There is now little or nothing further for me to say, save to put a tag
to my small story, and make my little bow to my readers. Birmingham,
like other modern enterprising centres, goes moving on "down the ringing
grooves of change." The city means to forge ahead, and will not permit
anything to impede its progress. Scaffolding seems more conspicuous than
ever, and before the ink is dry upon my page, more old buildings will be
down and more new buildings will be up. Since I began these chapters
(which have appeared in _The Midland Counties Herald_ during the past
months) some important, notable changes have taken place. For instance,
the Birmingham Old Library in Union Street, associated with the names of
many Birmingham worthies, has disappeared, and its site is occupied by
the new City Arcades. That conspicuous landmark, Christ Church, with all
its memories and curious belongings and characteristics, is now no
longer to be seen. Old narrow streets are being widened, old buildings
are bulging out, and large new buildings are being erected in all
directions. The municipality have taken in hand some important housing
schemes which may be advantageous to the working classes, and result in
the erection of some of those new artisans' dwellings which, so far,
have not been conspicuously numerous. In the meantime local debts go on
merrily, or I should say seriously, swelling. Ratepayers have to be
squeezed to find the necessary funds for the increasing outgoings; but
best-governed cities in the world must pay a price for their advantages
and pre-eminence, and the citizens thank the gods that they have men who
will devote thought and energy to laying out public money, and fervently
hope that this may be done wisely and well.
Some of our public men who are so ardent in forwarding new schemes and
improvements can, of course, say that if these developments mean higher
rates and growing assessments, they themselves have to bear their share
of the burdens. This, of course, is so, but it must be owned that when
we have a hand in spending large sums of money with the influence and
importance that accompany the process, we pay our quota of the
financial imposts if not cheerfully, at least without the grudging
feeling of those who merely have to pay, pay, pay.
Gentle, and I trust forbearing, reader I have written my story, and have
added to my iniquity by publishing it in book form, but I indulge a
small hope that it may possibly interest a limited number of those who,
like myself, have watched with their own eyes the rapid growth and
almost amazing development of Birmingham during the last forty or fifty
years. Writing almost entirely from my own observation and memory, I may
have made some slips and mistakes, but I have tried to be careful and
accurate, and have endeavoured to verify my facts and figures from
authentic sources when possible. I therefore venture to hope that my
errors are not very many, and not of any serious moment.
Writers, we know, are often prone to say that if their readers
experience as much pleasure in reading their pages as the writers have
had in writing them, the said readers will be rewarded for their time
and pains. I am not going to repeat this pretty formula, I am rather
inclined to say that if my readers experience my feeling that I have
said enough, they will not be sorry to see these last words of my final
page.