174 ANNUAL BBPORT 



The civilized man deliberately and kuowingly sits down and dwells 

 amid the accumulating offal, trash and excreta of generations. 



On the site of old Troy three successive cities have been built on as 

 many layers of made soil. The Roman forum, lately uncovered, has 

 been lying for centuries under fifteen feet of material, mostly decom- 

 posed deposits of a cattle market. 



Millions of our species have gone into premature graves by the way 

 of black death, plague, Asiatic cholera, typhoid fever, diphtheria and 

 other filth diseases, and to-day iu our modern cities and towns thou- 

 sands are going the same way. 



The economic efficiency of vast numbers is reduced by an incalcu- 

 lable amount, and the expense of maintaining invalids is another vast 

 increment of loss. 



The mediaeval way of accounting for all this death and loss was to 

 attribute them to the Divine vengeance, punishing men for sin. A.nd 

 this was merely a theological expression of a fact not now disputable, 

 that disease and premature death are inevitable consequences of filthy 

 living. 



Fortunately sunshine, fresh and unlimited air, and rain water are 

 friendly and protective. Fortunately, also, men are so scattered over 

 the surface of the planet that these protective agencies, co-operating 

 with the natural disinfecting qualities of soil, can dissipate and dis- 

 arm the diabolical forces of disease. 



But this scattering of population is less thorough than it was a few 

 generations ago. City life is always fascinating. Co-operation in 

 comforts and pleasures is easy in towns. Men are gregarious, and 

 enjoy keenly the nervous sympathy and stimulus of crowds. 



There is no longer any recollection, there is no actual tradition of 

 great city plagues. That last survival of the feudal institution, the 

 country gentleman, has moved into town. The roadside smith, tailor, 

 weaver, shoemaker and their fellow artisans have been swallowed up 

 by the great factories which environ our town and cities. 



It seems useless to lament this inevitable tendency. 



The first census of the United States in 1790 showed three and 

 three-tenths per cent of the people to be in the cities. In 1830 that 

 percentage had doubled, in 1850 quadrupled; and in 1880 our cities 

 held twenty-two and otie-half per cent of the population. 



In England sixty per centof.the people were in 1881, in cities. Our 



own country will soon see oue-half of its population collected in 



cities. 



The most vexatious problems of politics, economics and morals of 



