There are many who believe in the beauly of the straight line, some even who refuse to concede any ood qualities in curves or any departure from rectilinear correctness. But the straight line carried too far loses beauty in direct proportion to its length as an old bore gains in obnoxiousness by the protraction of his monotony. It is argued that if there is any real beauty in New York's sky-line its incidence is purely fortuitous, that economic pressure forced New York heavenward, and that its verticalness followed of sheer necessity.
That matters little in face of the fact, and the beauly is there no matter how fantastic it may. appear to those accustomed to other forms of artistic expression. It easy to realize how hideous New York might have been had it not and when the picture of what-might-have-been is summoned up, then and then only docs the merit of this gigantic achievement come to be fully appreciated.
Troglodytic Activity There was. A strange impression of dead sightlessness was conveyed by the landscape, True, plumes. of steam from many of the. buildings gave the lic to this impression, by Indicating some sort of troglodytic activity: below, while the noise of the city, like that of an overenthusiastic boiler factory, spoke of the ceaseless energy of this enormous ant heap.
'There was a reason for this quet aspect, Looking down upon. them, the myriads of New York's windows collected no light from the sky, They' could not, with the, result that each opening in those massive walls conveyed no impression of light and ite, but of an empty, dark void. Cruaities bathed in a Iambent blue, the greens of the patks shining like softly tinted jewels in. their iron-bound settings, with stretches of pastel blue water to frame it all presented a picture in which the great master of atm: Dheries seemed to have run riot amongst the quieter colours of his wonderful palette.
Hundreds of feet below little specks darted to and fro upon, the ground like the denizens of some highly organized insect world so Intent upon their lawful, oF unlawful occasions, giving the impression of a controlled disorder which added but another item to the long list of contrarieties of whick New York presents stich a mass,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.