better call upon a man who pos-
sesses the intellectual force that always rises
above material surroundings.
MARSHALL FIELD. 395
Mr. Field has absorbed culture, as it were,
having arrived at circumstances which would
insure him the privilege of travel and access
to the society that needs wealthy men as a
means for its advancement. By his gift of
commercial ability he has raised the credit of
Chicago, and has been one of the prime
actors that has advanced her material pros-
perity. The work he has accomplished in the
world of enterprise was necessary, commend-
able and noteworthy, but it has its limit.
Another generation may see the force, that he
has manifested, without an opportunity to act.
In the wise provisions of God's laws, every
necessity seems to have formed a brain to do
its work.
Marshall Field was born in Conway, Mass-
achusetts, in 1835. His father was a farmer.
This fact may account for the sentiment Mr.
Field has exhibited in his selection of paint-
ings of rural scenery; thus reminding him
of his early life, when perhaps he little
dreamed of his future financial success. It
seems that his education did not extend be-
yond the common branches, for at the age of
seventeen he commenced service as clerk in a
396 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
dry goods establishment at Pittsfield, in his
native state, where he remained four years.
At this time he was twenty-one years old
and with the experience he possessed, of mer-
cantile business, with his natural aptitude, he
started for the city by the Lake, and was im-
mediately employed by Cooley, Wadsworth
& Company, dry goods merchants. He
proved himself attentive to business, and
showed such good judgment in matters of the
trade that in 1860 he was promoted to a mem-
bership in the firm, which was changed to
Cooley, Farwell & Company. Soon after-
ward it was known as the firm of Farwell,
Field & Company; but this partnership sub-
sequently dissolved, and in 1865 Marshall
Field and L. Z. Leiter bought shares in
Potter Palmer's store forming the firm of Field,
Leiter & Company. Two years afterward
Mr. Palmer sold his share, and the other
members continued in business until 1881,
when Mr. Leiter sold his interest to Mr. Field.
The firm is now known as Marshall Field &
Company.
At the close of the year 1890, Robert M.
Fair, general manager of the wholesale house
MARSHALL FIELD. 397
of Field & Company, reported it as the most
prosperous year in the dry goods business
that Chicago ever experienced, the volume
of business being increased fully five to ten
per cent over results of any previous year.
"Values," he says, "are about the same
as last year (1889), but will undoubtedly
rise in the spring just in proportion to
the added prices placed by the new tariff
schedule."
During the year 1 890 this firm paid $ i , 400, -
ooo customs duties to the government, and
when the McKinley bill went into effect it
was increased $800,000. Although the tax
falls upon the consumer, Mr. Field objected
to this arbitrary method of being compelled
to assist in the oppression, and appealed to
the government. When he was obliged to
pay $3,000 duty on $1,400 worth of pearl
buttons imported from Austria, he was right-
eously indignant, and was willing that Gov-
ernor Campbell, of Ohio, Representative
Springer and others should use the circum-
stance in their attack against the law,
although other members of the firm were not
of the same mind regarding the subject.
398 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
Regarding Mr. Field's benevolence, Mr.
Wright writes : ' ' Though he contributes
freely to worthy objects he has pronounced
views in the matter of giving, and is careful
not to add to the indiscriminate benevolence
that often does more harm than good. His
desire is to avoid any responsibility for blunt-
ing endeavor or for encouraging idleness."
Mr. Wright handles his subject so gently and
apparently with so much of a tone of apology
that one might be suspicious that Mr. Field
was not so liberal with his money as he
is clever in acquiring it, and the artful
writer describes a noticeable trait of Mr.
Field's character as modesty by saying, ' ' He
is of a retiring disposition, and shrinks from
newspaper notoriety. Anything like ostenta-
tion in charity he studiously avoids. "
An ugly term is that word charity, when ap-
plied to the giving of money assistance, and
Mr. Field shows distinctly good taste when
he avoids ostentation in dispensing the results
of what may be called his unearned incre-
ment.
Marshall Field gave the site for the build-
ing of the ' ' University of Chicago, " which is
CHICAGO UNIVERSITY. 399
now being organized. The ground is valued
at $100,000. This University, with President
Harper at its head, bids fair to make the
World's Fair city a great educational center,
thus enhancing its importance. Mr. Rocke-
feller, of New York, started the fund by giving
$2,600,000, one half of which is to be used for
the construction of a dormitory for the divin-
ity school. Later Mr. Field subscribed $100, -
ooo for the building provided $750,000 more
should be raised.
It is promised that the University will be
opened the first day of October, 1892. Ap-
plications from all over the country have been
made and the building must be ready to re-
ceive them.
There is a large number of men employed
in both the wholesale and retail establish-
ments, of which Marshall Field is the head.
These men represent a variety of characters,
few of which are under the direct control of
Mr. Field. But the choice of a private
secretary may give one somewhat of an in-
sight into the character of his employer. An
interview with the man the merchant prince
employs in that capacity would not make one
4OO THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
estimate, to a high degree, Mr. Field's idea of
a representative. He, the secretary, seems
to look upon interviewers as enemies of his
master, and by his insolence makes the sensi-
tive inquirer cry out :
" O monster! mixed of insolence and fear,
Thou dog in forehead, but in heart a deer!"
There is no doubt that he is a model serv-
ant who gives his best manners to his
immediate superior.
Money is not an equivalent for everything;
there are many things it cannot purchase ; but
as every man is a consumer, he ought to be
able to supply the necessities of consumption.
Very great talent, in the ordinary sense of
that term, is not necessary to success in
acquiring riches; but the development of cer-
tain qualities always improves one to cope
with existing circumstances. Marshall Field
can purchase any material he wishes for, but
he knows it is all perishable, and, outside of
the world of Trade, he has probably no
interest that gives him more happiness.
In appearance, Mr. Field is somewhat
attractive. His career as proprietor, or master,
of his business has imprinted an expression
MARSHALL FIELD. 401
upon his features of masterful repose. Mr.
Wright says that he is a Presbyterian in
his religious predilections, but is not a com-
municant. In another paragraph he says that
he is a member of most of the principal clubs,
but cannot be called a club-man. All of these
traits harmonize, and pronounce Mr. Field a
man of sensitive organization. He attracts
wealth, but lacks the power of understanding
how to administer it. Goethe said : ' ' Nobody
should be rich but those who understand it."
Emerson said: "I have never seen a rich
man. I have never seen a man as rich as all
men ought to be, or, with an adequate com-
mand of nature. The pulpit and the press
have many commonplaces denouncing the
thirst for wealth ; but if men should take these
moralists at their word, and leave off aiming
to be rich, the moralists would rush to re-
kindle at all hazards this love of power in the
people, lest civilization should be undone."
The power of riches, like the power of knowl-
edge, lies in the disposition of it; but when
the owner has not the ability, or understand-
ing, to use his power, he should not be con-
demned.
26
402 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
"Those who are esteemed umpires of taste,
are often persons who have acquired some
knowledge of admired pictures or sculptures,
and have an inclination for whatever is ele-
gant, but if you inquire whether they are
beautiful souls, and whether their own acts are
like fair pictures, you learn that they are sel-
fish and sensual. The : ." cultivation is local,
as if you should rub a log of dry wood in one
spot to produce fire, all the rest remaining
cold."
Marshall Field was married in 1 863 to Miss
Nannie Scott, daughter of Robert Scott, a
prominent iron-master of Ironton, Ohio. They
have two children, a son and daughter, both
of whom are married.
HON. CHAS. B. FARWELL.
CHAPTER XV.
HONS. CHARLES B. AND JOHN V. FARWELL.
The life of the Farwells is an interesting study. They
diverged from the start, and yet both men are millionaires, and
one is a United States Senator. Chicago Sunday Tribune,
March 23, 1890.
The daring spirit of Chicago's enterprising
sons seems unlimited. There is nothing so
high or so extensive that can daunt their in-
domitable courage, and, despite all obstruc-
tions that may lie in the way, they generally
succeed. The Farwells are among these sons,
and may claim a conspicuous place in their
history; but not so much on account of their
dollars as of their deeds.
The legislature of the State of Texas passed
an act, in 1879, appropriating three million
acres of land for the purpose of building a
State Capitol. The land lay in the counties of
Dallam, Hartley, Oldham, Deaf Smith, Far-
mer, Bailey, Lamb, Castro and Hockley;
embracing territory equal to that of the State
of Connecticut. It was to be used for farm-
ing or grazing. Hon. John V. Farwell, Senator
403
404 THE WORLDS FAIR CITY.
Charles B. Farwell and Representative Abner
Taylor secured the contract, in 1882, and,
although they were several times delayed
through a desire on the part of the State to
change its plans for the building, they suc-
ceeded in completing the structure, and in
turning it over to the State in the summer of
1889.
It is the largest capitol building of all the
States in the Union, and is the seventh largest
building in the world. It is said that promi-
nent men from New York State, who were
present at the dedication of the Texas Capitol,
remarked that they would be willing to ex-
change their capitol building at Albany for it,
and give two million dollars besides, notwith-
standing the fact that the cost of the Albany
structure approximates nearly $22,000,0x30.
Another interesting fact is that the Chicago
company did not receive one cent in money
from the state for the building.
The design of the Texas Capitol is somewhat
Grecian; its form resembling a Greek cross
with projecting center and flanks; rotunda
and dome at the intersection of the main
corridors. Besides the basement and dome,
THE TEXAS CAPITOL. 405
it is three stories in height, comprising busi-
ness and storage apartments, offices, vaults,
etc. It has all the appliances and conven-
iences generally used in a complete modern
State Capitol.
The land, which has required a vast outlay
of expense for fencing, watering and other
improvements, is used as a cattle ranch, where
one hundred and fifty thousand head of cattle
are grazing; being the means employed to
pay the interest of this remarkable invest-
ment.
John V. Farwell, two years after the con-
tract was closed, succeeded in raising the
. money in England, for the expense of the
capitol building. It is said that he secured
the services of William Sturges who assisted
him in forming what is known as the " Capitol
Freehold Land and Investment Company."
Debenture bonds to the amount of 1,000,000
sterling were issued on two million shares of
stock, on which they succeeded in raising
$5,000,000. This transaction has resulted in
a litigation, which involves $1,2 10,000 between
the Farwells and Mr. Sturges. The latter
claims that he was, by agreement with the
406 THE WORLD S FAIR CITY.
company, entitled to two-fifths of the amount
raised over $3,000,000, which was the sum
required to build the State House, conse-
quently he has begun proceedings in the courts
of this country and in England, for his com-
mission on the sale of bonds.
Colonel A. C. Babcock, another plaintiff,
has also begun a suit against J. V. Farwell &
Co., J. V. Farwell, C. B. Farwell and Abner
Taylor for $750,000, or 15,000 shares of stock
in the company which he claims for his share
of the original co-partnership under which
the contract with the state of Texas was
secured.
The parents of the Messrs. Farwells moved
to Illinois nearly sixty years ago, and with a
determination, united with strong faith, they
succeeded in adding to their stock of worldly
goods, and in repairing their abode from that
of a log-house to one of brick, in a few
years, and to the credit of ' ' the boys, "
it is said that they made the brick, cut
the stone for the sills and caps, and
made a wagon to haul them by sawing
large logs for wheels. Henry Farwell, the
father, was a bright, energetic man, who was
HON. JOHN V. FAR WELL. 407
recognized somewhat as a leader by the
neighborhood.
Hon. John V. Farwell is the most ardent
Christian of all Chicago's millionaires. Re-
garding the closing of the World's Fair on Sun-
day, he says: " When men attempt to change
the decalogue they make a grave mistake;
but they are endeavoring to alter the time-
table of heaven, which gives us the Sabbath
for rest. It was made for man, and not for
angels or devils. America today holds a
stronger place in the mind's eye of the nations
of the world than any other power on the
globe. We are rapidly becoming the most
powerful nation on earth. We sprung from
a people imbued with the spirit of Sabbath
observance.
"Old England is very much out of joint
with cutting off connection with us at that
memorable tea-party. The international ex-
position at London was not open on Sunday,
for the spirit of the English people is in favor
of keeping the Sabbath. The progress of
that country is the most wonderful of any on
earth. It is a little island, but the sun
never sets on its possessions. I believe this
408 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
prosperity is by reason of the fact that they
are a Christian and Sabbath-observing people. "
Born in 1825, John V. Farwell is fast
approaching his seventieth year. He has
lived in Chicago since 1845, and although he
entered the city with only $3. 25 he has accum-
ulated wealth, and made a reputation that, on
account of his inconsistency of conduct is not
enviable. Although the people may pronounce
those, who make long prayers, and wear a
saintly countenance upon the Sabbath day,
but are somewhat careless in their dealings,
hypocrites, their sincerity is no less a fact.
" Every excess causes a defect; every defect
an excess. " Mr. Farwell is intensely religious,
but like many other human beings, may lack
moral proportion. " If an angel should come
to chant the chorus of the moral law, he would
take liberties with private letters, or do some
precious atrocity," says an oracle.
His biographer writes: " Until the age of
sixteen Mr. Farwell lived upon his father's
farm, attending school during the winter
months. At that time, although he possessed
but limited means, he determined to have a
more complete education, and accordingly
HON. JOHN V. FAR WELL. 409
entered Mount Morris Seminary, devoting
himself earnestly to those branches essential
to success in business. He gave special at-
tention to mathematics, book-keeping and
composition, and, for the sake of economy,
boarded himself, continuing his studies until
he had acquired a good business educa-
tion. "
It may be seen that young Farwell started
out in his career well equipped for any ob :
stacle that might come in his way. When he
arrived in the city of Chicago he found em-
ployment in the City Clerk's office on a salary
of $12 per month, with the privilege of report-
ing the proceedings of the Council, for which
he received $2 per report; but it is said that,
he was not long in this position, on account of
his strict adherence to facts, the reports of
which were unpleasant to the authors of
crooked ways. But he was not long out of
employment; he engaged as clerk in a dry
goods house, at a salary of $8 a month; where
he remained one year. The next year he was
employed in the establishment of Hamlin &
Day at a salary of $280. Later he got a salary
of $600 as book-keeper with the wholesale firm
410 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
t
of Messrs. Wadsworth & Phelps. In 1851
he was a partner in the firm, which then was
conducting a large business. Nine years later
he became the head of the firm, where he has
now served over forty years.
During the history of this house it has been
destroyed by fire twice. The first occurred
on a Sunday afternoon, but before the next
Saturday night, order was restored and the
store was in full operation. The next was
the great fire of October 9, 1871, which stopped
business for about two weeks, after which,
a temporary building was occupied until a
five story structure was completed, which is
part of their present store, located on the
corner of Monroe and Market streets. It was
observed by the Chicago Tribune that this
firm was chiefly responsible for the starting
of a new business center, and for making what,
in ante-fire days, seemed destined to be an
eternally valueless portion of the city, into a
thriving business quarter. Many leading firms
soon erected buildings \vithin a few blocks of
them, thus giving great value to a formerly
undesirable location and equalizing real estate
values over a large district.
YOUNG MENS CHRISTIAN ASSOCIA TION. 4 1 I
Mr. Farwell has been closely connected with
the Young Men's Christian Association in Chi-
cago, and the success of that institution is
largely due to his efforts and his contribu-
tions. He has been active in works of charity
and always foremost in public enterprise.
During the civil war, the Chicago Young
Men's Christian Association presented to
Captain Charles W. Barker, one of the Chi-
cago Dragoons, a large blue silk flag with a silk
fringe in red, white and blue. On one side, on
a clouded background, was a mounted dragoon
in gold, and the motto: " We will pray for
you," placed above the figure and surrounded
by thirty-five stars. On the other side ap-
peared an American eagle, with the motto:
"In God is our trust." Mr. Farwell made
the presentation speech, which is given as
follows :
' ' Captain Barker, I need not tell you that
history informs us, that in all ages of the
world, emblems of nationality have com-
manded the homage, the purse, and heart's
blood if need be of every true patriot; and
in America, sir, every insult to that Magna
Charta of our blood-bought rights, brings to
412 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
its rescue men who will peril their all to
defend its honor. In every controversy, indi-
vidual or national, there is a right and a wrong
side, and ' thrice is he armed who hath his
quarrel just.'
"A heathen general once ordered his sub-
ordinates to number his army, before engaging
a very much larger force in battle. The work
being done, they reported a force of ten thou-
sand men to go out against forty thousand, and
counseled a surrender. The general said they
had made an egregious blunder in the num-
bering of his men.
"After asserting that they had numbered
them correctly, said he, ' How many did you
put me down for ? '
" 'Only one sir.'
' ' ' Bad mistake, gentlemen ; you will let me
.number them over again. Our cause is just.
You may, therefore, put me down for twenty
thousand, and for each one of my soldiers you
may count four, making in all sixty thousand
against forty thousand of the enemy, every
man of whom is not over half a man, when
fighting against the right. Now will you fight
them?'
HON. JOHN V. FAR WELL. 4 1 3
" 'Aye, sir, and whip them, too,' and they
were as good as their word.
" On behalf of the Young Men's Christian
Association, many of whose number are under
your command, I present you this flag, the
emblem of our dearly bought liberties, expect-
ing that you will trust in God while under
its folds, and be counted twenty thousand
against its enemies, and every man of your
command, a host, to follow your lead in
placing it in the record of national glory,
second to none that waves in the free air of
heaven.
' ' Your commander-in-chief, the President
of the United States, on taking leave of his
home in Springfield to assume the guardian-
ship of our National flag, said : ' I have a
greater task before me than that which en-
gaged the soul of a Washington, and without
the assistance of the God of Nations, I cannot
succeed; with it I cannot fail.'
' ' I believe, sir, that he will not fail, for I
believe that the God of Washington is Lincoln's
God, not for personal aggrandizement, but
for our national weal, and the world's redemp-
tion from tyranny. And now, sir, while I
414 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
hand you this stand of colors, permit me to
propose this sentiment:'
" Down with the traitors' serpent flag!
Death to the wretch o'er whom it waves,
And let our heaven born banner float
O'er freemen's homes and traitors' graves."
In those days Mr. Farwell was in the prime
of life, and there is no doubt that he enjoyed,
with great satisfaction, the exercise of his
religious enthusiasm.
During the rebellion he visited the seat of
war as a member of the United States Chris-
tian Commission, and, by correspondence
with the Northwestern Christian Advocate, gave
some very interesting anecdotes about the
Southern negroes. Among them are the
following, clipped from that paper:
"Thanks to the God of Justice and Abra-
nam Lincoln that the colored man's answer
to a delegate's question, ' What does U. S.
mean?' as it stands on the badge of the U. S.
Christian Commission, is prophetic of the
coming position of his countrymen said he,
' It means us.'
4 ' These breastworks, " writes Mr. Farwell,
1 ' made by colored soldiers, those muskets,
and those cannon borne and manned by
U. S. CHRISTIAN COMMISSION. 415
colored troops, and those graves filled by
colored dead, speak to us of the rights of
black men in tones that cannot be stifled by
the cry of ' Nigger worshipper ' in the ears of
the American people. They do mean us
most surely.
"On the boat we saw a very intelligent
contraband, with whom we had the following
conversation: 'What is your name?' 'Eli
Brown.' 'Any relation to John Brown?'
' No, massa; but I have heard of him in Rich-
mond. It cost Gov. Wise millions to hang
him, but his soul is marching on.' ' You are
from Richmond, then, and, of course, you
recognise Jeff. Davis and the Southern con-
federacy?' 'No, sar, I doesn't, nohow.'
" 'Haven't you heard that Lincoln is going
to do it?' With a look of astonishment, he
was speechless for a minute, and then gather-
ing faith in the author of the proclamation,
said he, ' Wai, sar, when Mister Lincoln does
dat, den I will.'
' ' ' How did you get here ? ' 'I runned
away, sar. Massa Allen didn't consult me
when he sold my two chil'uns, so I no con-
sult him when I leaved him.'
41 6 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY
" 'White people down South say that
you black people cannot take care of your-
selves when you are free ; how is that ? '
" 'Wai, massa, we takes care of them and
us too, when we's slaves can't we take care
of us alone when we's free? '
"We attended a colored prayer-meeting
at City Point, where the leader of the meet-
ing shook hands with most every man in
the house. He spoke with such force and
clearness that he commanded the attention of
the learned ministers, from New York, who
were present. I took occasion to talk with
him after the services, and found that he was
a slave from Louisville, Kentucky was a
preacher, and gave this account of his first
sermon:
' ' He was sixty years old. At the age of
thirty he had a vision, in which the first
chapter of Job and the second chapter of Acts
were given to him word for word, and the
next day being Sabbath, he repeated the two
chapters, and spoke to his brethren. After
the services, a white man, who knew him
well, asked him where he had learned them,
when he gave him the facts, and this friend
U. S CHRISTIAN COMMISSION. 417
took out his bible and read them to him. He
had never before known that there were such
books in the bible as the book of Job and the
Acts. Job bereft of all he had, and the dis-
ciples of Jesus endued with the Holy Ghost,
and having all things in common, was to him
all the theology he needed to preach to the
slave who was bereft of all, surely yet the
gift of the Holy Spirit was left within his
grasp, which levels all distinctions and raises
to a common level, in the regards of the great
All, Father, every child of the dust. "
President Grant appointed Mr. Farwell
as a member of the Board of Indian Com-
missioners, which was accepted and the
duties of his office performed with earnestness
and faithfulness. The original letter of
appointment reads:
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,
WASHINGTON, D. C., isth April, 1869.
Dear Sir: The President has directed me to invite
you to become one of the Commission to act as auxil-
iary to this Department in the supervision of the work
of gathering the Indians upon reservations, etc.
The Commission will serve without pay, except for
expenses actually incurred in traveling/and is expected
to act both as consulting advisers, and (through their
sub-committees) as Inspectors of the Agencies, etc. , in
the Indian Country,
27
41 8 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
The design of those who suggested the Commission
was that something like a Christian Commission
should be established, having the civilization of the
Indian in view, and laboring to stimulate public
interest in this work, whilst also co-operating with the
Department in the specific purpose mentioned.
*******
Earnestly hoping you will consent to your appoint-
ment; and that you will in any event withhold any
refusal until the preliminary meeting has been held,
and you have thus been enabled to discuss more fully
the objects and the importance of the contemplated
movement.
I am, very respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
J. D. Cox, ETC.
Hon. John V. Farwell, Chicago.
Mr. Farwell has never taken any active
part in politics, although he has been honored
with positions of public and private trust. In
1864, when Abraham Lincoln was re-elected
President of the United States, he was one
of the Electors. Before the election he wrote
a letter to the press in relation to his political
views, which closed as follows:
" If I am chosen as one of the Presidential
Electors of the great State of Illinois, which
has furnished the best President, and the
best General, since the days of Washington,
I herewith give notice to the voters who shall
HON. JOHN V. FAR WELL. 419
so elect me, that I shall vote to place them
securely in Abraham's bosom, and not in the
hearse of the grave-digger of Chickahominy,
for political burial in the graveyard of nations. "
Although the imperfections of individuals
are at times almost unbearable it must be
conceded that every one is entitled to some
honor.
When fourteen years old Mr. Farvvell be-
came a member of the Methodist Church, but
finally changed his membership to that of
the Presbyterian. He believes in a broad
Christian platform upon which all may stand.
When Mr. D wight L. Moody organised the
"North Market Mission," Mr. Farwell was
Superintendent of it, and contributed liberally
towards its current expenses, and when it
developed into a Church, which was erected
on Illinois street, he gave $10,000 towards the
building fund.
Mr. Farwell was one of the prime movers in
the establishment of theYoung Men's Christian
Association of Chicago. He served in that asso-
ciatjon as Trustee, Vice-President and Presi-
dent for several years. His last official report
was made in 1876. The ground upon which
420 THE WORLDS FAIR CITY.
the building stands, was bought of him, and
paid for in stock; but, when several losses by
fire were sustained, he was among the num-
ber that donated their entire stock to the
association, thus relieving it from all em-
barassment.
At the suggestion of Mr. Moody the build-
ing was named " Farwell Hall." In addition
to the auditorium, it contains offices, and
rooms for lectures, prayers and reading. Mr.
Farwell spent three months in London with
Mr. Moody, taking a great interest in his
efforts for the spread of Christian principles.
Hon. Charles B. Farwell was born in the
village of Mead Creek, near Painted Post,
Steuben County, New York, July i, 1823.
The first fifteen years of his life was* spent at
home and in the vicinity of his birthplace.
He attended the Elmira Academy, where, it
is said, that he ranked high in deportment
and scholarship; but in 1838 his parents re-
moved to Illinois, and he left the school very
reluctantly.
He was a bright pupil in mathematics, and,
being of an active disposition, soon secured a
position with a party of government surveyors.
HON. CHARLES B. FARWELL. 42 I
Although young and inexperienced, he filled
the position very acceptably for three years,
helping his father on the farm when not en-
gaged in surveying.
At the age of twenty-one young Farwell
started out in the world for himself, and, with
ten dollars to fortify himself against want for
a time, went to try a hand with Dame Fortune
in Chicago, then (1844) a city of seven or
eight thousand inhabitants. Many others have
done likewise; some succeeded and some failed,
but Charles B. Farwell was so constituted that
his aims would not be directed towards any-
thing but success, and his natural environ-
ments were such that his path would never be
obstructed by his yielding to temptations that
would dissipate his forces. That he was un-
known and friendless in a strange city did not
daunt his strong spirit, for he soon found em-
ployment in the County Court, where he re-
mained until he engaged in the real estate
business. Subsequently he was employed in
the principal bank of the city as teller.
In 1853, Mr. Farwell was elected Clerk of
the County Court, and by re-election held the
office for eight years. He was well fitted for
422 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
the position which gave him an insight into
the arena of politics, and developed his char-
acter for public life. He could easily grasp
political situations, and his straight for-
ward course in business matters made him
popular with the honest citizen, and made
him enemies among the unscrupulous offi-
cials.
This man has been closely identified with
every public enterprise connected with Chi-
cago. ' ' No enterprise, " says his biographer,
"of a noble or philanthropic character is ever
started that does not have his ready sympathy
and aid to the extent of his ability. " He is a
keen observer of the traits of human nature,
and intensely interested in the progressive
elements of civilization. Although he has
always been able to help himself, he can un-
derstand the fact that there are those who are
not so well equipped, but, need the helping
hand of a brother, in order to overcome dif-
ficulties. It is said: "No appeal for help is
ever disregarded by him, and perhaps it would
be difficult to find one whose practical life
yields a more constant flow of noiseless charity. "
After Mr. Farwell's term of office as County
HON. CHARLES B. FARWELL, 423
Clerk expired in 1861, he engaged in the com-
mission business with his younger brother,
Simeon, and at the end of two years became
a partner in the firm of John V. Farwell &
Company, of which he is yet a member. In
the meantime he has been in public life, serv-
ing as Chairman of the Board of Supervisors
of Cook County in 1868; and in 1870 was
elected to Congress and by re-election repre-
sented Chicago three times. On account of
his thorough knowledge and skill in the prob-
lems of finance, Mr. Farwell always occupied
a prominent position on the Committee of
Banking and Currency, in the House of Rep-
resentatives.
When he was a member of the United
States Senate, the friends of Chicago were
soliciting Congress for the privilege of holding
the World's Fair in this city he took the
responsibility of carrying that measure through
the Senate. During his service in both de-
partments of legislation, Mr. Farwell was dis-
tinguished as a leader, but not as a speaker.
He is a natural politician, and was a success-
ful worker in the committees of which he was
a member.
424 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
The Messrs. Farwell live in princely style.
They have fine residences in the city, and in
Lake Forrest. They know how to live like
millionaires, and like princes. Although these
men are not alike in their general character,
they have some traits in common. One is
religious in the orthodox sense of the term;
the other may be religious, but does not man-
ifest it in the general way.
Charles B. Farwell has four children living.
Mrs. De Koven, Walter Farwell, Mrs. Win-
ston and Mrs. Taylor. Mrs. Taylor the
youngest was married in June, 1890. The
ceremony was performed at Lake Forrest be-
fore a large number of prominent people.
Kose Farwell, the bride, graduated from the
Lake Forrest University the day before her
wedding, and her classmates attended the
ceremony in their graduating costume, which
was very simple, and in striking contrast to
that of the bride.
A magnificant piece of Brussel's point lace
which adorned the front of the skirt, is known
to be a century old. Mrs. Farwell purchased
it at the Paris Exposition, and it is said that
the remaining half of the piece was looked
MISS ROSE FARWELL. 425
upon with longing eyes by the Prince of Wales,
who procured it for the future wedding of one
of his daughters.
The gift of Mr. Taylor to his bride was a
magnificent crescent of diamonds each one a
gem holding in its points a four leaved clover
of the same precious stones, with a large ruby
in the center.
The following sketch of Miss Farwell ap-
peared in the Chicago Evening Journal the
next day after the wedding:
Miss Rose Farwell is the youngest daughter of Hon.
and Mrs. Charles B. Farwell. Yesterday she was but
a school girl; today the wife of a wealthy social leader.
Well named, indeed, is she whose whole life long has
been strewn with roses and who has had not one, but
all the lovely things of life heaped upon in richest pro-
fusion. Born in the elegant mansion she leaves today,
she has spent her life amid the beautiful groves which
surround it, and her fearlessness is surely born of her
free and happy life. Some four years ago she gradu-
ated at Ferry Hall Seminary having at that time the
usual education considered necessary for a young lady.
Her father, not satisfied with this, however, decided
that she should have a more liberal education and
deemed it wise that she take the full collegiate course at
I^ake Forrest Institute, and that no more favors be
shown her in any way, exacting as stern a discipline
and as vigorous training as if she were some mis-
chievous young girl working her way for her education.
She has succeeded in all of this despite the demands re-
quired by her father's position and but yesterday, with
426 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
all the dignity of an alumni, she read her graduating
essay on ' ' The Decay of Puritanism. ' ' Nor has all this
resulted in the least little bit in suppressing her sweet
girlishness or modifying that inborn love for out-of-door
sports in which she so greatly excels. Her father says
she can ride any horse which she can mount and her
latest acquisition in tha/t line is a thoroughbred racer
brought for her special use from Kentucky, and which
she handles with consummate ease. Add to that her
proficiency in lawn tennis, her skill in handling the
ribbons, and she is a perfect specimen of a beautiful and
accomplished daughter, the result of an education
thoroughly American.
And all this triumph of civilization is most fittingly
chosen to adorn the home of the groom of today, Mr.
Hobart Chatfield Taylor, a young man whose wealth is
counted among the millions and which he inherits
from his father, the late Henry Hobart Taylor.
COL. GEO. R. DAVIS.
CHAPTER XVI.
COL. GEORGE R. DAVIS,
DIRECTOR-GENERAL OP THE WORLD'S COLUMBIAN
EXPOSITION.
" None but the brave deserve the Fair."
The task of organizing the forces that are
needed in such a great undertaking as that
of the World's Columbian Exposition, which,
not only celebrates the four hundredth anni-
versary of the great navigator's discovery, but
brings together the results of progressive
civilization up to the present time, has de-
volved upon Col. George R. Davis, who,
it is conceded, is a born leader and or-
ganizer.
The members of the National Commission
were unanimous in their choice of this man.
His record in public affairs decided the selec-
tion. He has a wonderful knowledge of
human nature, well versed in the affairs of
the world, and, it is said, possesses that
subtle tact which is often called diplomacy.
With keen perception and comprehensive
427
428 THE WORLDS FAIR CITY.
views, he handles the multiform forces that
are subject to his orders without blundering,
and executes his tasks with rare ability.
Col. George R. Davis was born at Three
Rivers, Massachusetts, in 1840, and received
his early education in the public schools of
Ware, in the same State, where his paternal
ancestors had lived for over a hundred years.
He graduated at Willston Seminary, East
Hampton, in 1860. When the civil war
broke out young Davis volunteered to serve
in the army, and was promoted to the rank of
Major in 1863. His record in the army is very
creditable, and due to his natural ability for
organization, which he displayed in connec-
tion with the difficult duties required in the
Quartermaster's Department. In 1869 he
was moved to the headquarters at Chicago,
where he has ever since been a resident. In
1871 he went into business, connected with
the financial management of some of the
largest insurance companies in the United
States. A man endowed with such rare
executive ability would naturally be chosen
as leader of his party. In 1878 he was
elected to Congress, and served three successive
COL. GEORGE R. DAVIS. 429
terms, during which he gained distinction
in carrying through measures of public im-
portance among which are the improvements
of the Chicago harbor.
In the fall of 1886 Col. Davis was elected
Treasurer of Cook county, holding the office
for a term of four years. He has a family of
six children, two sons and four daughters.
Mrs. Davis, his wife, was a resident of New
Orleans before her marriage, which occurred
in 1867. They reside on the West Side in a
very pretty house which is often the scene of
pleasant social gatherings. Col. Davis is a
genial host. He is a descendant of a Quaker
family on his mother's side, and has inherited
to a great degree the friendly disposition ex-
hibited by that sect.
The Director-General has the conduct of
the Exposition under his direction, and in
order to show how he appreciates the respon-
sibility, and his comprehensive view of its im-
portance, historical and otherwise, his remarks
at the dinner given in the interest of the
World's Columbian Exposition by the New
York Members of the National Commission,
at Delmonico's, December 21, 1891, are
430 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
presented to the public. A copy of the invita-
tion is given below:
101 FULTON STREET, NEW YORK,
Dec. 9th, 1891.
MR. GEORGE R. DAVIS.
On behalf of the National Commissioners of the World's
Columbian Exposition, appointed for the State of New
York, Messrs. Chauncey M. Depew, Gorton W. Allen, aod
John Boyd Thacher, I have the honor to invite you to meet
them at dinner on Monday, December 21st, at Delmonico's,
6:30 P. M., to consider New York's interest and duty in connec.
tion with the Great World's Fair. They hope to have the
pleasure of your presence on that occasion. Yours truly,
J. SEAVER PAGE.
GENTLEMEN:
Being called upon in my official capacity as Director-
General of the World's Columbian Exposition, through
your courtesy I wish to express my appreciation of
your consideration in extending to me an invitation to
be present at this banquet in the great metropolis of
the Nation, and to assure you of my pleasure at the
opportunity to meet face to face and to clasp the
friendly hands of so many gentlemen of New York and
of other States men distinguished in national and
international affairs, who, with rne, are equally desir-
ous that the World's Fair of 1893 shall in every way
be a success; shall in every way express to the world
the productiveness of American, soil, the wealth of
American genius, the breadth of American intellect,
the warmth of the American heart, the generosity of
the American people, and the superior qualities and
characteristics of our great democratic form of govern-
ment over all other forms of government in the world.
Standing in such a distinguished presence and with
such a subject calling us together, I feel sure that all
thought of local jnteres; aad of all personal, ambitious
THE WORLD'S COL UMBIAN EXPOSITION. 43 I
ends will have no place among us, and that we shall
be inspired by the single ambition that we are brothers
of one family, seeking to build up and improve the
Father's domain, and by so doing build up and im-
prove ourselves.
As the key to our thought we may ask the general
question: "What is the intent of the World's Fair?
What lesson is it to inculcate ? What influences is it
to exert upon the world and upon our Nation ?"
As a general answer it may be said that the World's
Columbian Exposition is intended to express our
gratitude to all nations of the earth that have in any
way promoted our prosperity and made our national
life possible. Under that gracious Providence, which
Mr. Lincoln in his farewell address to his neighbors in
Springfield appealed to; that Washington at all times
relied upon ; without which he could not have suc-
ceeded under this Providence we are indebted to all
of the nations of the earth for our place and station in
the world. Our country has gathered profit alike out
of the successes and the misfortunes of other nations
and governments of the world.
As a general statement it may be said that the
nations of the earth, which have contributed to our
national success, are not jealous of us, but they are
rather proud of the part they have had in our upbuild-
ing, and the greater the success of the World's Colum-
bian Exposition the greater will be the glory reflected
upon them. An inferior Exposition would naturally
lower us in our own estimation and would subtract
from the renown of the nations that have helped us.
The Exposition is to be American sunshine and
soil, American skill and genius, American scholarship
and thought, against all the world, and the world
will be the prouder and all the better if we gain the
victory.
432 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
Any consideration of our indebtedness to the nations
of the world must of necessity lead us to reflect upon
the leading character who stood out as the representa-
tive of the best thought of those nations, and who
pushed their people out to our assistance.
Fourteen hundred and ninety-two, eighteen hundred
and ninety- two and three these dates spanning four
hundred years, bring Spain and Columbia together,
and lead us to acknowledge our indebtedness to Spain.
The education of Columbus in the great schools of
his time and his experience in navigation gained by
his several voyages upon the Mediterranean; the
valuable charts, journals, and memoranda of a dis-
tinguished navigator, which came into his possession
through his fortunate marriage, his great struggle for
a livelihood when residing at Lisbon, the very center
of geographical speculation and adventure, all con-
spired to incite the adventurous spirit of Columbus,
and it was here that he first felt the inspiration and
declared "that there was land to the westward,'' and
that a faithful voyaging in that direction would land
the navigator on the eastern shores of Asia.
The story of Columbus is familiar. His repulses
and discouragements were great, and it was some ten
years later that we find him a weary traveler, leading
by the hand his little motherless son, Diego; when,
overcome with fatigue and hunger, he asked for bread
and water for his famishing child at the Convent of La
Rabida. Here he was welcomed by the Brother
Superior and bountifully supplied. The brothers of
the convent became so interested in the grandeur of
his views that the Brother Superior then and there
promised that he would exert on behalf of Columbus
such influence as might be necessary to secure to
Columbus a hearing before Ferdinand and Isabella,
whica promise this Brother Superior faithfully fulfilled.
THE WORLD'S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION. 433
This incident in the life of Columbus has always
impressed me with the sense of gratitude that the
world scientific and the world commercial owe the
world religious, and more especially the debt of grati-
tude the people of this country of ours owe to the
brothers of this convent and especially to the Brother
Superior, for on this incident and the faithfulness of
this Superior to his promise, swings the door through
which Columbus passed to the discovery of this con-
tinent.
Many years passed during which Columbus struggled
when his appeal to the Spanish court was not listened
to. Aye, when turned adrift with the admonition,
" Trouble the nation no more;" aye, when all others
had apparently shut the door of hope in his face,
Isabella called him to her presence and assured him
that she would assume the undertaking for her own
crown of Castile and would defray the expenses of the
perilous voyage from personal means. Who can esti-
mate the debt of gratitude that this country owes to
the Spanish people and to the great and generous
hearted Queen who, when all others failed, gave
herself to the great undertaking that opened this con-
tinent to the peoples of the world!
It gives me pleasure to state that the Government
of Spain is deeply interested in the success of the
Exposition and it will make an exhibit which will
reflect honor upon the Queen and the country which
assisted Columbus to cross the enfurrowed seas and
open America to the world.
Nor is it possible for us to speak of our national in- '
debtedness to Spain without remembering Italy, whose
dominion once swayed from the dark sources of the
Euphrates to the Pillars of Hercules at Gibraltar,
under whose bright blue skies the eyes of Columbus
first saw the light of day. Therefore, to Italy as well
28
434 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
as to Spain must America make acknowledgment.
Italy will be here with an exhibit of the rich treasures
of its classic land.
Then there is Germany, that land of music and
mathematics and of subtile thought ; that land which
has given name and character to some of our leading
States ; that land, whose thrifty sons and daughters
are scattered by the million over our vast domain ;
what does not this country owe to the German?
Perhaps if we let the light fall upon the face of Sigel
and his heroic followers, we will pause before we seek
in common figures to compute the uncounted debt ;
Germany is to be with us in '93 with a magnificent
display of the resources of that great Empire.
Austria will be with us. The tens of thousands of
former subjects from both Upper and Lower Austria
who are of us will gladly welcome the representatives
of their home country, and the display promised from
Austria-Hungary will be superb in every respect.
Then there is France the land of genius, scholar-
ship, art and politeness. What does this country owe
to France ? There came to this country in 1777 a son
of France who became a close and intimate friend of
Washington, and in 1780 he was entrusted by the
Congress of the United States with the defense of the
State of Virginia, and, when in 1 784 he visited this
country after all the war clouds had passed away, his
tour was one unbroken triumph and the name of
Lafayette was upon the lips of every one. Then does
not her generous and tasteful statue stand in the very
doorway of this great city, casting a light far out upon
the stormy deep, telling the love that the young
Republic of France bears for the Republic that
Lafayette helped to establish. The most generous
appropriations are being made by the French Republic
to enable that nation to make an exhibit that will be
THE WORLD'S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION. 435
worthy of her great history. There is not a class of
people among us (and there are many) more earnest or
more anxious for the success of the Exhibition, nor
more tasteful or helpful in their suggestions than are
these sons of France.
Already the Turkish Government or rather the
Ottoman Bmpire has made choice of its position on
the Exposition grounds, as indeed have many others.
One of its leading sons said the other day that the
Columbian Exposition of '93 will enable Turkey to
prove to the world that it is not the ' 'sick man" of the
nations, but a strong and growing nation, loving lib-
erty, progressive and powerful.
Russia, that land of teeming millions, of diversified
people and multiplied tongues Russia, from where
its brow is bathed in the cold waters of the Arctic Ocean
to where its feet rest in the waters of the Black and
Caspian Seas, will be here. Russia is interested in us;
we are interested in Russia. Russia has ever been our
friend, and in the hours of our darkest trial it was no
little comfort to every true American heart to know
that the great navy of Russia was sleeping quietly in
American waters. The great Russian Government will
be with us in '93, and through the Exposition the
nations of the earth will come to know more of Russia
and her peoples, and will love her more because of her
exhibit.
Then there are Sweden, and Norway, and Denmark.
We have no more industrious, peaceful, thrifty popu-
lation among us than the great and growing Scandina-
vian population. These countries will be here with
fine exhibits; their representatives have already visited
us.
Then there are Holland, and Belgium, and Switzer-
land and the other continental nations of Europe
they will be here.
436 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
Great Britain will be with us. The Nation that has
given us more of its subjects and more of whose sons
and daughters are among us than any other nation of
* the world; the Nation that is one with us in blood, in
spirit, in language, and in love of constitutional gov-
ernment one with us in literature, in science, and in
art; that Nation which is related to us by ties that
neither time nor war nor revolution can sever. Its
Shakspeare is our Shakspeare; its Byron is our
Byron; its Milton is our Milton; its Tennyson is our
Tennyson; its Gladstone is our Gladstone; its Edwin
Arnold is our Edwin Arnold, and "The Light of Asia"
and ' 'The Light of the World" are literary food for all
our sons and daughters.
Great Britain will be with us; its treasures of mine
and sea will be here; its treasures of literature, art,
science will be here; its treasures from India, Austra-
lia, British North America, the Cape, from all its
colonies and from all its islands in the sea, will be here.
Treasures from England and Ireland, Scotland, Wales
will be here. The representative wealth, and genius,
and skill of its 300, 000,000 of subjects will be here, and
it will be our greatest competitor in the race for first
place amongst the nations of the world, and such com-
petition demands the perfect unity and broadest liber-
ality, on the part of every State in the Union and on
the part of the Congress of the United States, that the
Exposition may be in every respect what every foreign
nation will be delighted to have it, and what every
true American desires it to be.
I have not spoken of China nor Japan, not that I am
forgetful of the relations that they as nations sustain
to us and we to them. Japan stands in the foreground
in wonderful example of the swift progress of modern
-development and education. These governments will
be here. The Exposition means to Japan and China
THE WORLDS COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION. 437
everything; it means all of those moral blessings which
invariably accompany the era of invention. Nor have
I spoken of the vast nations that lie south of us, nor is
it perhaps necessary that I should. Their hearts are
all with us in being one with Columbus, the discoverer
of America. They are our foster children. Mexico
and the Central and South American republics, hang-
ing on the great Andes like basket panniers filled to
overflowing with precious stores, the cereals, gems,
and metals to these countries the display of resources
at Chicago will strengthen and encourage reciprocal
relations and attract more strongly the attention of
eager capital.
We owe much to ourselves. To the upbuilding of
the great republic and to the States and Territories of
our own country, to the people of North America, to
the institutions, to the commerce, to the quick civiliza-
tion, the benefits of the Exposition must be sweeping
in their extent and universal in their application. The
new States of the far West, side by side with territories
knocking at the door of Statehood, will bring their
best offerings of gold and silver and wheat and grain
to this latter industry to be christened by the people of
the world and receive the benediction of their assem-
bled sisters. The States of the boundless prairie and of
the lonely mountain region will prove by the excellence
and the abundance of their products the secrets of our
Nation's prosperity, and explain why " Westward the
course of empire takes its way."
Raw material will meet its natural complement, ma-
chinery, and the result will stimulate the production
and advance both. The new South, the marvel of our
day, according to your distinguished orator and states-
man, Mr. Depew, "the land of promise for the young
man," will be given ample opportunity on the grounds
of the Exposition to present an illustration of its last
438 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
thirty years' progress. Once again cotton will meet
corn and to their mutual advantage, and the exhibits
from that country will greatly surprise even those
acquainted with the resources of the South, and event-
ually divert broad and richest streams of money to
their proper lodging place.
To these great States contiguous to Chicago, and of
which Chicago is a great, influential, and commercial
center, the Fair cannot fail to be of incalculable benefit.
Proximity will permit these States to present large ex-
hibits at comparatively small cost, and 20,000,000 of
their people through the perfection of railroad facilities
can be conveyed to the gates of the Exposition at small
expense.
None will receive greater benefits from the great
Exposition than the States of the Atlantic coast, and
in this participation your own State, the Empire State,
in a far higher than political sense, is again a pivotal
commonwealth. It leads among the Atlantic States in
population, in commerce, and in wealth. Its harbor is
universally regarded as the gateway of this Nation.
Through it will pass the majority of exhibitors and
sight-seers from abroad, all of whom will enjoy its
hospitality. It will reap largely of the benefits of the
Exposition without any of the attendant disadvantages.
It will maintain before the world its high rank as a
producer, and arm in arm with the great sister State of
the prairie will present to the Columbian Exposition
the representative wealth and greatness of this Nation.
Indeed, it is my thought that the Exposition is not
only going to draw the sister Nations that are near us
closer together, but I believe it will draw all nations of
the earth nearer together, and that it will cement the
States of the Union so closely that thereafter there will
be no North, no South, no East, no West, no black, no
white, no German, and no Irish, but one cemented
THE WORLD'S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION. 439
American Nation, under one flag, and that bearing
across its Stars and Stripes in letters of livid light that
the nations of the world can readily read, "Peace on
earth, good will to men." To such a consummation
let us unitedly work.
CHAPTER XVII.
THE WORLD S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION.
For the purpose of giving an epitome of the
origin and progress of the great Columbian
World's Fair of 1893, the following extracts
are taken from recent publications of the
most prominent officials of the EXPOSITION
MANAGEMENT.
Hon. W. T. Palmer, President of the
World's Columbian Commission, in a recent
address said:
' ' When Congress determined to invite all
the peoples of the earth to join us in a national
exhibition of art, industries, and products, in
commemoration of the 4OOth anniversary of
the discovery of a continent which had been
reserved and concealed until the world had
need of it, by that invitation and the accom-
panying provision the honor of the government
was pledged to the Nation's guests and to the
Nation's citizens alike that safe conduct, fair
play, and the finest discrimination should be
extended to allcomers. To secure this through
440
THE WORLD'S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION. 441
an agency which should be removed from party
manipulation and inaccessible to mischievous
local interests the National Commission was
created, and its membership, equally divided
in political affiliations, was drawn from every
State and Territory of our domain. Upon
this Commission first devolved the responsi-
bility of measuring the area and fitness of the
location of the Exposition and the bona fide
and financial ability of the local corporation
to provide the housing powers, sanitary con-
ditions, and landscape effects sufficient and
worthy of the national guarantee and approval.
The general province and authority of the
Commission might have been stated in the
language of the oath of the Roman Consuls,
'To see that the republic received no harm,'
or that its hospitality be not dishonored.
"It is also specifically charged in the Act
with the conduct of all ceremonies pertaining
to the anniversary and the Exposition, with
the preparation of the classification, the deter-
mination of the plan and scope, the allotment
of space, the appointment of all judges and
examiners, the awarding of all premiums, and
other duties which show the thought of Congress
442 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
to have been that this arm of the gov-
ernment should be extended over and around
the Exposition to the end that the humblest
participant, from the weakest nation or tribe,
should be assured of his fullest rights and
wholly impartial treatment.
" It is said that travel broadens a man, but
it is not given to all to travel extensively.
Here the object of travel will be measurably
supplied. The bringing together of the rare
products of the world, natural and artificial,
where objects illustrating the histories of
countries and their present status, together
with inventions which have changed the face
of the globe and the characters of men, will
in their appropriate place interest and instruct.
I think we will all concede that it is not the
discipline of study, it is not boat clubs, not
football that determines a man's future, but
rather the trend given his life by their com-
bined influence and the atmosphere which he
there breathes and which is born of them all.
To such an atmosphere is the world invited
at the Exposition of 1893.
THE WORLD'S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION, 443
' ' I have never regarded it otherwise than
in a sentimental aspect. Beyond all material
considerations, beyond the rivalry of cities,
beyond the congregations of peoples, beyond
the glare and luster of pageants, beyond the
aggregation of merchandise, beyond the won-
ders of the loom and the skill of the inventor,
the speaking canvas or reposeful marble, I see
a residuum worth more than all. I see influ-
ences born of the commingling of our people
with each other and the people of other lands
which will direct and invigorate a higher indi-
vidual and national life. I see a discontent
born of intelligence itself within the bounds of
law. I see a better conception of mutual
relations. I see a conviction growing in the
minds of men that it is not what a man has,
but what a man is, that determines his happi-
ness. I see the commencement of an era
leading toward that good time coming of
which men like to dream, which prophets
have foretold, and of which birds have
sung.
' ' If any other day had been fixed for the
great Exposition than the one associated with
a great event in history the American mind
444 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
would have regarded it as a commercial enter-
prise; but the coincidence of its opening and
the anniversary of the greatest event since our
Saviour was born struck a chord which re-
sponded from the entire country and which
will continue to vibrate until the work is done.
I have never felt doubts of the absolute and
entire success of the enterprise any more than
I have doubts of the flow of Niagara or of the
continuance of the atmosphere. Long since,
if any selfishness ever entered into it, it has
passed the selfish stage.
' ' The American people want it. There is
not a colored boy picking bananas at Key
West, or a Swedish emigrant at the head-
waters of the Mississippi who is not looking
forward to it. There is not a lone fisherman
dragging his net at the extremity of Maine to
the almond-grower at Pasadena who is not
scheming to visit it. Our people have correct
views regarding it. They look forward to it
as the great kindergarten of humanity. Aside
from what is to be learned they believe that
here will be the school where the impulse to
aspiration and knowledge may be stimulated
and directed, where memories maybe revived
and traditions garnered.
THE WORLD'S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION. 445
1 ' The charge has been made that partizan
politics has had to do with the management
of the Exposition. To me it seems to be
without the slightest foundation. The Presi-
dent of the commission is a Republican. The
Vice-Chairman of the Executive committee is
a Democrat. The Secretary of the Commis-
sion is a Democrat, and the Director General
a Republican. They were elected by accla-
mation, and a man must be devoid of all
sensibility who would not feel under the cir-
cumstances that he was committed thereby
to observe the strictest neutrality. My obser-
vation has been that among said officers,
among the members of the Board of Control,
and in the Commission there has been a dis-
position where there was an opportunity to
lean against their party affiliations.
" The President of the World's Columbian
Exposition Company is a Democrat, the
Treasurer a Democrat, and the Secretary a
Republican. Some of both organizations have
been in public life, have had to do with politi-
cal affairs, have held to their respective
parties with tenacity because they had convic-
tions and because they believed that the great
446 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
national parties were the engines by which
those convictions could be promoted; but they
are men of sense, correct ideas, and generous
impulses, and I believe each one and all would
consider themselves dishonored if they lent
themselves to and did not oppose on any and
all occasions the slightest tendency to partizan
discrimination. They have refrained from
taking part in partizan gatherings or making
speeches for fear that hostile comment might
be evoked and the great Exposition injured
thereby. They have not only been above
suspicion but they have avoided the appear-
ance of evil.
"In conjunction with the World's Columbian
Exposition the association having in charge
the preparation of grounds and buildings, and
which for the sake of brevity is sometimes
called the Local Corporation, the Commission
created a Board of Conference, to which all
differences between the two bodies have been
referred, and no difference has ever been sub-
mitted for arrangement that has not found a
speedy and harmonious solution, and said
solutions have always been accepted by the
National Commission with entire unanimity.
THE WORLD'S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION 447
' ' The creation of so large a Board of
' Lady ' Managers (and I am glad to say
here that that board would have much pre-
ferred the name of ' woman ' to that of
1 lady ') was the cause of some adverse com-
ment. The course of that board has justified
the action of the Commission. It was the
first time that our government had in any
such way recognized women. The appoint-
ment of 1 15 (two from each State and Territory
and nine from Chicago) to co-operate with the
Commission and to promote its development
will have manifold results. It has dignified
woman. A responsibility has been placed
upon her outside of household cares. It has
given weight to her opinions. It has opened
new avenues to her efforts. The plan of the
Woman's Building was designed by a woman.
A frieze as beautiful as the Parthenon's and
more suggestive and realistic has been de-
signed by a woman and forwarded from Cali-
fornia. The work of the board has given her
a broader horizon and a wider outlook.
Women, who have apparently hitherto known
nothing of life but the delights of the prom-
enade, the badinage of the salon, the luxury
448 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
of the boudoir, or the dolce far niente of sea-
side loiterings, have sprung forth, like Minerva
from the brain of Jove, full panoplied for
work.
' ' They have met their less fortunate sisters
on the common ground of a common purpose,
and the women of South Carolina, Arkansas,
Massachusetts, and California have estab-
lished an accord of sympathy which must be
invaluable in the unification of our people.
The reports they carry home, the influence
for good which they will exert as a political
factor, cannot be overestimated. To those
who believe in more varied work and better
wages for women, who appreciate her artistic
taste, who believe that the more woman is
dignified the greater the assurance of worthy
sons to be given to the Republic, the action
of the Commission needs no defense.
4> $ $ $ . $ $
"Again the caravans come across the sea
not to seek another land, but to find a better
one. They sail up the river made immortal
by the genius of Irving. They pass through
the waterway prompted by the foresight of
Clinton and created by the energy of your
THE WORLD'S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION. 449
people. They pass into waters which the
keels of Champlain and La Salle have plowed,
and which have been dyed by the blood of
Perry's men. They circumnavigated the
peninsula. They dropped their anchors within
the mole and, amid salvos of artillery, they
are received not as strangers, but as expected
guests, not beneath the shade of the plantain
and the palm, but in pavilions as fair as were
ever designed by the hand or conceived by
the heart of man, and they bring to us and to
all people not the sword, but the banner of
peace. "
REMARKS OF WILLIAM T. BAKER, OF THE WORLD'S
COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION.
"The Act of Congress, approved April 25,
1890, providing for the Exposition, states in
the preamble that ' such an exhibition should
be of a national and international character,
so that not only the people of our Union and
this continent, but those of all nations as well
can participate.' And to carry out this
intention the Congress provided two agents to
do its will. The first is a Commission con-
sisting of two Commissioners from each State
and Territory of the United States, appointed
450 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
by the President on the nomination of the
Governors of the States and Territories re-
spectively, and eight Commissioners-at-Large,
appointed by the President.
1 ' The board so constituted was designated
the 'World's Columbian Commission.' The
duties of the Commission relate to exhibits
and exhibitors, or, as stated in the Act, ' to
prepare a classification of exhibits, determine
the plan and scope of the Exposition, award
all premiums, if any, and generally have
charge of all intercourse with the exhibitors
and representatives of foreign nations.'
' ' The other agent recognized by the act of
Congress is the World's Columbian Exposi-
tion, a corporation organized under the laws
of the State of Illinois. This corporation has
charge of the ways and means, the erection
of buildings, the maintenance, protection,
and policing of the same, the granting of con-
cessions, the collection and disbursement of
all its revenues, and fixing the rules governing
the Exposition. It is composed of upwards
of 28,000 stockholders and is controlled by a
board of forty-five directors. These directors
have been chosen from among the active
THE WORLDS COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION. 45 I
business men of Chicago and are every one
of them men who have made an honorable
success of the pursuits which they have fol-
lowed in finance, commerce and manufactures,
and are giving their time and their best ener-
gies to the success of the Exposition. Many
of them are known wherever American com-
merce has been permitted to extend, and I
think it proper to add that they have been
selected quite regardless of political affilia-
tions, and that politics never has been and
never will be considered in the management
of the business of this corporation. The
Board of Directors is divided into thirteen
standing committees having jurisdiction over
the several departments of the Commission
and the Directory, and all expenditures are
directed and scrutinized by them as closely as
is done in the private affairs of the best
managed mercantile establishments. They
know that they are charged with a great
public trust and having accepted its responsi-
bilities will welcome investigation of their
conduct of that trust to the last detail.
" The jurisdiction of these two bodies, as to
the details of the work, somewhat embarrassing
452 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
at the outset, was settled by a compact
by which they are working together harmo-
niously and effectively. Under this com-
pact fifteen grand departments were deter-
mined upon, the heads of which are appointed
by the Director General, who is the executive
officer of the Commission, and all expenses,
except the salary of the Director General, are
paid by the World's Columbian Exposition
Company.
' ' In order that the city of Chicago might
enjoy the honor conferred upon her by having
the Exposition located in her midst, she was
required to furnish an adequate site, accept-
able to the National Commission, and ten mil-
lion of dollars in money, which was, in the
language of the Act, considered necessary
' for the complete preparation for said Expo-
sition.' This obligation the citizens of Chi-
cago promptly met. The adequate site and
$10,000,000 were provided, and on evidence
thereof the President of the United States
issued his proclamation inviting the nations
of the earth to participate in the Exposition.
"Every department of the Exposition will
be produced on a scale greater than has
THE WORLD'S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION. 453
ever been accomplished even where each was
made the subject of a special exhibition.
This is notably the case in the Departments
of Agriculture, Transportation, Electricity,
Mines and Mining, Horticulture, and the De-
partment for Woman's Work. A large space
has been accepted by the government for its
exhibit, and the buildings to be constructed
will be such as will do credit to their surround-
ings. The Navy Department is building a
model cruiser, which will appear to be afloat
alongside the pier constructed for it off the
shore of Lake Michigan. It has been said
that the son in order to be as good as his
father must be better, and we are justified in
saying that an Exposition to be equal to those
which have preceded it must excel them all.
What has been done heretofore in other expo-
sitions would not do for us. There was really
no beaten paths to follow, no precedents to
guide us, only a lofty purpose to make the
Exposition worthy of the occasion and equal
to the expectations of the government that
gave it being.
1 ' The Exposition grounds cover an area of
633 acres; the buildings erected by the
454 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITT.
Exposition will cover 105 acres and there will
be approximately twelve acres covered by
buildings not erected by the Exposition. The
Exposition grounds have a frontage on Lake
Michigan of one and three-fourths miles, and
there is within the grounds, exclusive of lake
frontage, five miles of docks and two and one-
half miles of navigable water course, which,
during the Exposition, will be perambulated
by boats of every description for the pleasure
and convenience of visitors. There are eleven
main buildings, all of which have reached an
advanced stage of construction so that no
doubt exists as to our ability to complete
them in time for their dedication in October
next, as required by law.
1 ' For the protection of these buildings
and their contents, and to supply fountains
and all the daily requirements within the
grounds, we have provided for a possible
supply of sixty-four millions of gallons of
water daily, which will be carried through
twenty miles of mains from six inches to
three feet in diameter. Ten miles of these
pipes are already laid and power in place for
pumping 3,000,000 gallons of water daily
THE WORLD'S COL UMBIAN EXPOSITION. 455
under pressure of 100 pounds per square foot.
For supplying power for machinery, etc., we
have provided for boilers having a water evap-
orating capacity equal to 25,000 horse-power,
and engines for generating electricity, 18,000
horse power; for driving line shafting and iso-
lated exhibits, 2,000 horse-power; for com-
pressed air, 3,000 horse -power; and for
pumps, 2,000 horse-power. Electrical force
will be supplied as power to the amount of
3,000 horse-power. The system of sewerage
projected will be extensive and complete.
"In planning the grounds and buildings
we have employed the highest architectural
genius in America, including three of the fore-
most artists of New York city. The Board of
Architects, ten in number, first met in confer-
ence with Mr. Fred. L. Olmstead, our land-
scape architect, and agreed upon a general
plan, each accepting an assignment of one
grand building. The economy of the new
material used by us for exterior covering has
enabled us to give the architects an open field
for the exercise of their genius. When each
had completed his individual plan further con-
ferences were had, and all were made to
456 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
harmonize without cost to the artistic beauty
or individual worth of each. The result has
been an ensemble of land and water, of nature
and art, that in its completed state will, I
believe, be more beautiful than anything yet
created by the hand of man. This exhibition
of the genius of American architects will be a
revelation to the world, and for years to come
its beautiful forms will inspire students and its
details will be copied wherever public build-
ings are erected. In the grand court in par-
ticular the glories of the Taj -Mahal will be
eclipsed at every step, and your children's
children will tell the traditions of its splendor.
"The estimated cost of the completed
structures, including landscape, statuary, fount-
ains, terminal facilities, police and fire stations,
and all that may be necessary for the comfort
and convenience of visitors, will be $15,117,-
500, exclusive of the cost of administration,
which is estimated at $2,770,000, up to the
opening of the Exposition, May i, 1893.
"The money contributed by Chicago to
this great national enterprise is being ex-
pended with a view solely to the interests of
the Exposition. Every contract has been let
THE WORLD'S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION. 457
to the lowest bidder, regardless of where
he hailed from. Competition has not been
restricted to any section, and owing to our
unsurpassed facilities for transportation from
every direction contractors in all parts of the
country from the Atlantic to the Pacific have
had an equal opportunity with our own, and
have availed themselves of it to such an
extent that 31 per cent in number and 36 per
cent in amount of all our contracts have been
awarded outside of Chicago. Contracts have
been let already in Philadelphia, New York
and Boston, in San Francisco, Seattle and
Omaha, in Minneapolis and Duluth, in Kan-
sas City and St. Louis, in Leavenworth and
Louisville, in Birmingham, Ala. ; in Milwau-
kee, Detroit, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh, in
Wilmington, Del. ; Plainfield, N. J. ; Jackson,
Mich., and in Stanford, Conn. ; in Rome and
Florence, in Italy, in Paris, Constantinople,
London, Edinburgh and Berlin. In keeping
the workshops busy and labor satisfied in
eighteen States are we not demonstrating that
this is not a Chicago fair, but is, as Congress
intended it to be, a national and international
enterprise?
458 THE WORLD'S FAIR CIT*.
' ' The official invitation of the President has
been accepted by nearly every nation on the
earth, and even in the few countries where
there has been no official acceptance the indi-
vidual interest and enterprise of the people
are at work, so we will apprehend that none
will remain unrepresented. Mr. James Dredge
of the Royal Commission of Great Britain
accompanied by Sir Henry Wood, its Secre-
tary, and Herr Wermuth of the Imperial Com-
mission of Germany have made personal visits
to Chicago and returned home full of enthusi-
asm for the work. Nearly every nation in
Europe has informed itself by the personal
observations of official representatives who
have approved of the preparations made by
us, and will aid their people to make com-
plete and artistic exhibits. The Latin -Ameri-
can Department, which was organized at an
early date, has aroused enthusiastic interest
in Mexico and all the South American Re-
publics. The Archaeological treasures of old
Mexico and Yucatan have been resurrected
and the tombs of the Incas ransacked for the
benefit of the great Exposition, and if we had
nothing to show beyond the exhibits in this
THE WORLD'S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION. 459
department we should still have a marvelous
exhibition.
"As to the exhibits from our own country
we have no misgivings whatever; in fact, appli-
cation for space already received indicate that
the large plant, that we have provided, may
be inadequate for all who may desire to
exhibit. This may result in such a pruning
as will admit only the cream in all depart-
ments, and, at any rate, it justifies the exten-
sive preparations which we have already made.
It is our ambition, it is our purpose to make
the Exposition in the highest and best sense
educational. While the present stage of de-
velopment of science and the arts will neces-
sarily be represented on the largest scale, yet
we shall not forget the beginnings of things.
We expect the Exposition to be not simply a
bazaar but an illustrated history of the pro-
gress of 400 years. And visitors to the Expo-
sition will not be limited to the consideration
of material things. The World's Congress
Auxiliary, organized by our directory, has for
its motto 'Not Things but Men.' Its object
is to provide for the proper representation of
the intellectual and moral progress of the
460 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
world by the consideration of living questions
by the leaders in all the chief departments
of human achievement! The series of con-
gresses will continue during the period of the
Exposition, and will, we believe, invite the
thinking men and women of every land to its
councils. These discussions will be largely
engaged in by women, and in the gatherings
of the brightest intellects of the world they
will have a grand opportunity of demonstra-
ting their leadership in the moral and social
reforms and the educational advancement of
the race.
' ' The Woman's Department as organized
by the Board of Lady Managers is something
quite unique in expositions, and will be pre-
sented on a scale that would be impossible of
attainment in any country but our own. More
than a generation ago the Sage of Concord
said that it was a chief felicity of our country
that it excelled in women. What was true
then is a thousand times true now. There is
nothing more significant in the progress of our
civilization than the great increase of the
opportunities in every field of endeavor that
is open to women. The Woman's Building
THE WORLD'S COL UMBIAN EXPOSITION. 46 1
in the great Exposition, now nearly com-
pleted, was planned by a woman architect,
is embellished with sculpture and art designed
by women, and will contain an exhibit of
woman's work that will be a marvel to all
visitors. It will be a brilliant object lesson to
all the world in what is being accomplished
by women in the world's work, and a revela-
tion of the extent to which she has become
more than a helpmate to man.
"The buildings of the Exposition must,
according to the Act of Congress, be dedicated
October 12, next, on the four hundredth
anniversary of Columbus' discovery. We
shall be ready, and the programme of cere-
monies for the occasion, to continue through
three days, is already nearly complete. But
the gates of the Exposition will not open
until the ist of May following, and the cere-
monies precedent to that occasion will take
place in New York.
" I believe my enthusiasm dees not outrun
my judgment when I say your citizens will
have no grander opportunity than the present
to demonstrate their patriotic public spirit in
helping on a great enterprise. It would be
462 THE WORLDS FAIR CITY.
worth many times 15,000,000 to this dear
land of ours if every generation of Americans
could rally around some sentiment, some
grand idea, not of war, that would unite the
East and West, the North and the South in
enthusiastic accord. The dangers of section-
alism could then never threaten the stability
of our institutions, and the man of New York
or of San Francisco, of New Orleans or of
Chicago would lose nothing of loyalty to his
city or section by being, first of all, an Amer-
ican. The people of France were united in
their enthusiasm for the last great Exposition,
and the value of its success to the city of
Paris cannot be compared with the gain to
France. Such an opportunity is presented to
our people in the World's Columbian Ex-
position. There will be presented in friendly
emulation the best results of four centuries of
human progress, in which this people if united
will have the lion's share. If we were actuated
by the proper spirit of national enthusiasm
there is no question but that the Exposition
will demonstrate our commanding position as
leaders in the arts of peace before all the
world. "
THE WORLD'S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION. 463
NATIONAL COMMISSIONS TO EUROPE IN THE
INTEREST OF THE WORLD'S COLUMBIAN
EXPOSITION.
Two Commissions were sent to Europe in
1891, the first in July, consisting of five
members : Benj. Butterworth, Moses T.
Handy, Ferdinand W. Peck, William Lind-
say and A. G. Bullock.
Their mission was mainly to Northern
Europe, and was eminently successful. From
their report of September 24th, 1891, are ex-
tracted the following conclusions:
"In their visit to the several Governments
of Europe, the Commissioners endeavored not
only to explain the scope and plan of the Ex-
position, the ways and means provided for
an exhibit of those material things which
evidence the progress of civilization in the
industrial arts and applied sciences, but they
also called attention to the arrangements that
are being made to illustrate the advancement
in the moral, intellectual, and social worlds;
that a series of Congresses would be held
during the Exposition season, and that at
these Congresses the important problems of
the age, social, scientific, financial, and
464 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
economic, would be discussed by the foremost
thinkers and writers of the United States and
other countries.
' ' It was gratifying to observe that the live-
liest interest is taken by all the nations in this
branch of the Exposition, they realizing that
the mission of this convocation of the nations
had a purpose above and beyond the mere
matter of promoting the barter and sale of
merchandise.
' ' Attention was also called to the Women's
Department, presided over by Mrs. Palmer,
who had recently visited several of the leading
capitals of Europe, where she had done most
excellent work, which the Commission was
able to supplement.
' ' The success of the Commission was in a
large measure due to meeting personally those
in authority at the different capitals, and ex-
plaining in detail every matter pertaining to
the Exposition concerning which information
was desired; and, subsequently, having full
and free conferences with the Commissioners
appointed to have charge of the interests of
the nations they severally represent.
' ' Beyond that, the visit by the Commission
THE WORLD* S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION. 465
was accepted by the nations as an expression
of good will by the Government and people of
the United States, which was reciprocated
in a manner that secured for the Commis-
sion a cordial reception and a friendly
hearing. "
The second Commission was to Southern
Europe and was composed of only two mem-
bers, Thomas B. Bryan and H. N. Higin-
botham, both active and zealous in Italy, but
on the latter's return to America Mr. Bryan
alone represented the Commission during
much of its important work. It was at this
time, in February, 1892, that he obtained an
audience with Pope Leo XIII, and secured
the pontifical letter which has been published
in all the principal languages and countries of
the world, and has elicited favorable com-
ments from the Protestant as well as the
Catholic press. In the absence of any report
from Commissioner Bryan, extracts from a
few leading papers abroad and at home are
appended, and first is the subjoined transla-
tion of the Pope's letter as it appeared in the
London Times, and in all the great papers
of both continents.
o
466 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
1 ' Pope Leo XIII has given the World's Fair
his pontifical approval and expresses fervent
hope that it will succeed.
' 'Vice-President Bryan, special commissioner
for the Exposition, was granted an audience
with the Pope while he was in Rome. During
the audience his Holiness expressed great in-
terest in the World's Fair. At the close of
the interview he granted Mr. Bryan permis-
sion to address a letter to him with the assur-
ance that it would be answered in a letter
giving every encouragement to the enterprise
and thereby insuring the earnest participation
of the Catholic world. This letter was given
to the Associated Press at Rome yesterday
and reads as follows:"
POPE LEO'S LETTER.
To the Hon. Thomas B. Bryan, the Special
United States Commissioner to Italy for the
Chicago Columbian Exposition GREETING:
While we see on all sides the preparations
that are being eagerly made for the celebra-
tion of the Columbian quarto-centenary feasts
in memory of a man most illustrious and
deserving of Christianity and all cultured
humanity, we hear with great pleasure that
THE WORL&S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION. 467
the United States has, among other nations,
entered this competition of praise in such a
manner as befits the vastness and richness of
the country and the memory of the man so
great as he to whom these honors are being
shown. Nothing certainly could be more
splendid than what is told us of the grand
and magnificent Exposition which the nation
will hold at Chicago, bringing together every
kind of produce and work which fruitful nature
bears and the artful industry of man creates.
The success of this effort will surely be
another proof of the great spirit and active
energy of this people who undertake enor-
mous and difficult tasks with such great and
happy daring. We rejoice moreover in the
nobility of the purpose, which is equal in
greatness to the undertaking itself. It is a
testimony of honor and gratitude to that im-
mortal man of whom we have spoken, who,
desirous of finding a road by which the light
and truth and all the adornments of civil cul-
ture, might be carried to the most distant
parts of the world, could neither be deterred
by dangers, nor wearied by labors until, hav-
ing in a certain manner renewed the bonds
468 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY,
between two parts of the human race so long
separated, he bestowed upon both such great
benefits that he in justice must be said to
have few equals and no superior. While,
therefore, we bestow upon the citizens of the
great republic well merited praise, we express
the fervent hope that their noble undertaking
may, other nations uniting with them and
lending their aid, have a most prosperous
issue, that will prove of great use in stimu-
lating the ingenuity of man, in promoting the
development of nature, and in encouraging all
the fine arts.
Given at St. Peter's, Rome, in the year
1 892, and the fifteenth year of our pontificate.
LEO XIII.
PARIS EDITION, NEW YORK HERALD.
" ROME, March 16. Mr. Thomas Bryan,
Commissioner for the Columbian Exposition,
and his son and secretary, Colonel Bryan, left
Rome tonight the first for Genoa, Milan and
Spain; the latter for Paris and Havre, whence
he sails for America.
' ' They returned here two days ago from
Greece, Turkey and Roumania, They ar-
rived in Greece at the time of the crisis.
THE WORLD'S COL UMBIAN EXPOSITION. 469
The old Ministry had given a partial promise
that Greece would participate in the Exhibi-
tion, and Mr. Bryan has obtained a positive
promise from the new Ministry that she
will.
4 ' In Roumania, where the Commissioner had
an audience of the King, the latter showed the
greatest interest in the Exhibition. He pre-
sented Mr. Bryan with large portraits of him-
self and Queen, and with a beautiful silver
and two bronze medals."
A PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL VIEW.
The Churchman, of New York, said edito-
rially, May 7, 1892: "The letter of Leo XIII.
to Mr. Bryan, president of the European
Commission of the Chicago Exposition, is en-
tirely a new departure in papal policy. It is
a direct address to the people as a nation,
without regard to the fact that the nation in-
cludes a great variety of religious persuasions,
and is largely non-Roman Catholic. The
French Encyclical on the duty of Roman
Catholics toward the Republic, followed the
hitherto invariable precedents of such utter-
ances, and was addressed primarily to the
French bishops, and through them to "the
470 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
faithful. " The extent and significance of the
innovation signalized by the letter to Mr.
Bryan, and by the personal address of the
pope to that gentleman, when he sought the
aid of the Holy See in the national under-
taking, is much better understood abroad
than in this country. Here it was received
with some surprise, simply for its novelty. In
Europe it signifies a total abandonment of
monarchical principles by the head of the
Church, in a direct overture to the democ-
racy. There is every reason to believe in the
sincerity of Pope Leo's admiration for this
country, and his recognition of republicanism
generally as a legitimate form of government,
since his favorite schoolman, St. Thomas
Aquinas, is clear on this point. The Ameri-
can people are pleased to note the presence
of liberal political ideas in the Vatican, even
though such ideas do not yet prevail
there, but are almost peculiar to the pope
himself."
The universally cordial reception of Mr.
Bryan on his return from his mission abroad
could best be shown by copious extracts from
the newspapers published on both sides of the
THE ADMINISTRA TION BUILDING, 47 1
water. Suffice it to quote from two of Chi-
cago's leading papers of opposite politics as
follows :
"Mr. Bryan, who has at length returned to America
and is expected to arrive in Chicago tomorrow, has the
best reasons for being satisfied with the results of his
tour in southern Europe in the interest of the World's
Fair. He has invaded nations in which sentiment
toward America and American enterprises was luke-
warm or even hostile. He has traveled among people
of different race and language to his own; in countries
remote, not only from this continent, but from the sea-
board nearest this continent. Yet everywhere his
admirable address, his many accomplishments and his
indomitable enthusiasm have won the most cordial
and respectful hearing. His reception at the Vatican
and the letter he procured from I^eo XIII. must be^set
down as one of the most notable triumphs of what
may be called amateur diplomacy." Chicago Evening
Post.
' ' Thomas B. Bryan in his visit to Europe has pro-
moted the interests of the World's Columbian Expo-
sition as no other man possibly could have done, and
in his private capacity as a citizen and a man he has
everywhere reflected the highest credit on Chicago
which is exactly what Chicago expected him to do."
Chicago Tribune.
The following descriptions of the depart-
ments and the buildings have been gathered
from official documents:
By popular verdict the Administration Building is
pronounced the gem and crown of the Exposition
472 THE WORLDS FAIR CITY.
palaces. It is located at the west end of the grear court
in the southern part of the site, looking eastward, and
at its rear are the transportation facilities and depots.
The most conspicuous object which will attract the
gaze of visitors on reaching the grounds is the gilded
dome of this lofty building. This imposing edifice
will cost about $450,000. It covers an area of 260
feet square and consists of four pavilions 84 feet
square, one at each of the four angles of the square,
and connected by a great central dome 120 feet in
diameter and 275 fret in height, leaving at the cen-
ter of each facade a recess 82 feet wide, within which
are the grand entrances to the building. The general
design is in the style of the French renaissance. The
first great story is in the Doric order, of heroic propor-
tions, surrounded by a lofty balustrade and having the
great tiers of the angle of each pavilion crowned with
sculpture. The second story, with its lofty and spa-
cious colonnade, is of the Ionic order.
The interior features of this great building even
exceed in beauty and splendor those of the exterior.
Between every two of the grand entrances, and con-
necting the intervening pavilion with the great
rotunda, is a hall or loggia 30 feet square, giving
access to the offices and provided with broad, circular
stairways and swift-running elevators.
Above the balcony is the second story, 50 feet in
height. From the top of the cornice of this story rises
the interior dome, 200 feet from the floor, and in the
center is an opening 50 feet in diameter, transmitting
a flow of light from the exterior dome overhead. The
under side of the dome is enriched with deep panel-
ings, richly moulded, and the panels are filled with
sculpture in low relief, and immense paintings repre-
senting the arts and sciences. In size this rotunda
rivals, if it does not surpass, the most celebrated
AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT. 473
domes of a similar character in the world. In this
building will be located the principal offices of the
management.
AGRICULTURAL DEPARTMENT.
This department has been cheerfully accorded the
earnest support of State Exposition Boards, State
Boards of Agriculture, and important organizations of
farmers in the matter of securing satisfactory exhibits
of the products of agriculture comprised in the classi-
fication of the department. It is confidently believed
exhibits will be secured from every civilized country,
covering the entire range of food products.
Arrangements for the Dairy School are well ad-
vanced, and its success assured. Exhibits of cereals
are being collected in a number of States. The ex-
hibit of animal and vegetable fibers, wool, cotton,
hemp, flax, etc., will be complete and exhaustive.
Methods of irrigation and farm management will be
illustrated by models, etc.
The exhibit of farm implements and machinery
will be the most complete ever seen at any exposition.
The educational features of the Department's
work, illustrating important processes, will cover a
wide scope. A typical agricultural experiment sta-
tion provided by the agricultural experiment stations
of the United States will be located in the Agricul-
tural Building.
The purpose of the department is to convey to the
visitor and student a picture of the abundance, variety,
development and 'possibility of the agricultural re-
sources of the world.
One of the most magnificent structures raised
for the Exposition is the Agricultural Building.
The style of architecture is classic renaissance.
This building is put up very near the shore of
474 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
Lake Michigan, and is surrounded by the lagoons that
lead into the park from the lake. The building is
500x800 feet, its longest dimensions being east and
west. The north line of the building is almost on
a line with the pier extending into the lake, on which
heroic columns, emblematic of the forty-four States,
are raised. A lagoon stretches out along this entire
front of the building. The east front looks out into a
harbor which affords refuge for numerous pleasure
craft. The entire west exposure of the building faces
a branch of the lagoon that extends along the north
side. With those picturesque surroundings as an
inspiration, the architects have brought out de-
signs that have been pronounced all but faultless.
For a single story building the design is bold
and heroic. The main entrance leads through
an opening 64 feet wide into a vestibule, from
which entrance is had to the rotunda, 100 feet in
diameter. This is surmounted by a mammoth glass
dome, 130 feet high. All through the main vestibule
statuary has been designed, illustrative of the Agri-
cultural industry. Similar designs are grouped about
all of the grand entrances in the most elaborate man-
ner. The corner pavilions are surmounted by domes
96 feet high, and above these tower groups of statu-
ary. The design for these domes is that of three
women of herculean proportions supporting a mam-
moth globe.
The Dairy Building, by reason of the exceptionally
novel and interesting exhibits it will contain, is quite
sure to be regarded with great favor by World's Fair
visitors in general, while by agriculturists it will be
considered one of the most useful and attractive feat-
ures of the whole Exposition. It is designed to con-
tain an exhibit of dairy products and also a Dairy
School, in connection with which will be conducted a
HORTICULTURAL DEPARTMENT. 475
series of tests for determining the relative merits of
different breeds of dairy cattle as milk and butter
producers. W. J. BUCHANAN, Chief.
HORTICULTURAL, DEPARTMENT.
All nations of the world are cordially invited by
the management of the World's Columbian Exposi-
tion, to make an Horticultural display that will be
extensive, unique, representative, worthy and in-
structive.
The facilities offered exhibitors will surpass those
of any previous exposition, and consist of a mag-
nificent Horticultural Building with extensive grounds
adjacent and the greater part of a beautiful elevated
island, from which excellent views of all the great
buildings can be had.
Horticultural Hall is the largest and grandest ever
erected for a horticultural exhibition. It contains
about 89,000 square feet more of floor space than the
combined floor areas of the buildings used for a simi-
lar purpose at the Centennial, New Orleans and Paris.
It is 1,000 feet long by an extreme width of 287 feet.
The dome is 187 feet in diameter and has an altitude
of 1 13 feet on the inside, thus giving room for the
largest palms, bamboos, tree-ferns, giant cacti, etc.
The basso and alto-rilievo ornamentation, in a frieze
extending along the front and sides of the building, is
especially attractive and, in connection with statuary
and fountains, will have an unusually pleasing effect,
aside from the plant decoration which will harmonize
with the general plan of the building.
The plan is a central glass dome, connected by front
and rear curtains with two end pavilions, forming two
interior courts, each 88 by 270 feet. In these courts
will be placed bearing orange trees and other semi-
tropical fruits from California and Florida, to illustrate
476 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
the manner of growing and cultivating the orchards
and groves in those states. The front curtains have
glass roofs and are each 270 by 69 feet. They will be
used for tender plants. The rear curtains are each
346 by 46 feet, and, while designed to give an abund-
ance of light, are not entirely covered with glass.
They will be adapted to fruit and other exhibits that will
require a comparatively cool temperature. The first
stories of the pavilions are each 117 by 250 feet, and
are intended for the extension of the fruit display and
for installing the viticultural exhibit in one, and horti-
cultural appliances, seeds, etc., in the other. The
principal part of the second story in each will be used
for elegant and commodious restaurants; the remain-
der, in the form of galleries, for garden seats, vases,
preserved fruits, etc. Forming a circle inside the
dome there is a broad promenade gallery from which
visitors can look down upon the plant and floral deco-
rations. This gallery is sufficiently extensive to in-
stall many miscellaneous exhibits.
The classification embraces everything of interest to
horticulturists, and should they desire to be progress-
ive they cannot afford to miss the instructive object
lesson which will be presented. Assurances of cor-
dial support from all parts of the world indicate a rev-
elation in advanced horticulture that will be a surprise
to the profession.
Great Britain and the Continent of Europe will dis-
play the finest specimens of rare plants from numerous
conservatories; Australia and New Zealand will con-
tribute ferns, palms and bamboos; the Latin- American
countries, tropical fruits and many curious plants, and
even far away Japan will send specimens of trees, sev-
eral hundred years old, to illustrate their skill in
dwarfing trees. Trees over one hundred years old,
and not more than two feet high, will greet the gaze
of the wondering visitor.
LIVE STOCK DEPARTMENT. 477
Many States and territories have arranged to make
a complete herbarium of their flora and wax models of
all their fruits; and from the whole it is intended to
make a grand collection for the United States. This
has never been attempted before, and it is expected
will attract the attention of botanists in every part of
the world.
The Florticultural display will be on a scale of mag-
nitude equal to all other sections of the World's Fair, of
such flowers as tulips, lilies, pansies, roses, asters and
sweet peas, etc. They will be in array by hundreds of
thousands, to say nothing about many novelties which
have not yet been unearthed.
J. W. SAMUELS, Chief.
LIVE STOCK DEPARTMENT.
The rules and premium list apportioning $150,000
in premiums among the various species, breeds and
varieties of live stock have been published and 10,000
copies distributed in this and foreign countries.
A large number of live stock associations in this
country have announced their purpose of offering
supplemental premiums for their respective breeds,
ranging from $200 up to $10,000 each. A magnificent
home representation is assured, while reports from
foreign countries render certain the statement that the
Live Stock exhibit will bring together the most remark-
able collection of pure bred animals ever witnessed in
the history of epxositions. The exhibit will also com-
prise specimens of wild animals, song birds and birds
of plumage from this country and abroad.
Provision has been made for office-headquarters for
the different live stock and agricultural organizations
of the United States
The most ample preparations are being made to
care for the great Live Stock interests at the Exposition.
478 THE WORLDS FAIR CITY.
A commodious amphitheatre for exhibition purposes,
will be erected, as well as the necessary stables, barns,
hospitals, etc.
The rules and regulations governing the eligibility
of lyive Stock for entry are being distributed, and
while care will be taken to secure specimens of the
best established breeds, the rules are sufficiently lib-
eral to permit the entry of animals from every part of
the world, which have such characteristics as to make
them objects of interest to visitors at an International
Exposition.
The Live Stock exhibit will open in June, 1893,
with a Kennel Show, lasting six days followed in
August, September and October by the exhibition of
horses, cattle, skeep, swine, poultry, pigeons, etc.
The liberal money premiums amounting to $150,000
besides the medals and diplomas to be awarded by the
National Commission, which the Exposition Manage-
ment offer have already stimulated a widespread
interest in this exhibition.
THE FISHERIES DEPARTMENT.
The picturesque group of buildings devoted to this
Department 12 located just north of the Government
Building, facing the lagoon, which runs along its
south front. The buildings are composed of one large
rectangular structure, having two curved arcades
stretching like arms east and west, and at the end of
each of these is located a polygonal building. The
commercial fisheries and fish culture will be displayed
in the rectangular building, while angling will be in
the westermost pavilion and the aquaria in the eastern
building.
It is expected that this group of buildings, while
being among the most picturesque within the confines
of the Exposition grounds, will also contain some very
THE FISHERIES DEPARTMENT. 479
interesting exhibits. In them will be shown living
fishes and other animals inhabiting both fresh and salt
water, as well as various kinds of aquatic and marine
plants. Many of these plants are commercially im-
portant, besides having a value for keeping fish alive
in the aquaria.
In the angling building will be shown all the
methods of angling used throughout the world, while
in the rectangular structure will be exhibited the
methods of fishing, fishery appliances, products of the
fisheries, etc. , as used and produced by the world gen-
erally. It will be possible to make some very interest-
ing comparisons in this department, since there will
be representations of the primitive forms used by
natives of North and South America and the West
Indies at the time when the continent was discovered
by Columbus.
Those engaged in fish culture in this and other
countries and those concerned in carrying on the com-
mercial fisheries throughout the world have become
much interested in this particular phase of the Expo-
sition. In nearly all sections of this country where
fisheries are prosecuted committees have been ap-
pointed to take such measures as are necessary for the
promotion of fishery exhibits; many of the State Fish
Commissions are actively at work preparing displays
illustrative of their functions and the result of their
efforts, while in some of the foreign countries special
appropriations have been asked to enable the proper
officials to prepare and bring to Chicago exhibits of
fisheries and fish culture. Many private firms have
already asked for space, and it may be reasonably
expected that the building? will be filled to overflow-
ing with attractive and instructive displays.
The aquaria will be found in the eastern building,
and there is little doubt but that this will be one of
480 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
the chief points of interest of the whole Exposition.
The marine fishes will be captured off Jhe coast
and forwarded alive by rail, in tanks filled with
sea water, to Chicago. They will secure the scaly
captives in seines, select such desirable ones as
are caught in the pound nets of the fishermen, and
take them in tanks ashore, where they will be shipped
to the Exposition. The tanks utilized for transporta-
tion will be of sufficient size not to crowd the occu-
pants and provided with a device for circulating and
aerating the water. J. W. COLLINS, Chief.
MINES AND MINING DEPARTMENT.
By the employment of the expression, ' 'products of
the soil, mine and sea," in the enacting clause of the
Act of Congress, providing for the World's Columbian
Exposition, mining was raised to an industrial rank
that previous expositions had denied it.
Under the scope and plan of the Columbian Exposi-
tion, and under the classification provided for guidance
in installation, many of the branches of the mining
industry, heretofore incorporated in other departments,
will be placed in their legitimate and natural positions
in the Mining Building.
The raw material, the natural product, to be exhib-
ited in the Mining Department, will constitute the
basis of every other exhibit made, except that of Agri-
culture and Horticulture. The groundwork of all the
arts and sciences and the mechanical industries will
be contemplated within the walls of the structure
dedicated to Mines, Mining and Metallurgy. All of
the precious minerals, all of the economic minerals,
all of the precious stones, all of the coals, all of the
building stones and marbles, all of the clays and sands,
all of the salts and pigments, as well as the machinery,
implements and appliances employed in their conver-
sion to the uses of man, will be fully represented.
MINES AND MINING DEPARTMENT. 481
The subject of coal will be treated on very broad
lines. It would be impossible to accept for exhibition
purposes all the really meritorious specimens of coal
that can be secured, for the purpose of demonstrating
the resources of the country in this great fuel. The
treatment must be comprehensive and sweeping, and
the display based upon the distribution of the great
coal fields that stand out prominently in the geology
of the country. The coal industry is of gigantic pro-
portions, involving the investment of many millions
of dollars and the employment of hundreds of thou-
sands of people. The display of coal at the Exposition
will be qualitative rather than quantitative. The
different varieties of coal produced by the different
localities will be shown, together with the chemical
analysis of each and the results of tests determining
economic value and adaptablity to various uses. The
coal resources of countries, States and sections will be
shown by geological maps and drawings, exhibiting
the stratification, cross-section, etc., which will render
apparent the extent and accessibility of the vast num-
ber of coal beds and veins which underlie the earth's
surface.
As regards iron, efforts will be made to have an
adequate exhibit of that great branch of industry.
Without considering the contributions that will be
made to this division by foreign governments, this
country, which is now the first nation in the world in
iron production, will provide a display of the greatest
interest and benefit to the manufacturing world. The
development of the iron resources of the Southern
United States within the past few years, no less than
the attention which has been devoted to this particular
industry in the West in the same period, surrounds
this product with national interest. It is intended to
arrange this exhibit with the fullest appreciation of
81
482 THE WORLDS FAIR CITY.
the magnitude and importance of the iron industry,
with ample data as to the location and extent of the
greater deposits, the analyses of the ores, with all the
machinery and devices employed in mining, hoisting,
conveying, storing, etc. Statistics, not only based
upon the operations of the past, but in a degree indi-
cating the extent to which they may be carried on in
the future, will constitute a valuable feature of this
division.
Every provision has been made for the installation
of the ores of both the precious and base metals and
cabinets of mineral specimens contributed by private
individuals, associations and technical and mining
schools. These will be arranged with conspicuous
care as to detail. States, nations, individuals, collec-
tors and colleges will vie with one another in endeavors
to establish the^ superiority of their respective collec-
tions, or to demonstrate the value of certain mineral
countries, sections, or lands. Every ingenious device
and design will be utilized by the several States, ter-
ritories and countries to illustrate the magnitude of
their deposits.
The division of mining machinery will demonstrate
the usefulness and economy of every character of me-
chanical equipment.
The extensive apparatus and tools employed in the
great petroleum and natural gas industries will be am-
ply exhibited, with oils and bi-products. No group
will be of greater interest or of more practical value
than that which illustrates the extent and method of
the gigantic operations in this division of the mineral
kingdom.
Sands for the manufacture of glass, many-colored
clays, and kaolin of all grades for the potter, brick-
maker, porcelain worker, etc., polishing substances,
whetstones, hones, and emeries, will constitute a group
MINES AND MINING DEPARTMENT. 483
of unusual interest to both the student and manufact-
urer. Asphaltic and cement mixtures and artificial
stones, which have made the pavements of Paris and of
the Capital of our own country superb in their cleanli-
ness and the admiration of the world, will be illus-
trated in all their multifarious uses.
The salt mines of the Old World, and the brines and
other salt workings of our own country will contribute
their quota of this snowy, crystalline product. Adding
to the color effect and interest of the exhibit will be
variegated heaps of nitrates, sulphates, borates, pig-
ments of all kinds, ochres and vermillions, phosphates,
coprolites and every variety of mineral fertilizers. In
another group the useful graphite, with the methods
by which it is transformed for use in the shape of
leads, crayons, lubricants, etc., will be exposed.
Ingots, bars, and castings of white aluminum, with
aluminum alloys, will be found in juxtaposition with
pigs and bars of reddish copper. Tin ores and block
tin, sheet and bar zinc, ingots of nickel, specimens of
bismuth, antimony, arsenic and other metals with
their ores and alloys will be arranged in a manner con-
fusing in diversity, yet artistically and scientifically
disposed.
For the purpose of practical study, the division of
History and Literature of Mining and Metallurgy will
be unsurpassed. To this end, college faculties and
professional men are already pledged.
An elaborate and accurate reproduction of ancient
and unique mining and metallurgical methods, appli-
ances, tools and processes as illustrating the evolutions
in the industry, will attract the attention of all classes,
and teach fruitful lessons in the advance of science, in-
vention and general civilization.
The Mines and Mining Building is located on the
south bank of the Great Lagoon that encircles the
Wooded Island.
484 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
The structure is, in many respects, one of the hand-
somest and most ornamental of the departmental
buildings. Its architecture and its inspiration is in
the early Italian renaissance, but the subject has been
liberally treated. In plan the building is simple. It
is, in area, 350x700 feet, and its elevation from the
floor to the cornice line is 65 feet. There are four
great entrances to the building, imposing in dimension
and elaborate in design. The North and South en-
trances are 88 feet wide, with openings 32 feet wide,
and 56 feet high. On either side, immense pilasters
reaching upward 62 feet to the top of the banner staff,
give the structure a massive and solid appearance.
The power provided for the Mining Building will be
concentrated at convenient points in the building for
its distribution on the ground floor, where demonstra-
tion will be undertaken. The building will be brill-
iantly illuminated by electricity, the arc lamps being
of great power and ranged in semi-circular groups, '
while thousands of incandescent lamps will add to the
brilliancy of the effect at night.
The building devoted to mines, mining and metal-
lurgy, when finally opened to the public arranged in
minute detail and sweeping possibility, will unques-
tionably prove not only the point at which the prac-
tical and scientific miner, geologist, inventor and
manufacturer will assemble, but it will be also a resort
of abiding interest and general instruction for all
classes of people. F. J. V. SKIFF, Chief.
MACHINERY DEPARTMENT.
Foremost among the triumphs to be recorded at the
World's Columbian Exposition will be the displace-
ment of manual labor by machinery. The century
whose closing decade will be immortalized by a greater
union of all nations, on a peaceful plane, than the
V
MACHINERY DEPARTMENT. 485
world has ever seen, will be remembered in history as
the age of machinery. And peerless in the ranks ot
nations which have given to mankind the fruits of in-
vention in mechanical form, will stand the United
States of America. Necessity, the parent of man's
inventive faculty, has nowhere been encountered in
such formidable shape as in this country, which may
appropriately be called the cradle of invention.
Within two generations this vast continent has been
developed by a race of energetic people, whose invent-
ive faculties have been quickened alike by the obsta-
cles encountered and by the experience of the benefits
of civilization left behind in the old worlds. Crude
experiment has begotten inventive genius, and the
pioneers who fought nature in its sternest shape have
returned to become the preceptors of those whose re-
searches have led to theoretical rather than practical
discoveries.
The Machinery Exhibit at the World's Columbian
Exposition will of necessity, be one of the most im-
portant of the entire exhibition. The United States
of America will put forth her best efforts, while
Europe will spare no pains to prove that her artificers
have not lost their skill, and that in the great com-
petition for wealth the Old World is still abreast of
the New.
The enormous extent of the space under roof in the
buildings devoted to the display of machinery, in
round figures nearly eighteen acres, is a proof of the
appreciation of the importance of this branch of the
Exposition entertained by the Management. That
this vast enclosure will be filled, there is no reason to
doubt; on the contrary, the problem which threatens
to confront the executive, is not how to fill the space,
but rather how to find adequate space for the exhibits.
Situated at the main entrance to the Exposition
486 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
grounds, at a point where all visitors by rail will
necessarily pass its doors on entering the Exposition,
the Machinery Building, or as it is officially termed,
the Palace of Mechanic Arts, will possess an excep-
tional advantage in point of location.
The exterior design of the building has been pro-
nounced one ot the grandest in the whole array ot
architectural wonders to be seen at the Exposition.
Indeed, so well has this been recognized, that the first
pictorial view scattered broadcast for the purpose of
making known to the world plans upon which the.
City of Chicago was preparing to entertain the world,
was one of this building.
The main building of Machinery Hall is 850 feet
long and 500 feet broad. The interior will present the
general appearance of three railroad train-houses
placed side by side. These train-houses are spanned
by arched iron trusses, with spans of about 125 feet
each, and these trusses are about fifty feet on centers.
Each of these arched naves is lighted and aired from
above by large monitor roofs; in the center, three
domed roofs, each covering an open space 125 feet
square, take the place of monitors. Outside of this
immense three-naved room on the north, east and
south runs a 5O-foot-wide two-story building. This
opens directly into the main hall; both on the first
floor, and on the second floor on the north and east
fronts, forming a great gallery.
There are two main entrances to Machinery Hall,
one on the north, facing Administration Building, and
one on the east, facing Agricultural Hall. In each of
the four corners of the building is a domed pavilion
containing a grand staircase, and there are other stair-
cases adjacent to the two grand staircases referred to.
There will be other entrances along the sides and
ends of the Main Hall and Annex, giving ample
MA CHINE R Y DEPAR TMENT. 487
accommodation for the immense crowds that will daily
visit the great exhibition.
The Annex Building contains three naves, and runs
550 feet to the westward, carrying out the long naves
formed by the trusses in the Main Building.
On the south of the Main Building for its whole
length is a one-story structure, which is to contain the
vast steam and electrical plant which is to supply
power and light to the whole of the Exposition Build-
ings and Grounds.
The whole of Machinery Hall, throughout, rests
upon planking and trestle-work foundations; its frame
is very largely of wood, but the main trusses spanning
the building are of iron, and are of such width that
they will be serviceable in the future in the construc-
tion of railroad train-houses. The Main Building and
Annex added together, will give a perspective of
nearly 1,400 feet in a straight line. It is the intention
to have in each of the naves an electric-traveling crane
move from one end to the other. These will be used
for installing and moving the machinery exhibits, and
when the Exposition opens platforms will have been
built on these traveling cranes, and they will be used
to carry visitors.
The exterior of the building is to be covered with
the plaster material called staff, which is to be used for
the covering of all the other buildings at the Exposi-
tion. In the figure and ornamental work every at-
tempt has been made to indicate the purpose of the
building, the statues representing mechanical forces,
or carrying portraits or the names of inventors.
Running the entire length of the Main Building and
the Annexes are three avenues or aisles, the center
one twenty-five feet wide and the sides each fifteen
feet in width. At the western extremity of these
aisles will enter the tracks of the auxiliary railroads
THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
destined for the conveyance of heavy machines to the
first cross aisle, from which the traveling cranes will
carry them to the exact spot whereon they will be
deposited for exhibition. I,. W. ROBINSON, Chief.
TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT.
For the first time in the history of World's Fairs, it
has been decided to give the science of transportation,
in its broadest meaning, that attention to which its
importance entitles it. The development of modern
transportation has been so recent and so rapid that its
significance has hardly been understood. Already its
early history is in many instances fading away or
utterly lost. Judged by their relations to the everyday
life of the world, no other industry surpasses it in utility,
or equals it as a power in the progress of civilization.
Considered from the standpoint of the amount of
capital invested it overshadows every other industry.
If to the railroads we add the shipping of the
world and all means of conveyance on common roads,
the magnitude of the interests represented in this
department of the World's Columbian Exposition may
be fairly estimated.
It is the intent of this Department that it shall
fully and fairly present the origin, growth and devel-
opment of the various methods of transportation used
in all ages and in all parts of the world. As far as
possible, the means and appliances of barbarous and
semi-civilized tribes will be shown by specimen
vehicles, trappings and craft. Past history will be
illustrated by relics of the earlier days. It is hoped
that in the interest of historical accuracy and the
preservation of important relics which are now daily
passing away, the attention of the Department of
Transportation Exhibits may be called, by its friends
in all parts of the world, to exhibits of this kind
which may and ought to be secured.
TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT. ^489
The development of water craft from the crudest
forms to the modern ocean steamship; of wheeled
vehicles; from the first inception of the idea of the
wheel to their present seeming perfection; and of that
greatest of all means of transportation the railway
will also be further illustrated by accurate models,
drawings, plans and designs in cases where the actual
apparatus, appliance or machine itself can not be
exhibited.
It is the desire of this department to keep the his-
torical feature clearly in view, and even to magnify it.
By so doing, the greatest exhibition of the actual
means of transportation employed throughout the
world today will stand out in high relief by contrast;
and the wonderful achievements of recent years will
bear more weighty testimony to the genius of the age
in which we live.
The building for the display of Transportation Ex-
hibits is eligibly located on the western bank of the
large lagoon surrounding the beautiful wooded island
which occupies nearly the center of the Exposition.
As will be seen by the bird's-eye view (Plate I) it is
near the main entrance to the grounds and convenient
of access for those arriving by all routes. The build-
ing is surmounted by a cupola reaching a height of
165 feet. Eight elevators will run from the center of
the main floor to balconies surrounding the cupola
at height of 115 and 128 feet. The view from this
observatory will be beautiful in the extreme, and will
give visitors an excellent comprehension of the whole
plan of the Exposition Grounds at a glance.
The Main Building covers a space of 960 feet in
length by 256 feet deep but as shown in the plans,
the main floor includes nearly nine acres of additional
space under roof. The total floor space, including the
entre-sol, is nearly seventeen acres. A 75-foot transfer
490 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
table will traverse the annex, along the western
line of the Main Building. Railway tracks will be
laid in the annex at right angles to the transfer table.
The heaviest locomotives and cars can be run direct
from the installation track, which runs alongside the
southern end of the building, upon the transfer table
which will take them to their proper tracks inside the
building. The length of these tracks is such that an
entire train can be shown connected as when in actual
use. When installation of heavy exhibits has been
completed, the pit of the transfer table will be floored
over. The annex will open into the Main Building
in such a manner as to afford long and striking vistas
down the main avenues and isles.
A. SMITH, Chief.
MANUFACTURES DEPARTMENT.
The exhibition in this Department will certainly
prove an attraction of supreme interest, not only to
the people of the United States, but to the world at
large. Under the liberal classification prepared by the
Committee of the National Commission, the Depart-
ment of Manufactures embraces thirty-four excep-
tionly large groups, divided into two hundred or
more classes of the leading industries, collectively
representing the products of the modern machinery
and man's skillful handiwork in every conceivable
form and design.
The constantly increasing interest of our home man-
ufacturers, and the world-wide rivalry of inventive
genius in the production of labor-saving devices and
improved machinery to meet the ever growing popular
demand, will be fittingly illustrated in the great
variety of exhibits in this Department, and make it
one of the most interesting and instructive features of
the Exposition.
MANUFA CTURES DEPA R TMENT. 49 1
As an additional incentive the Director General has
recommended to the National Commission that a
special medal of award be given for the best artistic
display or installation of exhibits in each group. The
Commissioner has heartily approved the suggestion,
and it is hoped that this honorable reward will en-
courage and stimulate each exhibitor to make extra-
ordinary efforts.
The interest taken in the Exposition by foreign ex-
hibitors who will also be grouped under the Classifica-
tion in the Department of Manufactures, in the main
building, will lend additional interest and importance
to the Department. Already the following nations
have officially signified their acceptances:
Algeria, Argentine Republic, Austria, Belgium,
Bolivia, Brazil, British Guiana, British Honduras,
Cape Colony, Ceylon, Chili, China, Colombia, Costa
Rica, Cuba, Denmark, Dutch Guiana, Dutch West
Indies. Ecuador, France, French Guiana, Germany,
Great Britain, Guatemala, Hawaiian Islands, Hayti,
Honduras, Japan, Jamaica, Korea, Madagascar, Mex
ico, New South Wales, Nicaragua, Orange Free State,
Paraguay, Persia, Peru, Porto Rico, Queensland, Rus-
sia, Salvador, San Domingo, Siam, Spain, Trinidad,
Turkey, Uruguay, Venezuela, Zanzibar.
The Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building is in
the Corinthian style of architecture, and in point of
being severely classic excels nearly all of the other
edifices. The long array of columns and arches,
which its facades present, is relieved from monotony
by very elaborate ornamentation. In this ornamenta-
tion female figures, symbolical of the various arts
and sciences, play a conspicuous and very attractive
part.
Designs showing in relief the seals of the different
States of the Union and of foreign nations also appear
492 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
in the ornamentation. These, of course, are gigantic
in their proportions.
The exterior of the building is covered with ' 'staff, ' '
which is treated to represent marble. The huge fluted
columns and the immense arches are apparently of this
beautiful material.
There are four great entrances, one in the center of
each facade. These are designed in the manner of
triumphal arches, the central archway of each being
40 feet wide and 80 feet high. Surmounting these
portals is the great attic story ornamented with sculp-
tured eagles 18 feet high, and on each side above the
side arches are great panels with inscriptions, and the
spandrils are filled with sculptured figures in bas-
relief. At each corner of the Main Building are pavil-
ions forming great arched entrances, which are de-
signed in harmony with the great portals. The
interiors of these pavilions are richly decorated with
sculpture and rural paintings. The long facades of
the great hall surrounding the building are composed
of a series of arches filled with immense glass win-
dows. The lower portion of these arches up to the
level of the gallery floor and 25 feet in depth, is open
to the outside, thus forming a covered loggia, which
forms an open promenade for the public, and will pro-
vide a very interesting feature, particularly on the east
side where it faces the lake. It is intended to locate
here a number of cafe's, where the great crowds can
loiter at their ease and enjoy the breezes and cool
shadows of the afternoon. JAMES ALLISON, Chief.
ELECTRICAL DEPARTMENT.
The primary object of the Electrical Department is
the demonstration in actual operation, of the commer-
cial and economic application of electricity. It is de-
sired moreover to make exhaustive tests of electrical
ELECTRICAL DEPARTMENT. 493
apparatus in all possible directions with a view to
establish the actual efficiency of the same in compari-
son with other and older methods of accomplish-
ment.
In addition to these practical features, it is contem-
plated to present object lessons of interest and instruc-
tion, showing the development of the science from its
formative or initiatory state to the present time. The
accomplishment of this object will take the form of an
historical exhibit embodying models, drawings and
crude machinery made and used by pioneers in
the science. It is the earnest desire of the Depart-
ment to make a full and connected showing in this
direction, and the co-operation of all who are inter-
ested in the work of the Department is solicited.
Reverting for a brief space to the practical features
of the exhibition, a few of the more pressing applica-
tions of electricity may be mentioned, in which direc-
tions special facilities will be required, and in which
an endeavor will be made to meet the requirement.
The buildings and grounds of the Exposition will
be lighted by electricity. It has been estimated that
about 8,000 arc lamps of 2,000 candle power, and
about 130,000 incandescent lamps of sixteen candle
power will be required. Besides this, from 3,000 to
3,500 horse power will be required for the opera-
tion of the machinery of exhibitors. To furnish and
transmit this 24,000 horse-power the Exposition Com-
pany will construct a plant which, though a complete
station in itself, will be composed of a number of
smaller complete plants, installed by those who con-
tract to furnish certain parts of the service. These
plants will be primarily for the service of the Exposi-
tion, but are not for that reason prohibited from
becoming competitive exhibits as well, provided the
usual course is taken by their owners, of making the
494 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
proper application as exhibitors, through the office of
the Director General.
An intermural railway of five miles in extent for
transporting passengers about the grounds will be
arranged for as a part of the service of the Exposition,
and though the question has not been definitely set-
tled, it is expected that electric power will be the
operating force.
In addition to this road, it is contemplated to make
provision for the exhibition of electric motor cars in
operation. The necessary space for this purpose has
not been located as yet, but exhibitors may feel
assured their interests in this behalf are fully appre-
ciated, and will be given proper consideration in
ample time to allow of all necessary arrangements.
Preparations are being made fjr the exhibition of
motors and other electric machinery, to fully illustrate
the possibilities of the science in the direction of
mining and milling, the long-distance transmission of
power for mining operations, and the various applica-
tions of the power at the point of usefulness.
Reducing, refining, separating, welding, and shaping
metals and all kinds of electro-metal work, will be feat-
ures of the exhibition of this department, and all pos-
sible facilities will be furnished exhibitors in this- field.
Art in electricity is becoming popular, and an
endeavor will be made to show the newest and most
approved fixtures for lighting, as well as the many
systems of stage and auditorium lighting, the lighting
of art galleries, etc. Small chambers illustrating
varied effects promise to be popular with exhibitors,
and all proper aid will be extended by the Depart-
ment looking to the best possible result, as well to the
exhibit generally as to the individual exhibitor.
Wiring, underground and overhead systems of con-
struction, interior insulation, conduit construction,
f ' .'V,.
FINE ART DEPARTMENT. 495
etc., promise to be greatly benefited by carefully in-
stalled exhibits, showing development in these direc-
tions, and exhibitors will be given opportunity for
thorough tests of their apparatus.
It is superfluous to add to this general statement
that every possible field of electrical work will be lib-
erally considered, and that all systems of all countries
will be placed as favorably as possible to the end that
best results may accrue to the electrical people and the
public at large.
The edifice now in course of construction, and fast
approaching completion, is especially designed to con-
tain the electrical exhibits, and presents as harmoni-
ous a whole, considering its intended service, as it is
beautiful in architecture. It is 700 feet long, 345
feet wide, its length being from north to south. The
general plan is a longitudinal nave, 115 feet wide,
and 114 feet high, crossed by a trancept of the same
width and height. Longitudinal galleries will extend
along either side of the building 115 feet wide, at a
height of 30 feet above the main floor. These gal-
leries will be connected by narrower galleries at either
end supported by trusses.
The Exposition has been most liberal in providing
space free of cost, and its officers must therefore, and
for obvious reasons, assume arbitrary power in the
acceptance of exhibits, and the allotment of space.
This power will be invariably applied with a view to
secure the best general results, as well as in the direc-
tion of aiding the greatest possible number of exhibi-
tors to make the most of the opportunity afforded by
so great an Exposition. J. P. BARRETT, Chief.
FIXE ART DEPARTMENT.
It is the aim of the Department of Fine Arts of the
World's Columbian Exposition to make a showing of
496 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
Fine Arts of the various nations, giving each country
adequate space in which fairly to represent its highest
and most characteristic achievements in painting,
sculpture, architecture and decoration. In sculpture
and architecture it is designed to exhibit figures and
monumental decorations, bas-reliefs in marble or
bronze, figures or groups in bronze, bronzes from cire
perdue, gems, cameos and intaglios. Under the head
of paintings are embraced paintings in oil, paintings
in water color, paintings on ivory, on enamel, on
metal, on porcelain and other wares, and fresco paint-
ing on walls. In addition there are included engrav-
ings and etchings, prints, chalk, charcoal, pastel and
other drawings, and exhibits of private collections.
All the Works to be admitted to the Department of
Fine Arts must first pass an examination by a compe-
tent jury, duly constituted. In foreign countries, rep-
resented by a General Commission, or by a National
Committee, the Special Commissioner for the Fine
Arts may be the chairman of such jury, and work only
be received through this Foreign Commission. In
America, due notice will be given artists and others
of places where pictures are to be sent at a given
time to be examined by American jurors.
In the Department of Private Collections it is hoped
to include not only collections of paintings but of
art objects of various kinds, representing the choicest
productions of the art of various nations. In the
Oriental arts, especially, many collections have been
formed during recent years, and it is desired that
there may be a fair showing of what is best in Ori-
ental art embraced in such collections.
It is proposed to give the best possible expression of
architecture as a fine art. It is expected that ade-
quate exhibits of recent architectural progress will be
made by foreign countries, and gratifying interest
FINE ART DEPARTMENT. 497
has been shown in the same direction by American
architects.
Grecian-Ionic in style, the Fine Arts Building is a
pure type of the most refined classic architecture.
The building is oblong, and is 500 by 320 feet, inter-
sected north, east, south and west by a great nave and
transept 100 feet wide and 70 feet high, at the inter-
section of which is a dome 60 feet in diameter. The
building is 125 feet to the top of the dome, which is
surmounted by a colossal statue of the type of Winged
Victory. The transept has a clear space through the
center of 60 feet, being lighted entirely from above.
Around the entire building are galleries 40 feet wide
forming a continuous promenade around the classic
structure. Between the promenade and the naves are
the smaller rooms devoted to private collections of
paintings and the collections of the various art schools.
On either side of the Main Building, and connected
with it by handsome corridors, are very large annexes,
which are also utilized by various art exhibits.
The Main Building is entered by four great portals,
richly ornamented with architectural sculpture, and
approached by broad flights of steps. The walls of
the loggia of the colonnades are highly decorated
with mural paintings, illustrating the history and pro-
gress of the arts. The frieze of the exterior walls and
the pediments of the principal entrances are orna-
mented with sculptures and portraits in bas-relief of
the masters of ancient art.
The general construction, although of a temporary
character, is necessarily fire-proof. The main walls
are of solid brick, covered with "staff," architectur-
ally ornamented, while the roof, floors and galleries
are of iron.
All light is supplied through glass sky-lights in iron
frames, or by electricity. HALSEY C. IvES, Chief.
82
498 THE WORLD? S FAIR CITY.
LIBERAL ARTS DEPARTMENT.
The central idea of the World's Columbian Exposi-
tion is its power to educate. Each succeeding; World's
Fair, beginning with that held in London in 1851, has
been the schoolmaster of the nations. No other single
educational influence has been so instantly and so
intensely active. This is because each national ex-
hibit has been the exponent of that nation's advance-
ment. The nation which has borne the palm of victory
is that whose progress in education, taken in its
broadest and fullest sense, has been most pronounced.
Recognizing these truths, the promotors of the Colum-
bian Exposition have given to education the position
of highest prominence in the center of interest and in
the grandest of all the great structures. Here Educa-
tion is surrounded by her handmaids Music, Science,
Literature, Charity, Religion and these, grouped
together as by their nature is most fitting, form the
constellation of the Liberal Arts. These are the arts
whose advancement has made the closing century glo-
rious, and has made all mankind free in the light of
truth and law and liberty.
In a still larger way the Department of the Liberal
Arts is surrounded by those special departments which
have grown up in the world by rea>on of her educa-
tive and vital forces those of Agriculture, Mechan-
ism, Electricity and the Engineering of the Mine, the
Railway.
The oft-repeated question: What does Liberal Arts
include? is thus generically answered. More specifi-
cally it includes, first and largest, Education; then
Hygiene, Sanitation, Charities, Medicine and Surgery,
Literature, Books, Libraries, Journalism, Physical
Science in all departments, Engineering, Architecture,
Government and Law, Commerce, Social and Religious
Organizations, Music and the Drama.
LIBERAL ARTS DEPARTMENT. 499
The Department of Liberal Arts will occupy 400,-
ooo square feet of space in the south end of the Main
Building in Jackson Park.
The Main Building, devoted to Manufactures and
the Liberal Arts, is 1,688 feet long, and 788 feet wide.
It covers more than 31 acres of ground, and will con-
tain on its two floors about 42 acres of floor space.
Its central dome will be nearly 1,300 feet long, and
400 feet wide. It covers more than 31 acres of ground
and will contain on its two floors about 42 acres of
floor space. Its central dome will be nearly 1,300
feet long, and 400 feet wide, and its central height
will be nearly 30 feet greater than that of the monu-
ment upon Bunker Hill. This building will contain
in its south end Liberal Arts; in its north ends,
Archaeology and Ethnology; in its center the manu-
factured products of all nations. It will not contain
any motive power, or processes of manufacture, these
being all referred to the buildings for Machinery,
Electricity or Mining. Each of the departments in
this building will occupy a distinct and well defined
space.
Very earnest expressions of demand for a separate
building for Liberal Arts, or for education alone, have
been presented from all sections of the country, and no
one has felt this desire more intensely than has the
Chief of the Department. But a careful consideration
of all the conditions has led him to believe that the pres-
ent solution of the question should be accepted as sat-
isfactory. If placed out of Jackson Park, either south
or west, this department would be removed from the
great center of interest, and would seem to be thrust
out of its home, its own rightful abode. The Exposi-
tion authorities long since determined the Exposi-
tion should not be divided, but that all its depart-
ments should be united upon Jackson Park.
500 THE WORLDS FAIR CITY.
The Chief of the Department begs to present to
those interested in the Liberal Arts, and especially to
his co-laborers in the field of education, the following
conclusions as the result of careful reflection and a
thorough analysis of the situation.
1 . The amount of space provided is fairly adequate,
as compared to that given to other departments.
2. Its position is central, convenient, dignified, and
worthy.
3. Its position is much to be preferred above any
which would place the department outside of Jackson
Park, and away from the immediate association with
the remainder of the Exposition
SELIM H. PEABODY, Chief.
ETHNOLOGY AND ARCHEOLOGY DEPARTMENT.
Occupying a large and prominent place in the
Manufactures and Liberal Arts Building, the Depart-
ment of Ethnology and Archaeology must be classed
as among the most attractive and interesting features
of the Exposition.
All possible phases of prehistoric man in America
and the life of the aborigines at the time of the land-
ing of Columbus will be illustrated at the World's
Columbian Exposition by this department.
The conditions under which man was living when
his existence in America is first traced, will be shown
in diagramatic paintings representing the terminal
portions of the ice-sheet, with the clay and gravel
deposits and boulders at the the flora and fauna of
the time, and man associated with animals since ex-
tinct. This series is planned to contain the skele-
tons of the mammoth and the mastodon, with mounted
specimens of northern animals living at that early
period far south of their present abode. With
portions of skeletons of man will be objects of
E THNOLOGY AND ARCHsEOL OG Y. 501
handiwork and other representations pertaining to the
life of that time. In connection with the habitations
of the Eskimo, models of men, women and children
will be shown, made from casts taken and colored
from life and dressed in native costumes. These fig-
ures will be made in extended number to illustrate
all types of mankind. The work, in part, is in papier
niache, with the figures draped in actual garments.
One of the most interesting and striking representa-
tions will illustrate the architecture of Yucatan in
casts taken from some of the ruins. To make the
moulds for a complete cast of any single building will
be not only a gigantic operation, but will cost several
thousand dollars. The selections of subjects is not
determined with absolute certainty, but the great por-
tal from the court at L,abna is one of the subjects
approved for the series. Others are the Temple of the
Sun, at Chichen-Itsa; the House of the Nuns, at Ux-
mal, and an old house at Merida (1549) with richly
carved ornamentation. The entire collection of casts
from Paris, recently arrived at the Peabody Museum
which were made from moulds taken by M. Desire
Charnay during the lyOrillard expedition to Yucatan
and other southwestern parts of the continent, will
also be exhibited.
In another group will be shown the origin and
development of the primitive arts, and the progress of
nations during the historic archaeological period will
be illustrated. This representation will contain such
important objects as models of ancient vessels and
models to illustrate ancient buildings, particularly the
various habitations in the form of huts, etc., built in
this country. A third group will be an illustration
of navigation and cartography. A complete series of
maps of the world will be collected, both of those anterior
to Columbus and of others illustrating discoveries
502 THE WORLDS FAIR CITY.
eries down to the present time. In the case of the
most rare maps only reproductions will be presented,
although the loan of many originals is expected. A
fourth group will exhibit inventions, arranged to illus-
trate progress, with amelioration of life and labor. In
this will be shown originals, copies and models of
notable inventions, supplemented by a collection of
portraits of distinguished inventors.
Other collections of similar completeness will repre-
sent all the principal tribes of the northern part of
the continent, the Indian races of the interior, the
inhabitants of the West Indies and the eastern tribes
of North America at the time of Columbus, the native
tribes of the southwest, those of Mexico, Central
America, and South America, in all cases with their
habitations and costumes and arts and industries
extensively shown, with the addition of the previously
mentioned models of the varied types made from life.
The various material required for these exhibits
will be largely secured by new explorations, though
much is expected from private collections; and much,
if need be, can be furnished from the Peabody Mu-
seum. At present there is every indication that the
entire department will form as complete an illustra-
tion as possible of American life before the coming ol
the Spaniards, honorable to the Exposition and to
American archaeologists in general.
FORESTRY DEPARTMENT.
In some respects the Forestry Building will be one of
the most interesting structures on the ground. It will
be made of wood sent from almost every State in the
Union. Each State has been asked to furnish trunks
of trees for the supporting columns, and twenty-five
States, through their World's Fair boards, have already
promised to send the columns. Arkansas will furnish
FORESTR Y DEPAR TMENT. 503
pine, white oak, red oak and sassafras; California sugar
pine, red wood and trunks of the young seynoia.
Delaware will send red cedar, white oak and white ash.
From Kansas will come burr oak, hickory, huckle-
berry, sycamore and walnut. Minnesota will send
white pine, sugar maple, ash, oak, cottonwood, spruce,
box cedar, tamarack and elm. North Dakota will
furnish half a dozen columns and so will Tennessee.
Wisconsin has agreed to furnish columns of pine, white
oak, basswood, elm, birch and spruce.
The Southern Lumbermen's Association has agreed
to build one of the grand vestibules of the Forestry
Building. It will be constructed of yellow pine. The
National Association of Hardwood L,umber Manufact-
urers will put in another vestibule, making it entirely
of hard -wood, in a very artistic design.
The building is located in the southeastern portion
of the park. It is 200x500 feet, with a central height
of 60 feet.
Surrounding the building is a spacious portico, 16
feet wide, each of the columns of which is formed of
three trunks in their natural state, contributed by the
various States and Territories, and several South
American countries, illustrating their characteristic
woods. Each trunk will contain a tablet on which
will be engraved the name of the tree; the name of
the State, Territory or country furnishing the same,
and an estimate of the quantity of such timber stand-
ing thereon. The sides, window-frames and roof will
also present a rustic appearance, the roof being
thatched with tan and other barks. The main and
minor entrances, as well as the interior, are elabor-
ately finished in different kinds of wood. From the
colonnade surrounding the building rise flagstaffs,
from which will be displayed the coat of arms of the
States, placed directly over the tree trunks furnished
504 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
by them, the stars and stripes and the flags of all for-
eign nations.
The entire building, in connection with the exhibits
contained therein, will illustrate in the most complete
manner possible the forest resources of the world.
WALKER FEARN, Chief.
THE WOMAN'S BUILDING.
Were women to do nothing else in the great Expo-
sition but present this splendid edifice, they would
have done enough to challenge and command the
wonder, admiration and respect of the whole civilized
world. It is not a graceful structure planned in con-
sonance with the softness and grace of those who are
to occupy it, by men willing to thereby testify hom-
age, but a noble thought conceived in a woman's
brain, conceived on lines that have won from the most
eminent architects the highest meed of praise and
appreciation, and then carried to completion by
women. From its firm foundations to the delicate
sculptures that crown its lofty roof it is fully, abso-
lutely and entirely woman's work. Nor is it the prod-
uct of a single brain, of a single individual. In reply
to the announcement that there would be an open
competition among women architects for the plan ot
the building, there came plans from a dozen women
plans of such a high order of excellence that it was
only after long and careful deliberation with the archi-
tects intrusted with the planning of the great struct-
ures of the Exposition, that the Chief of Construction
awarded the prize to Miss Sophia G. Hayden.
A further surprise awaited the architects in the
revelation of Miss Hayden' s ability to prepare and
furnish all necessary working plans, drawings and esti-
mates, and generally to assume precisely the position
and responsibility resting on each of themselves in the
THE WOMAN'S BUILDING. 505
erection of the buildings they had planned. Work
was at once begun on the building, and it will be the
first to be completed.
The extreme dimensions of the building are 4oox-
200 feet, the longer axis running nearly north and
south. The general scheme of construction is a cen-
ter pavilion connected with two end pavilions by
arcades which are open in the first story. Architect-
urally considered, it is of the school of the Italian
renaissance, very delicately treated, the detail being
worked out in an essentially feminine manner.
In the main rotunda will be displayed the most brill-
iant achievements of women in all lines of work. These
exhibits will be admitted on invitation only, and the
mere fact that an exhibit is found there will be tanta-
mount to the very highest recognition of merit that can
be bestowed.
The second story will contain parlors and reception-
rooms, committee-rooms, dressing-rooms, etc. ; the great
Assembly Hall above the north pavilion; and the model
kitchen, refreshment rooms, etc., above the south pavil-
ion. Those rooms above the main entrance will give
access to an open balcony extending across the front of
the building and commanding a view of unrivaled
beauty and splendor. The vast roof is supported by
immense caryatides designed and modeled by Miss
Enid Yandall, of Kentucky, and is laid out as a great
roof garden, where again woman's brain and woman's
hand will plan and execute.
A special feature of the beautiful building will be the
sculpture with, which it will be adorned. Twenty de-
signs in plaster were submitted by as many women
for the statuary for the roof line and for the relief work
in the pediments. The well-known sculptor Augustus
St. Gaudens found it an exceedingly difficult matter to
select the best of these, so evenly excellent and so highly
506 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
artistic and appropriate were all of the submitted de-
signs. Miss Alice Rideout, of California, finally was
awarded the coveted distinction. Three main groups
are included in Miss Rideout's accepted design, repre-
senting respectively "Woman's Virtues," "Woman
as the Spirit of Civilization " and "Woman's Place in
History." The first and last groups will stand free
above the attic cornice sixty feet from the ground. The
third, "Woman as the Spirit of Civilization," will be
in high relief, and will fill the pediment over the main
entrance.
The objects of the Board of Lady Managers have
been concisely stated by the President of that organiza-
tion as follows :
" To give an adequate idea of the extent and value
of what is being done by women in the arts, sciences
and industries.
"To show to the breadwinners, who are fighting un-
aided the battle of life, the new avenues of employment
that are constantly being opened to women, and in
which of these their work will be of the most distinct
value by reason of their natural adaptability, sensitive
and artistic temperaments, and individual tastes; what
education will best enable them to enjoy the wider
opportunities awaiting them and make their work ot
the greatest worth, not only to themselves but to the
world." World's Fairs, etc.
PUBLICITY AND PROMOTION DEPARTMENT.
The work devolving upon this department is, per-
haps, best defined by its title publicity and promo-
tion. As the result of one year's work no part of the
world is now in ignorance as to the date, scope,
plans, progress and prospects of the Exposition.
We are in communication with 90 per cent of the
newspapers and periodicals now published. Seventy-
PUBL ICITY AND PROMO TION DEP" T. 507
five per cent of these are regularly printing informa-
tion furnished from this office. We are also in com-
munication with all of the diplomatic and consular
representatives of the United States in foreign coun-
tries and with many thousand possible exhibitors.
Our news items are published regularly in English,
French, German, Spanish, and occasionally in other
languages. We have a mailing list of 65,000 names.
I take occasion to acknowledge the almost uniform
liberality of the press toward the Exposition. Mani-
festations of unfriendliness or a mercenary disposition
are rare and insignificant, and the department is
inspired by this kindly and obliging attitude to re-
newed efforts to secure for the press such recognition
as has never before been accorded it by any international
exposition. With its finger on the pulse of the world,
this department can assert with confidence that not
only in the magnitude and beauty of the grounds and
buildings, but in the variety of exhibits and in the
attendance of visitors, the Exposition of 1893 will
easily take first place and more than realize the antici-
pations of its most sanguine projectors.
MOSES P. HANDY, Chief.
BUILDINGS WEU< PROTECTED.
One of the most perfect water systems ever built is
now about finished at the world's fair grounds. When
it is completed such a thing as a big fire at the Exposi-
tion will be impossible, except through the carelessness
of the Columbian fire department. Water will be sup-
plied from two pumping stations that have a combined
capacity of 64,000,000 gallons a day. The aggregate
capacity of all the stations in Chicago is 260,000,000
gallons a day, and this supply is distributed over an
area of 180 square miles. The square mile devoted to
the World's Fair, therefore, will have just one-fourth
the capacity of all the pumping stations in Chicago,
508 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
One station is to be equipped free of cost to the Exposi-
tion Company by the Worthington Pump Company.
It can draw 40,000,000 gallons of water from L,ake
Michigan every day, and drown out any ordinary fire
that might be started. The pumps for this station are
worth $250,000. They will constitute the exhibit of
the Worthington Pump Compan}'. From a new pump-
ing station just completed at Hyde Park 24,000,000
gallons a day will be secured. The water mains have
teen so connected that the supplies of both stations can
be turned on a fire at a moment's notice.
THE BATTLE SHIP
Unique among the other exhibits is that made by the
United States Navy Department. It is a structure
which, to all outward appearance, is a faithful, full-
sized model of one of the new coast-line battle ships.
This imitation battle ship of 1893 is erected on piling on
the lake front in the northeast portion of Jackson Park.
It is surrounded by water and has the appearance of be-
ing moored to a wharf. The structure has all the fittings
that belong to the actual ship, such as guns, turrets,
torpedo tubes, torpedo nets and booms, boats, anchors,
chain cables, davits, awnings, deck fittings, etc., etc.,
together with all appliances for working the same.
Officers, seamen, mechanics and marines are detailed
by the Navy Department during the Exposition, and
the discipline and mode of life on our naval vessels are
completely shown. The detail of men is not, however,
as great as the complement of the actual ship. The
crew give certain drills, especially boat, torpedo and
gun drills, as in a vessel of war.
The dimensions of the structure are those of the
actual battle ship, to wit: length, 348 feet; width amid-
ships, 69 feet three inches; and from the water line to
the top of the main deck, 12 feet. Centrally placed on
this deck is a superstructure 8 feet high with a ham-
THE BA TTLE SHIP. 509
mock berthing on the same 7 feet high, and above
these are the bridge, chart-house and the boats.
At the forward end of the superstructure there is a
cone-shaped tower, called the "military mast," near
the top of which are placed two circular "tops" as re-
ceptacles for sharpshooters. Rapid firing guns are
mounted on each of these tops. The height from the
water line to the summit of this military mast is
76 feet, and above is placed a flagstaff for signaling.
The battery mounted comprises four 1 3-inch breech
loading rifle cannon, eight 8-inch breech loading rifle
cannon, four 6-inch breech loading rifle cannon, twenty
6-pound rapid firing guns, six i-pound rapid firing
guns, two Gatling guns and six torpedo tubes or torpedo
guns. All of these are placed and mounted respectively
as in the genuine battle ship.
On the starboard side of the ship is shown the tor-
pedo protection net, stretching the entire length of the
vessel. Steam launches and cutters ride at the booms,
and all the outward appearance of a real ship of war is
imitated. World's Fairs, etc.
CONGRESS OF RELIGIONS.
One of the remarkable features of the Columbian
Exposition will be a series of religious congresses from
August 25 through the month of September, 1893.
The chairman of the general committee, Rev. John
Henry Barrows, of Chicago, has associated with him
members of sixteen different religious organizations.
They have invited the representatives of all the great
historic religions to confer together and to show what
light religion has to throw on the great problems of
the age. Their plan has met the approval of Mr. Glad-
stone, Cardinal Gibbons, the poets Holmes and Whit-
tier, Archbishops Ireland and Ryan, Professor Drum-
mond; Professor Godet, of Switzerland; Rabbi Maybaum
510 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
of Berlin; Justice Ameer All, of Calcutta; President
Washburn, of Robert College, Constantinople; Bunyin
Nanjie, a learned Buddhist, of Japan, and scores of the
leading scholars of America and Great Britain.
THE CONGRESS OF ALL NATIONS.
While the Columbian Exposition of 1893 is intended
to celebrate the four-hundredth anniversary of the
discovery of America, and primarily to illustrate
American progress, the United States appropriately ex-
tends the hand of fellowship and hospitality to all
other nations, already represented on her soil by mill-
ions of emigrants. It will be a universal congress,
which is no respecter of geographical boundary, race,
color, party or sex. All the nations of Europe are
bound to cosmopolitan America by invisible but indis-
soluble ties. England, by the force of maternal kin-
ship, and our assimilation of her language, her litera-
ture and her jurisprudence; Germany, by the prepon-
derating influence of the Germanic element engrafted
upon our native stock, and her patriotic desire of Ger-
manizing the modern world; France, most deeply im-
bued with an affection for our republican form .of gov-
ernment.
Wherever the Stars and Stripes are honored the
American invitation has sped. To Egypt, oldest of
nations, yet the land of eternal freshness despite its
age, and whose monuments reveal a mine of interest;
to even the more ancient India, the prototypes of
whose races are traced by philological research to the
very twilight of history; to Persia, the land of "the
L/ion and the Sun," the fertility and exuberance of
whose literature are equaled only by the versatility of
its architectural forms; to China, whose civilization
was hoary before ours had dawned, and whose strength
for ages lay in her isolation; to the Japanese, whose
sea-rovers in medieval times left the imprint of
CONG RESS OF ALL NA TIONS. 5 1 1
Northern Asia upon our western shore from Alaska to
the Gulf of California; to Russia, who has advanced
her frontiers into Central Asia, pushing her military
roads of steel from the borders of the Caspian Sea to
Bokhara and to Samarcand, where now the Cossack
rides an iron horse. Everywhere through continental
Europe from the Elbe to the Pyrenees, from the
straits of Dover to the Baltic, wherever the American
government is represented its invitation has been
forwarded under our President's official seal. From
Antwerp to the borders of the Rhine, through Hol-
land and Belgium, the prosperous twin kingdoms of
the Low Countries, beehives of industry and com-
merce; to the picturesque valleys and mountain terra-
ces of Switzerland, whose luxuriant plains and forests
and pathless precipices remain as they were when ages
ago they witnessed deeds whose memory will live for-
ever; to Austria, one of the oldest empires of Christian
Europe, whose civilization hurled back the Moslem le-
gions from the ramparts of Vienna long before the Ref-
ormation ; to the palaces of Stamboul, studding the banks
of the Bosphorus, whence the Turkish crescent, defy-
ing the grasping ambition of the Russian autocrat,
stretches its glistening curve from the Tigris to the
Danube; to Portugal, whose maritime enterprise was
the starting point of the age of discovery, and whose
regal history beamed with brilliant naval explorations
long before the western conquests of Ferdinand and
Isabella; to Italy, that marvelous peninsula whence
Roman power of old, medieval liberty afterwards, and
art's perennial triumph always dispensed the princi-
ples of civilization, and gave Columbus to the world;
to Spain, which espoused his stupendous enterprise,
and created the physical power and resources which
were essential to his triumph ; to the land of Scandi-
navia, whose daring sailors braved the terrors of un-
5 1 2 THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY.
known seas and whose deeds even challenge the
honors of the Genoese discoverer to these and all
other nations representing the older civilizations,
America extends a generous welcome.
Exposition Graphic.
VISITORS PROTECTED.
About 20 per cent of the visitors who come to the
fair will be able to take care of themselves. The re-
maining 80 per cent will need help in finding suitable
boarding houses. These are the ones the Exposition
Company proposes to look after. At the Centennial one
building on the grounds was devoted to the comfort of
visitors. It was fitted up with reception and toilet-
rooms, writing-rooms and telegraph offices. Tickets
to theaters and other places of amusement were
on sale. Now, at this Exposition seven or eight
such buildings will be required. They will be under
the control of the Exposition Directors and not man-
aged by outside parties. One of these buildings
will probably be at the main entrance to the
grounds, near the Administration Building. Another
may be located at the extreme southeast end of the
park, near the lake shore. A third will probably be
just in front of the east entrance to the Manufactures
Building, near the lake shore. Another building will
be erected near the Fisheries Building. The Casino out
on the pier may also be used for this purpose and like-
wise a special structure near the Woman's Building.
Still another will be erected in Midway Plaisance, but
the largest and probably the finest of them all will be
on the wooded island, surrounded by flower gardens.
These buildings will be resting places in every sense
of the term. No exhibits of apy character will be ad-
mitted to them. They are for the exclusive use of tired
visitors.
^<&
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA
977.31 0344W C001
THE WORLD'S FAIR CITY AND HER ENTERPRISI
30112025384261
