Science and Citizenship 



institute not even a church or public-house. 

 This, however, is an omission rectified in a docu- 

 ment issued by the Seward Chamber of Com- 

 merce in August 1905, descriptive of the growing 

 towns and cities of Alaska. Of Seward itself the 

 document says : " Although but one year old, it 

 contains general stores of every kind, hotels, ten 

 saloons, a bank capitalised at 50,000 dols., a daily 

 newspaper, four churches, a flourishing public 

 school, an electric light plant, and a telephone 

 exchange." Of a place called Fairbanks we are 

 told that : " The city had a population of 7500 

 on ist July 1905, and was equipped with every 

 modern convenience, such as telephone, electric 

 light, water-works, churches, public schools, and 

 a daily paper receiving a full telegraphic report 

 of the world's news." It is clear that what the 

 American railway reformer understands by a city 

 is not a city at all, but a Town i.e. in the ad- 

 mirably correct and concrete phraseology cited, it 

 is a "jobbing centre." To the list of the urban 

 "conveniences," the Chamber of Commerce stan- 

 dard adds, churches, schools, newspapers, and 

 saloons. And the progress in civic ideals is signal. 

 For churches, schools, newspapers and saloons are 

 institutes of culture ; and are seen to be the lower 

 institutes of culture only when contrasted with 

 Cathedral and University, with Scientific Society 

 and Art Museum as higher ones. 



235 



