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important public buildings are the new custom-house and post-office, erected at a cost of over $5,000,000; the merchants’ exchange, which contains a grand hall 221 feet 10 inches in length by 62 feet 10 inches in width and 60 feet in height; the court-house, where the civil courts hold their sessions; the four courts and jail, in which building are the headquarters of the police department and the chambers of the criminal courts; the cotton exchange; the new exposition and music-hall building on Olive Street, erected by public subscription; and the Crow Museum of Fine Arts. The present city-hall is a large but hardly ornamental edifice. The mercantile library, on Fifth and Locust Streets, contains nearly 65,000 volumes and also a valuable art collection. The public school library in the polytechnic building has about 55,000 volumes. There are six handsome theatres and various other smaller places of amusement. The public school system of St Louis includes the kindergarten (for which St Louis has become somewhat celebrated), the grammar-schools (including eight grades, of a year each), and a high-school, besides the normal school and a school for deaf mutes. The public schools naturally absorb much the largest number of pupils; but the parochial schools and the private schools gathered about the Washington university are also much frequented. The number of pupils in 1883–84 was in the normal school 64, high-school 783, grammar-schools 52,280, total in day schools 53,127; total in day and evening schools 56,366. The total number of public school buildings is 104, and the value of property used for school purposes $3,229,148; all the school edifices are substantial and convenient, and many architecturally attractive. The receipts of the public school system for 1884 were $941,332, and the total expenditure $934,609, the amount paid to teachers being $632,873. Of parochial schools there are about 75. The Washington and St Louis universities are old and well-established institutions. There are also the Mary Institute and the manual training school, both connected with Washington university, the college of the Christian Brothers, convent seminaries, and numerous medical colleges. In addition there are art schools, singing and gymnastic societies, and other similar organizations and establishments. There are published in St Louis four daily newspapers in English and four in German, and also a number of weekly publications.

There are 16 Baptist churches, 8 Congregational, 13 Episcopal, 25 German Evangelical and Lutheran, 6 Hebrew congregations, 18 Methodist Episcopal, 8 Methodist Episcopal Church (South), 25 Presbyterian, 45 Roman Catholic, and 3 Unitarian. Many of the buildings are of imposing proportions, built of stone, massive in character, and with lofty spires. The Roman Catholic cathedral, built in 1830, is the oldest church now in use. On the high ground in the central-western portion of the city (Stoddard’s Addition) will be found most of the costly church buildings, whilst in the northern and southern portions of the city there are very few indeed.

The parks and squares of St Louis number 19, covering nearly 2100 acres. Tower Grove Park, in the south-western suburbs, containing about 266 acres, was presented by Mr Henry Shaw. The smaller parks are situated to the east of Grand Avenue, and the driving parks in the suburbs,—O’Fallon Park (158 acres) at the northern extremity of the city, Forest Park (1372 acres) west of the central portion, Tower Grove in the south-west, and Carondelet (180 acres) in the south. In the immediate vicinity of Tower Grove Park are the Missouri Botanical Gardens, established by Mr Henry Shaw, and containing the most extensive botanical collection in the United States. In addition to the parks, the Fair Grounds in the north-west should be mentioned, where the annual fair is held, and where there is a permanent zoological department. An amphitheatre, capable of seating between 20,000 and 30,000 spectators, and a race-course with a most elaborate grand stand, are among the other features. There are various beer-gardens in the city, largely frequented as pleasure-resorts. There are about 120 miles of street railways in operation.

The following table shows the population of St Louis at different periods:—

1799	925	1856	125,200
1810	1,400	1866	204,327
1820	4,928	1870 (United States
1830	5,862	census)	310,864
1840	16,469	1880	350,518
1850	74,439

The figures of the United States census are strictly confined to municipal limits, and do not include the residents of East St Louis and of various suburban localities, properly a part of the city population. In 1880 the population (179,520 males, 170,998 females) was divided as follows:—native, 245,505; foreign-born, 105,013. Of the latter 36,309 came from Great Britain (28,536 Irish) and 54,901 from Germany. The death-rate per thousand in 1882 was 19·6, in 1883 it was 20·4, and in 1885 (population being estimated at 400,000) it was 19·7.

The police force, including detectives and employés, numbers about 500 men. The fire brigade numbers 250 men, with 22 engine-houses. The city has three public hospitals, an asylum for the insane, a poorhouse, a workhouse for the confinement and employment of prisoners charged with petty offences, and a house of refuge which is a reformatory institution for juvenile offenders and for the education of children thrown upon the care of the city by abandonment or otherwise. The number of asylums, hospitals, and other institutions supported by private charity is very large.

Fig. 2.—St Louis and environs.

Government and Finance.—St Louis is not included in any county of the State, but exists as a separate municipality. It was formerly embraced in St Louis county, and was within the jurisdiction and taxing power of a city and county government. The State constitution was revised in 1875 and two years later the separation of the city and the county government was effected, the former being reorganized under the present charter. The city levies and collects municipal and State revenues within its limits, and manages its own affairs, free from all outside control, except that of the legislature of the State. The voters of the city have the right to amend the charter at intervals of two years at a general or special election, provided the proposed amendments have been duly sanctioned and submitted to the people by the municipal assembly. The legislative power of the city is in the hands of a council and a house of delegates, styled collectively the municipal assembly. The council is composed of thirteen members, elected for four years by the voters of the city generally, and the house of delegates consists of one member from each of the twenty-eight wards, elected for two years. The following officers are elected for a term of four years: mayor, comptroller, auditor, treasurer, registrar, collector, recorder of deeds, inspector of weights and measures, sheriff, coroner, marshal, public administrator, president of the board of assessors, and president of the board of public improvements. The elective officers, including the members of the board of public improvements, are nominated by the mayor and approved by the council, and the appointments are made at the beginning of the third year of the mayor’s term, so as to remove the distribution of municipal patronage from the influences of a general city election. The power of the mayor and council touching appointments to office and removals is subject to certain reciprocal checks.