Life — May 17, 1900 — page 13: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

PSK THE LAST WORDS OF THE LETTER. ‘" 80 good-bye, and may your shadow never grow less.” AN IMPORTANT QUESTION HICH is tho meanest city in the United States ? This is an {mportant question, and one that Lire would like to have definitely settled. With that object in view, wo offer A Prize of Fifty Dollars in Gold for the best statement of facts which prove that any particular city is the meancst ono in this country. Conditions, Competitors must limit thetr arguments to three hundred words each, Write on one side of the paper only. The contest will close June 1st, 1900, and the award will be made as soon thereafter ax the Feapective merits of the arguments can be deter- mined ‘The winning argument will be printed, together with such others as may seem to Live worthy of that distingutshed honor. Names and addresses of the writers should accompany all manuscripts. In no case will these be printed without the permlasion of the sender. Those who desire thelr manuscripts returned should enclose # stamped and addressed return envelope. Fach manuscript may bear apseudonym,which Will be printed with the argument ‘The Editors of Lave wre to be the sole judges of the merits of the arguments. MINNEAPOL Minneapolls 1s situated on the Mississtppt twenty years behind St. Paul; the latter being the head of navigation, the former Is the hat, bat the hat is all rim, That ts about what this apology for acity Is. It has one street ; everything else 1s an avenue like those tn a cemetery. Prosperity 18 Killing 1t, It haa one Industry, the mannfacture of breakfast food ‘The maln street, or rather avenue of the town, ts occupied by saloons, quick lunches, two dry goods stores and a pawn shop, the largest store of tts kind in the world, covering three blocks, which gives the acute peruser of these lines some {dea of the prosperous condition of the fohatitants, One day last week, the first stranger scen in the town for four years tipped It off to the proprietor of the inn that he had three dollars and sixty- elght cents to spend, and shortly after he was seen sprinting towards the river, chased by all the shopkeepers in their mad rush to get his money. There are no banks except on the river. Some enterprising man has started a stage line to the Falls of Minnehaha, so that people can see something active once a week, and on each trip fs the wit who remarks, “The laugh {son us!” ‘The population 1% composed of Norwegians, Swedes, Scandinavians, Indians, and Watters, No American was ever seen there. Tue only thing open tn the town ts the river, and that rans wide One may croxs an avenue by braving the dust, smoke and other elements which go towards making ft the cleanest city In the country, not even excepting Butte, Montana, The equipment of the street rullroad may be sald to be an Improvement over the three-rall system In use in other cities, Minneapolis having * the one-rall system, 80 that When cars meet the passengers change, the power 1s reversed, and the cars complete thetr journey. This gives more room tn the avenues for the ratsing of No, Oue hard wheat, Subway. A Modern Diagnosis. «¢QKINNER got a bill the other day for his wife’s automobile drives, and he's been laid up ever since.” “What's the mattcr?” “The doctor says he is suffering from an overcharge of electricity.”