But
Even San Jose Comes Nearer To What Was Intended Than Does
Washington.
For myself, I do not believe in cities made after this fashion.
Commerce, I think, must select the site of all large congregations
of mankind.
In some mysterious way she ascertains what she wants,
and having acquired that, draws men in thousands round her
properties. Liverpool, New York, Lyons, Glasgow, Venice,
Marseilles, Hamburg, Calcutta, Chicago, and Leghorn have all become
populous, and are or have been great, because trade found them to be
convenient for its purposes. Trade seems to have ignored Washington
altogether. Such being the case, the Legislature and the Executive
of the country together have been unable to make of Washington
anything better than a straggling congregation of buildings in a
wilderness. We are now trying the same experiment at Ottawa, in
Canada, having turned our back upon Montreal in dudgeon. The site
of Ottawa is more interesting than that of Washington, but I doubt
whether the experiment will be more successful. A new town for art,
fashion, and politics has been built at Munich, and there it seems
to answer the expectation of the builders; but at Munich there is an
old city as well, and commerce had already got some considerable
hold on the spot before the new town was added to it.
The streets of Washington, such as exist, are all broad. Throughout
the town there are open spaces - spaces, I mean, intended to be open
by the plan laid down for the city.
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