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corruption [[strikethrough]] of the citizens [[/strikethrough]] contributed its share. In many cases, a conqueror prevailed and destroyed. But, regardless of the cause, the greatness came to naught and all that remains are chiseled tablets and faded scrolls, and sand-covered ruins in now-isolated areas. This story has been repeated over and over since the dawn of civilization.

No one for one moment expects such a fate for New York City. But, there is a warning in all of this, it is a statistical fact that growth is more rapid and expands faster in areas of relative newness. Our own West and Southwest are good examples. Older and more mature regions of a country, while perhaps still growing, do so at a lesser rate both in population and productivity. They simply run down. They tend to accept today what was good in the past. Frontiers energize people. Frontiers stimulate youth to do the impossible.

New York City is one of our older, mature cities and in the normal course of history we might well anticipate a slowdown in construction, in production of manufactured goods, in trade, in population, in energy, and in imagination. If this does not happen, it will be stemming the tide of history. Witness Athens, Rome and Venice in relatively recent times -- and even London and Paris.

Certain trends are visible upon the New York horizon. To speak of increases in population today usually means gains in the surrounding urban areas -- Long Island,

[[footnote]] Connecticut

Transcription Notes:
I've indicated the final word 'Connecticut' as a footnote, as it is simply an indicator of the first word on the next page.