Page Eight
THE UNITED AMERICAN
AUGUST 1925
The Population of the World’s Greatest Cities
T F THE returns of a census taken by the police of
Buenos Aires were to be considered reliable, that
city, which is by far the largest city south of the
equator, would stand sixth among the cities of the
world, in population.
The new count in the Argentine metropolis places
the number of inhabitants at 2,310,000, in round
figures, and that is believed to be enough to outrank all
other cities except five.
The five which are conceded greater in size are
London, New York, Paris and Chicago, of course, with
the fifth place apparently left in doubt between Berlin
and Tokyo. Probably the Argentine capital admits the
larger population of the German metropolis but denies
that the chief city of Japan is also bigger than Buenos
Aires.
By any fair method of counting the residents of
great cities, the truth is that Buenos Aires must be
ranked below both Berlin and Tokyo. The true position
of the Argntine capital appears to be seventh instead of
sixth among the world’s largest centers of population.
When the real dimensions of the greatest cities are
made the basis of census-taking and arbitrary divisions
between the central municipalities and their contiguous
suburbs are ignored, the actual figures will give London
about 7,700,000 inhabitants, New York nearly or not
quite 7,200,000, Tokyo 5,200,000, Paris 4,500,000, Ber
lin 4,000,000 and Chicago 3,200,000.
These figures ignore the city limits fixed by legal
boundaries, long since out of date. They deal with the
actual extent of immense centers of population, all of
which are in truth much bigger than their official size,
as shown by census records. Buenos Aires, given like
credit for its full extent, may have 2,500,000 or possibly
2,600,000 residents.
It will be seen that the Argentine metropolis is
still far from standing sixth among the great cities of
the world. As the seventh, however, it seems to be
secure for a long time to come, perhaps longer than it
will require for Buenos Aires to overtake Paris or
Berlin.
The nearest city below is apparently Philadelphia,
with about 2.200,000 population at present, close sub
urbs included, but growing much less rapidly than
Buenos Aires. There is no smaller city within a million
of the Argentine capital which is gaining as rapidly as
that great center of urban life, foremost in the southern
half of the earth.
Prediction of a Glacial Age Twenty Thousand Years in the Future
’T' HAT ANOTHER great ice age or glacial period will
stars will reach their closest positions to our sun some
befall this world again is the prediction recently time between seventeen thousand and thirty-four
made by Ellsworth Huntington, famed geographer, ex thousand years in the future.
That’s how Dr. Huntington is able to predict an
plorer and research associate of Yale University. The
only relief in sight for this impending catastrophy is, other ice age somewhere in the remote future not less
so far as we are concerned, that it wouldn’t happen in than twenty thousand years hence.
anything less than a period of twenty thousand years.
While conducting his investigations to find out if THREE MEN TO RULE NORTHERN AUSTRALIA
there are daily variations in the sun’s output of energy A N ATTEMPT to make the northern territory self-
which might not be caused by the positions of the
supporting is embodied in a government bill, which
planets, it occured to him that long-period variations in proposes the appointment of a commission of three
the sun might be caused by the positions of the stars. members, with salaries of thirty thousand dollars a
This scientist believes that the planets influence year, to administer the tropical area above twenty
the sun by reflecting part of the sun’s electrical radia degrees latitude, which henceforth, will be called North
tions back into the sun. The stars, of course, would Australia, says a recent Melbourne item. The com
affect the sun by the influence of their own radiations, missioners will reside at Darwin, and will be empowered
for the stars send out light, heat and electrical radia to construct railways and telegraphs and provide water
tions just as our own sun does.
supplies and to conduct the general development on the
Other scientists agree that one of the most likely lines already approved by the federal government. The
causes of a glacial age would be a falling off in the bill gives the government authority to appoint “a gov
energy radiated by the sun.
ernment resident” to administer Central Australia as
Such a falling off might take place if the sun was a separate state under federal direction.
subjected to the bombardment of electrical rays from
If the divine is faithful, man also piust be faithful; if it
near stars, according to Dr. Huntington. He asked two
well known astronomers, Dr. Schlessinger of Yale and is free, man also must be free; if beneficent, man also must
be beneficent; if magnanimous, man also must be magnani
Dr. Shapely of Harvard, to help him compute the mous; as being then an imitator of God he must do and say
courses of the nearest thirty-eight stars for the last everything consistently with this fact.
— Epictetus.
seventy thousand years and the coming seventy thou
sand years.
There are all kinds of autos but they all get the same
The calculations show that five of these stars brand of inspiration at filling stations. And there are all
reached their closest to our sun twenty-five thousand kinds of churches, but if they amount to anything they, too,
— Olexographs.
years ago. That was the time when the last ice age must all patronize the same filling station.
took place.
A character is like an acrostic... read it forward or
The calculations show further that seven of the backward, or across, it still spells the same thing. — Emerson.