THE METROPOLITAN CITY .
Snt,—Heat rather than light may come from the friction between Mr. Pick and Mr. Osborn. The subject is far too important for this to be the result. Mr. Pick has succegded in pressing multitudes of people into underground tubes' and is an artist at the work, and Mr. Osborn wants us to keep our feet on the earth rather than to burrow under it or be suspended over it. Which is right? -Statistics when applied to human life are often fallacious because they apply to quantity and not to quality. How quantity affects quality in such a case requires more research, but we know that where men are herded together the results are apt to be bad, and that broad averages are of no use but conceal the black patches.
There are parts of London where civilisation flourishes, and happy is the man who can take advantage of this ; but there are great stretches of London where civilisation does not flourish and unhappy are the many who live in them. True values of life can only exist where hnman needs are fully satisfied, and these needs are bound up with ,land to live and play upon, fresh air to breathe, good food, &c. Judged by elmentary standards London fails. It is too- unwieldy and chaotic and many of its values do not ring true, nor do we
feel inclined to wait until in some remote age a Utopian metropolitan city emerges. Man is a social being, and all 'dots on civilisation such as exist in London reflect on us all, quite apart from the economic and political drag which the ereat city is on the rest of the country.
Every attempt to simplify our social problems in a way r. hick will satisfy human needs and create interesting and varied new communities, throbbing with life and energy, should be welcomed. They will always increase the possibility of having greater communities, the centres of thought and life, but not too big to be manageable.
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