Little by little a culture grew up as well. The city, which had begun as a mere outpost, became a permanent dwelling place. There was a manner of greeting, of nodding to those one met, which differed ever so slightly from that prevailing in other towns. Men who had participated in founding the city came to be popular and respected; they were the nucleus of a small aristocracy…
A hundred years after its founding, the entire city was levelled by an earthquake. It rose again, but now wood gave way to stone, small buildings to larger ones; narrow streets were eliminated, and everything became more spacious. The railroad station and the stock exchange were the biggest on the whole continent. Architects and artists adorned the rejuvenated city with public buildings, parks, fountains, and monuments. In the course of the new century, the city came to be known as the richest and most beautiful in the whole country…
