BOSTON 850 



completion in 1898, was the largest railway 

 terminal in the world; it covers thirteen acres 

 and has thirty-two tracks. 



The harbor is large and safe, though the 

 entrance channel is rendered somewhat difficult 

 by many small islands. Since 1840, when Bos- 

 ton was chosen as the American terminus of 

 the Cunard Line, it has had direct steamship 

 lines to Europe, and in recent years has greatly 

 extended its range of shipping connections to 

 other parts of the world. In 1911 the Massa- 

 chusetts state legislature appropriated $25,000,- 

 000 for the improvement of the port of Boston. 

 The first large expenditure, of $2,500,000, was 

 for the enlargement of the great Common- 

 wealth Docks in South Boston. Another large 

 expenditure, of $3,000,000, was for a drydock 

 1,200 feet long and 149 feet wide; the great 

 Liverpool Dock, completed in 1913 and at that 

 time the largest in the world, is only 1,050 feet 

 by 120 feet. 



Government. Until 1822 Boston had no 

 corporate existence, and its government, like 

 that of every New England community, was 

 controlled by the town-meeting. In 1822 it 

 was incorporated as a city. The present char- 

 ter, adopted in 1909, provides a quasi-commis- 

 sion form of government. There is a mayor 

 and a city council, but there are also several 

 commissions over which the mayor has no con- 

 trol. The mayor's term is four years, but he 

 may be recalled at the end of two years by a 

 vote of a majority of all the registered voters. 

 The city council has one chamber of nine 

 members, three elected each year for terms of 

 three years. The school committee, of five 

 members, is also elected. All nominations are 

 made on petition of not fewer than 5,000 voters. 

 A remarkable feature is the finance commis- 

 sion, of five members, all residents of the city 

 but appointed by the governor of the state for 

 five years, one member being appointed each 

 year. This commission is free to investigate 

 any matters relating to appropriations, ex- 

 penditures, accounts or methods of administra- 

 tion which it feels may need investigation, and 

 may report to the mayor, the council, the gov- 

 ernor or the legislature. While Boston has 

 home rule, therefore, in all essentials, the state 

 provides a possible check in case of maladmin- 

 istration. 



The People. In 1850, of the four elements 

 of the population, those born in other parts 

 of the United States ranked first, those born in 

 Boston of native parents ranked second ; the 

 foreign-born were third, and the children of 



BOSTON 



foreign-born were last. Half a century later 

 the foreign-born were first in numbers, the 

 children of foreigners second, those born else- 

 where in the United States were third, and the 

 native Bostonians were last. No better sum- 

 mary could be given of the change which has 

 occurred in the character of the population. In 

 1910, out of a total population of 670,585, only 

 23.5 per cent were native-born of native par- 

 ents, 38.3 per cent were native-born of foreign 

 or mixed parentage, and 35.9 per cent were 

 foreign-born. The Jrish constitute by far the 

 largest foreign element, the number of Irish- 

 born and native-born of Irish parentage being 

 nearly twenty-five per cent of the total popula- 

 tion. The Scotch, English and Germans are 

 represented in smaller numbers, and in recent 

 years there has been a steady influx of Italians 

 and Russian-Jews. Although it is apparent that 

 the old or real Bostonians are now only a small 

 part of the city's residents, they have given it 

 its character and its reputation among the 

 cities of America. 



History. "This town of Boston," Emerson 

 once said, "has a history. It is not an accident, 

 not a windmill, or a railroad station, or cross- 

 roads tavern, or an army-barracks grown up 

 by time and luck to a place of wealth; but a 

 seat of humanity, of men of principle, obeying 

 a sentiment and marching whither that should 

 lead them; so that its annals are great histori- 

 cal lines, inextricably national; part of the 

 history of political liberty." In the preceding 

 paragraphs enough references have been made 

 to events in Boston's history to show the truth 

 of Emerson's remarks. Before the Revolution- 

 ary War the history of Boston was largely that 

 of Massachusetts, and after the Union was 

 formed the important events in its story were 

 nearly all connected with national movements. 



The first man to enter Boston Harbor was 

 Captain John Smith, who came in 1614. In 

 1630 John Winthrop's colony settled at Charles- 

 town, across the river, but before the end of the 

 summer decided to move to the peninsula then 

 known as Trimountaine, from its three hills. 

 This name is more familiar in its modern form, 

 Trcmont. On September 17, 1630, it was offi- 

 cially ordered that the settlement should be 

 called Boston, after the city of that name in 

 England, from which some of the leading colo- 

 nists had come. In 1632 Boston was chosen 

 as the capital of the colony. During the seven- 

 teenth and eighteenth centuries the town pros- 

 pered, and at the beginning of the War of Inde- 

 pendence, with a population of 20,000, it was 



