1892 



(;i,KA\lN(;s IN HKK CULTURE. 



95 



< IS will) o(iiit*Mui tliat lixctl lianits can not he 

 liaiidlfd as lapiilly. will tind. stMnicr or later, 

 iliai iIk'v art- lu'iiiir Irli in the race for profit.] 



RAMBLE NO. 52. 



IN CllKAfio. 



.Vftt'i' Icavin-r Dow asjiat- tlic route is ovci' a 

 ♦Iciiirlit fill portion of fonniry. On one side we 

 oati-li friiinpscs of the spari<linvr waters (d' Lake 

 .Mii'hiiian. and on the olhi'r llic level and rioli 

 farniinji lands of Nortlieiii Indiana. Wheat- 

 tields \\(>re (|nite conitnon ilironsili XortiM-rn 

 Ohio and in Micliitran: hnt luM'e tliey Ix'canie 

 more nunieions and laiii<'>': tJie waving lields 

 were ready for the harvester, and many of 

 these machines liad eommeneed their labors. All 

 availahle hell), inehulinj? women. W(>re at work, 

 und here I tirst saw women engaired in the stal- 

 wart lalior of piteliing hay upon wagons, and 

 they .seemed to nse tile i)itelifork as dextronsly 

 as any man. From appearances they were 

 German families who had bronght their fatiier- 

 land love of work, strength, and tiiiift with 

 them. Tlie average .\meiii-an can not endure 

 to see a woman at work' in the lields: the spec- 

 tacle of petticoats behind a pitchfork or a hoe 

 is not very snggestive of a very gentle, refined 

 lady, which an American loves to honor. The 

 shivery of the kitchen is. however, quite as 

 great, or even a greater bai'rier to refinement 

 than a judicious amount of outdoor labor, and 

 its attendant pure air and health-giving exer- 

 cise. 



Soon large gardening areas take the place of 

 wheat-Helds; the villages become more nu- 

 merous and larger, and the traveler ;kno\vs 

 from these unmistakable signs that he is ap- 

 proaching a large city. Soon the houses be- 

 come continuous: and as we glide smoothly into 

 a large depot, the breakeraan shouts out that 

 talismanic word. " Chicagol"" How often' this 

 wonderful inland city is brijught to our atten- 

 tion by,some stirring episode within its borders! 



o.\-niKi:i.\(; itav in indi.xna. 



How often we think of its marvelous gi-invth. 

 and imagine the greatness of its futnrel And 

 now for two years or more all eyes in the civi- 

 lized world will be centered on this city, and 

 will place here on exhibition their best efforts 

 of brain and muscle. 



Chicago is not dejected at all over the hercu- 

 lean-task before her, but extends the hand of 



hi'arty welcome to all lu-w arrivals. A whole 

 delegation of her heterogeneous citizens met 

 the Hainbler. and every one was vociferous to 

 shake hands. Seli-ciing a bi'oad-shoulden^d 

 iiibei'nian to shake with, 1 was landed uncere- 

 moniously into his elegant >liay, and ra|)idly 

 sliayed away, with several other' di>liiigirished 

 jiersons. to the Comnreicial Hotel. This hotid 

 will aecommodate KXH) pc^ople, more oi' less. It 

 is iirn on the Americair plan — so much for a 

 r'oorii. and a good price for what you don't eat. 



SOCIALISTIC " CIMF.X LECTUI.AIUUS " (BEDBUG). 



The fatigue of the journey .sent me early to 

 bed via the elevator. The Chicago night air, 

 the evening cuisine of the hoteT, or somfe an- 

 terior circumstance, caused the Rambler to 

 arouse toward morning with a fearful sick 

 headache, and all day the bed was occupied 

 with a despondently sick person. A good rest 

 the second night enabled me the next day to 

 eat a little and make a few short trips on the 

 streets. It is said that first impressions are 

 lasting. As this was a severe stomachic on(\ it 

 will be remembered. My next impression was 

 through my generoirs olfactory organ as I ap- 

 proached the Chicago River. A celebrated 

 comedian is said to have remarked, before a 

 Chicago audience, that he heard them talking 

 much about tilling irr and beautifying along the 

 lake front: but he would advise them to win 

 renown by.lilling in that immense filthy sewer 

 called the Chicago River. The river, though 

 filthy and loud-smelling, is full of shipping and 

 trafhc. and. entering the lake thr-ough the 

 business por'Jon of the city, it is spanned by 

 over t)0 drawbi'idges. and rrndermined by two 

 tunnels, .ludging Chicago from the river point 

 of view, the impression is irot good. 

 • The Comnrercial Hotel, charging me for all 

 the meals I missed •(liu'ing my indisposition. I 

 changed to a splendi<i hotel orr the Eiu'opean 

 plan. I was here highly enteitained dining the 

 night — by several specimens of the genus 

 Clrnex lectHlaruis,\\'\iO wei-e evidently in seai'ch 

 of rations on the help-yourself, socialistic plan. 

 After this interview I felt decidedly better, and 

 was on th(! str-eet at an eai'ly horu'. Wishing to 

 get a gerrer-al view of the city I ascended 

 the tower of the Auditorium building, and 

 saw on one side Lake Michigan, calm and 

 peaceful: on the other side what I called 

 smoke witli a few church-spires struggling 

 through it. A closer obser'vation. however, 

 revealed it to be genuine Chicago gas. Every 



