Vol. 3. — No. 2. RICHMOND, IND., APRIL, 1880. at 
CHICAGO— ITS PARKS AMD BOULEVARDS. 
|Y common consent of all nations America is designated as the New World. 
In the progress of civilization this is certainly correct, for, however much 
| geologist and ethnologist may differ in their conclusions, it is a truism that 
WC. civilization as developed in the world to-day, dates back less than three hun- 
dred years in America. But civilization and commercial prosperity always 
go hand in hand together, and their presence develops still another promi- 
nent factor in the world’s list of necessities, i. e., the great commercial emporiums 
or trade centres of the world. In studying commercial history we find these trade 
centres are well defined natural distributing points through which the bulk of merch- 
andise, provision, etc., must pass or exchange ownership, and all efforts to direct 
trade through unnatural channels have always proved futile. Within the limits of 
the United States we have several of these more or less prominent commercial em- 
poriums, some of which are so favorably situated as to be of great importance in the 
world’s history; but the majority will prove of only limited influence and probably 
never reach the dignity of a great city. Of those whose location seems most favor- 
able is the great city of Chicago. Being situated in the midst of a vast, fertile and 
productive agricultural district, with railroads converging from all points of the 
compass, and a cheap water communication open to navigation about eight months 
of the year, it certainly promises to become at no very distant day the great com- 
mercial emporium of all central North America. 
But Chicago is a new city; at least, it has not been fifty years since the develop- 
ments of the great West have changed this little frontier trading-post into a metrop- 
