He regarded Jonesville as he would a fly in dog days. He went right by
it.

"As I was saying, we say nothing about Chicago but what we can prove.
Look on the map and you will see for yourself that Chicago is right in
the centre of the habitable portion of North America. Put your thumb
down on Chicago, and then sweep round it in an even circle with your
middle finger, and you will see that it takes in with that sweep all the
settled portion of North America."

"Yes," sez Josiah, with a air as if he had proved it with his thumb and
finger, time and agin, but he hadn't no such thing.

Sez Mr. Bolster, "We say nothing about our City that we can't prove. As
Chicago is in the very centre of productive North America, so it is the
centre of population of the United States.

"It is the centre of the raw materials for manufactures, cotton, wool,
metals, coal, gas, oil fields, all sorts of food. And as it is the
centre of supply, so it is of distribution--60 railroads and branches
bring freight and carry out manufactured products to every part of the
country--to say nothing of the great number of lines of water
transportations--connecting with all parts of the world. Why, last year
Chicago had 50 per cent more arrivals and clearances than New York. It
is the greatest shipping place in America. And," sez Mr. Bolster, "not
only can we prove that Chicago is the centre of the world for
manufactures, but it is the healthiest place to live in."

And then agin I spoke out, and, sez I, "I always hearn that it was built