Our Chicago Letter

Aa we step from itn incoming train on the Michigan Central In Chteajto, we are greettdby n familiar sight. There, like the ghost of so ne past generation, rises the ruins ot wliat was nnce the Michigan Central aHil Illinois Central depot, destroyed by the great lire of 1871, with the excepción of being a Hule more weatherbculeu and discolored by smoke, its wal Is have not changtd, duriug the eighteen years that have passed. The m ijority of the shareholdcr's of these roads are iíew Yorker's, henee the dllapidated condición in which t li Is building is premitted to remain. These New Yorkers with their accustotned generosity ( ?) would build a new depot provided the city would release to thein valuable land now used as a park. The men who control these roads, are now engaged in ridiculing Chicago and calling it a provincial city, wheriius the only provincial thlng about it, is of their own creating. But strangers are not apt to be acquainted with these facts, henee expresa ther surprise tiiat Chicago with all its boasted splendor should allow such a building to exist. Such wasourdissapointment at linding it the game as we Ie ft it some 15 years ago, but as we traverse the Btreets we see, that even if the depot remains the samo, a mighty transformaron has really taken place, oíd familiar landmarks are gone, buildings that years ugo we had considered the iinest in the weat, are now mere pygmies by the side of the lofty sky scrapers towering far above every thingin their immediate viclnity. Buildings whose granduer would puttoshame, the finest palaces we read of in the "Arabian Nlghts Entertainment.'1 Our disappointment is turned to enthusiasra, wonder and pride, and we rejoice to think that we hail from the west, where the people have the energy and push to erect such magnificent works of archiUcture. In a future letter some of these buildings will be describcd. CHICAOO'S GROWTH. The growth of Chicago has been so rapid, that if the reader has not visitel it during the past two years an Introduction will be necessary, Indeed it is almost imposslble for a resident, to keep up with its numerous changi.-, unless one's business takes, hlm around a good deal; buildings epring up, and are completed as by magie, and we constantly hear expresslous of surprise from people, who visit some familiar locality ajter a few mouths absence. "ALL ROADS LEAD TO ROME " And all railroads lead to Chicago. Situated at the head of Lake Michigan, Chicago occujjies a position, that matees it the commercial center of the United Btates, uorth, south, east and west must by the natural conditionsof thiugs pay tribute to the "Garden City," the second city In populittion, the flist in energy, entërprise, and business capacity. The greatest railroad center in the Uoltod State.", with its great continental line renchiog on the one hand to Puget Sound, and on the other into Mexico, having their terminal thousands of miles apart, these with their numerous branches and feeders and the great trunk 1 i nes of the East, togelher with its water highway?, means a great distributing center, such as no other city can or will attain. THE WOULD'S FAIR. The main topic of conversation in hotels, clubs, and offices is the World's Fair. üf course all Chicagoan's believe that it will come here, Inving umlertalcen a thing they don't know whnt fnilure is. To an outsider however, the result seems doubtful, the contest grows more desperate, from tliis time on it will be a battle of glanta. It Is now more tli.in ever obvious that ttiere are but two factions, the chief city of the seaboard and tlie clilef city of the interior. Oenerally the people of New York don't care for the fair, nothing but jealousy hasstirred them up at all. In a lew days a dele-jcation of New York business men, headed by Chauncey Depew will make thelr appearance on tlie battle grounds at Washington. However the Chicago curnmittee 8 well pleased at the outlook, aml ulthough tliere is rumor of an al lia nee between St. I.ouis and New York, .they cliiim that St. Louis cannot deliver the goods, for the votes of Missouri, Arkansa, and Texas are pledged to Chicago as secoud clioice. Then Chicago has the bncking of uil the large cities of the west, these cities reiison in this way : that Chicügo beinjt tlio great central metropolis of the United States, its board of trai! and its business men' being tlie most intelligent and active in the world, that what benelits Cliicago, will benefit them, for the business Interest of Chicago and the west are identical. , A MICIflGANDEU'S MISTARE. In connection with the AVorld's Fair, a trood story is told of a lady living on the south side, who recently malled to a sister llvinjr in Michigan a lot of Herald's World Fair stickers, telling her to be sure and use them on all her eorrespondence. This sister liyes in the little vlllage of Ionia near the thriving city of Orand Ledge (Ionia citizens will forgive nvj if I teil the story as it is told here) and cunscqucmly hears but meagerly of wh;it is goiuü on in the great world outslde. Tlie weeks rol led by, the Chicago 1 idy heM'd nothing from lona, thinking it strange slie wrote ngain. Then Caine a letter explainin;; the long silence. Tlie Michigan sister had received the stickers, but supposed they were to be used in litu of posiage Btniupf. Slie had written four letters and posted a sticker in the stamp corner of each envelope, and she had bcgun to wonder why the answers did not arrive, when the villaje postmiister called on lier with tlie missing letters and said he must have elLht cent3 or four stamps, before they could he forwarded. Then slie learned that red stickers and green stamps were for d i ent purposes. JOHN CBERAR. Chicago is to bo congratulated on her public spirited men. A few ilays since John Crerar a christlan business man died, leaving un estáte estimated at $3,500,000. Thls immense suin w.'s accuuialatcd in Chicago, and Chicago in.-titutions got the bulk of it, $1,500,000 to be used tor a free public library, for the m isses, to belp edúcate and elévate thoe wlio are unable to assist theiuselves. l!i'.-i.lr al most every charitable institución in the city was richly providtod for. By so dolng lie has lele a monument more lasling axil enduring, than one of metal or stone could i)osibly be. A man whose ïcemory wrn ue ciierrancu in inc licrtsof Ibe people for many long years. One class of people have expressed their disnpproviil of thi good man. The anarchist at one of tlieir Sundny meetings did nothing but snarl and insult the inemory of the man whose brquesta were lurgely for tiieir benefit. Tlie qnstiou naturally arises: what do these ungrateful creatures wint, anywav? John Crerar luft thousands ot dollars to the manuel training school that their children mlglit be tauglit the industrial arts, thousands of dolíais for poor and f-Tieodless ehildren, for poor and frlendlenS old men and women, thousands of dollars lor hospital0, where sick and injuied poor may be properly laken care of. Thousands for training schools, where nurses may be trained to wuit on the sick. Is tltis the reason they insult his memory, or is it because they have not the gratitude of common brutes? THE FAT CATTI.E SHOW. Any farmer would be bound to feel flattered, could he have stepped luto the exiiosltion building last week, anti seen the great crowds of ci'y pcop!e slicll out their half dollars for the sake ofgaz'n at the many attractions at the Fat Stock Show. People who cannot distinguisli a Hertford su-er frotn a (} illoway heif'er flocked to the building in thousanda and were pleased and intcrested in all tbey saw there. Pur once the gentle, long fleeced shcep, tiie soft eyed kiue, the great tnasses of flash in the swine pens, and the thousands of cluckens seemed to PO9CS8 a fasciuatiou for these city people not excelled by the attractiona of au opening night of Italian opera. Beside the catlle show there was a Wild West exhibition at each session, such riding as was seeu there, is seldom witnessed except on the pi iins. Wild bronchos that had neyer been broken to the saddle. were brought into the ring, saddled and subdued by the cov boysiu less than Uiteen minutes. Tiiese novel entertainment! were heartlly enjoyed by the aud ene V Occari ina'ly;however these wild horses got the better if the cow boys. The other night, one had been lasaoed, thrown and bllndfolded, the excited animal had no soouer regained his feet i han he made a desperate plunge and broke away from his tormentors. While bliudfolded he dabhed into the fence and went through it, the crowd scattered in every direction, but a second high fence stopped hls progress, and the cow boys finully tangled htm up in ropes, and in a few minutes Bob Campbell the most skillful and daring of the boys was riding the wild pony around the ring. A trotting dog also illorded much amusement. Being harnessed to a sulky and driven by a boy, he raced with ponies not over 12 hands high, the dog invariably won. He was a jolly looking dog, and sei-med to consider tlie race a good joke, his tail never ceased to war, no matter how hard he was puslied by the pony. A I)AKK DAY. Nov. 2Ut will be remembered as the duik day, at 10 o'clock a. m. it was as dark as at ten o'clock at night, even more so, 8 there were no street lamps lighted, a heavy fog had settled over the city, and in every offlüe, store and factory lights were burntug. On South Water street the chickeus went to sleep. In the city hall the electric lights refused to work, the gas not being turned on, tlie larfte building was lelt in for halfan hour in total darkness, candles were at last resorted to. People were carrylng lanterns in the street in order to tind their way, day was turned Into night, and people groped their way about in the gloom. Bui the "Oldest inliabitant" will prob ibly remember a day when the gloom was so great as to put the lights out. I'kak'h Soap Is the most elegant toilet adjunct.