Great as was the advancement of the nation, material and otherwise, between 1853 and 1876, it has been no less marked and impressive between the latter date and the present time. The exhibition at Chicago, accordingly, may be expected in like measure to surpass that at Philadelphia in variety and extent. There are new inventions to display which were unheard of in 1876, but which now are familiar as household words. There are the fruits of the labor and skill of the many millions who have been added to the population of America. There are the results of experience and observation at the great fairs held in other lands. There are innumerable circumstances and conditions combining to make this by far the most important exhibition the world has yet seen.
During the years 1889 and 1890 there was much public discussion of the proposed celebration of the fourth Columbian centenary. When a general agreement was reached that it should chiefly take the form of a World’s Fair, the question arose, in what city the enterprise should be placed. Rivalry became exceedingly keen, especially between New York, Chicago, and Washington, and presently it was seen that one of these three must secure the prize. But which? Washington was the national capital, and thus an appropriate site; it was accessible, it had magnificent grounds for the purpose. As for New York, it was the metropolis, the business and social capital, the chief port, the city of greatest size and wealth and interest. In favor of Chicago it was urged that it was, with its marvellous growth and enterprise, most truly representative of the American spirit; that it was nearest to the centre of the country, and that in point of general fitness it was second to no other. The ultimate decision was left with Congress, and it was in favor of Chicago; whereupon all rivalries were forgotten, and New York and the whole nation joined loyally in the work of helping forward the gigantic undertaking.
Congress and the President gave to the enterprise the stamp of official sanction, and the State Department formally invited the nations of the world to participate in the great exhibition. In response no less than forty-nine nations and colonies sent prompt acceptances, and will accordingly make exhibits, showing the advances made in the arts and sciences and the progress generally of each in every field of human endeavor. These are: Argentine Republic, Austria-Hungary, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, China, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Denmark, Danish West Indies, Equador, France, Algeria, French Guiana, Germany, Great Britain, Barbadoes, British Columbia, British Guiana, Honduras, Cape Colony, Ceylon, Jamaica, New South Wales, New Zealand, Trinidad, Guatemala, Hayti, British Honduras, Japan, Mexico, Dutch Guiana, Dutch West Indies, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Persia, Peru, Russia, Salvador, San Domingo, Siam, Spain, Cuba, Porto Rico, Turkey, Uruguay, Venezuela, Zanzibar. Of course all the States and Territories of the Union will also be fully represented, with displays that will surpass by far those made at Philadelphia in 1876.
It is fitting to take at least a brief glance at the extraordinary city in which this latest and greatest Universal Exhibition is to be held—extraordinary both in its history and in its present status. The first white man who trod its soil was the famous French missionary, Father Marquette. He went thither in 1673. Later, La Salle, Joliet, Hennepin, and others visited the region; but none of them made any settlement there. Indeed, while Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and other cities were attaining great size and almost venerable age, the site of this Western metropolis remained a wilderness. In 1804, however, the Government established a frontier military post at the mouth of the Chicago River, calling it Fort Dearborn. The little garrison remained there eight years and then, in 1812, was annihilated by the Indians, though a few other white settlers survived and held their ground. The next attempt at settlement occurred in 1829, when James Thompson surveyed the site for a proposed town. On August 10th, 1833, the settlement was incorporated, there being twenty-eight legal voters. On March 4th, 1837, a city charter was obtained, and thenceforth the growth of the place was rapid and substantial beyond all imagination. In 1840 the population was 4,479; in 1850 it was 28,269; in 1860 it was 112,172; and 1870 it was 298,977.
In the fall of 1871 occurred an event notable not only in the history of Chicago, but of the whole world. A little before midnight, on October 9th, a fire broke out, at the corner of De Koven and Jefferson Streets. The weather for weeks had been dry, and a high wind prevailed. Before daylight the fire had burned its way to Lincoln Park, nearly four miles; and by the following afternoon it had spread over 2,100 acres, 100,000 people were homeless, and $200,000,000 worth of property was destroyed. The business part of the city was a waste of ashes. With characteristic generosity the whole country sprang to the relief of the stricken city. A fund of nearly $5,000,000 was quickly collected, and the work of succoring the needy and re-building the city was begun. Within two years, almost every trace of the stupendous calamity had vanished, and the growth of the city proceeded even more swiftly than before. In 1880 its population was 503,185, and in 1890 it had been swelled to the enormous total of 1,098,576—the second city of the Union. Its growth is at the rate of more than 1,000 per week.
When it was incorporated, Chicago covered an area of two and a half square miles; now it
