374 



THE IRRIGATION AGE. 



Chicago 

 Feeds 

 the World. 



On July 19th, S. F. Swift & 

 Co., shipped five carloads of 

 barreled pork and beef to 

 Port Arthur for the use of the Russian 

 army in China, and the same day Libby, 

 McNeill & Libby sent five carloads of 

 canned roasts, soups and beef to Tokio and 

 Nagasaki, for the use of the Japanese 

 army in China. It is expected that this 

 is but a forerunner of other orders tenfold 

 in size. There is but one place in the 

 world that can supply even a moderate 

 army, and that place is Chicago. That 

 Chicago is equal to the task before it, and 

 more, is shown by the official statistican 

 of the stock yards company who says that 

 the daily outputs of meat products would 

 feed for one day 32,000,000 people, and 

 some days 48,000,000 people, allowing a 

 half pound of meat a day to each person. 

 Half of continental Europe depend largely 

 upon Chicago for meat products in time of 

 peace, and in times of war no country 

 oould get along without the modern 

 canned meats and dressed beef supplied by 

 Chicago packers. 



The war in China is daily 

 in h Chiiri growing in importance, spread- 

 ing in every direction. A'mies 

 from nearly every European power are 

 landing in Chmese territory, and though 

 war has has not been declared by any 

 nation more people have already been 

 killed than in war with Spain when that 

 country lost Cuba, Porto Rico and the 

 Philippines. There are really two 

 Chinas, different from each others, the 

 Manchu dynasty, survivors of the Tartar 

 hordes who are opposed to any kind of 

 reform or invasion of Europeans and have 

 caused all this trouble; the other is the 

 reform party which is willing to purchase 

 foreign goods and adopt foreign methods 

 'whenever their superiority to native pro- 

 ducts or plans is perceived. When the 

 day of settlement comes, if the European 

 powers are not solely actuated by the 

 feeling of blind revenge for atrocities 

 committed, or by insatiate greed for terri- 

 tory, they will do wisely to take the 

 reform party of China into account. But 

 when will this final settlement come? 

 Already the allied powers are out of 

 harmony. It seems impossible for them 

 to agree on a commander for the com. 



bined forces. Japan has the largest army 

 there and should have command, but 

 Russian soldiers object. Russia has the 

 next largest force, but the other nations 

 dare not trust her with the reins. The 

 other nations have such small forces there 

 that it would be ridiculous for any one to 

 expect to lead. Had this happened four 

 years ago China would have been parti- 

 tioned and divided among the European 

 power, for at that time America was 

 looked upon by other nations as a small 

 boy who was neither old enough or big 

 enough to be taken notice of, but America 

 today is liable to be the dictator in the 

 settlement, and if so, China will still be 

 China but with an open door and a new 

 reform government. 



Most Englishmen after visit- 

 Critic dly * n Chicago and returning to 

 their own "blarsted" country 

 have treated us with illnatured and unjust 

 criticisms, but Prof. Duncan, lecturer on 

 art to the students of the Chicago Insti- 

 tute says he is "astounded at the beauty 

 of this young town," ami has been happily 

 disappointed. He further says: 



"I am going to lecture on art to these 

 students art as it appeals to children," 

 said the professor. "I shall find plenty of 

 inspiration in Chicago. There are so 

 many artistic things here. There is the 

 Zoo in Lincoln park, for instance. That 

 fascinates me. There is not one so beau- 

 tiful in Europe. There they adapt the 

 surroundings to the habits of the animals 

 and give a natural and artistic setting to 

 each of them. I have spent hours at that 

 Zoo, and I think I will never tire of it. 

 And your buildings, and your lake shore 

 ah, there is no lack of inspiration in 

 Chicago, either for the grown folks or for 

 the children." 



In general Prof. Duncan may be said to 

 represent the kindly class of critics men 

 and women who know that light and 

 shade are to be fonnd in all cities and who 

 do not therefore feel it incumbent upon 

 them to pick out the shade and exclaim: 

 "How dark!" While to the man, whether 

 novelist or dean, who gropes about Chi- 

 cago by night with a piece of phosphorus 

 for a candle, there may be but little in the 

 city that appeals to him, the man who, 

 like Prof. 'Duncan, stands on the smooth 



