Louisville as an educational centre is surpassed by but few cities. The University of Louisville with its law and med ical departments, the Female High School, the Male High School, the Manual Training School and the Normal School, which are colleges of a high order, the ward schools where children are trained free of cost for the higher depart ments, the medical colleges, the theological seminaries, the musical societies, the Catholic institutions and the educational associations in some of which the sciences are taught, all together offer advantages to students in almost every branch of knowledge. The Male High School, the Female High School, the Normal School and the Manual Training School, like the ward schools, are free institutions entirely supported by the city.
Charitable Hospitals, asy lums and homes are almost as numerous in Louisville as schools. The Children's Free Hos pital, where afflicted little ones are cared for, the Kentucky Institute for the Blind, where the sightless are taught to read and write, and 51 other institutions maintained for different purposes are prepared to meet almost every form of infirmity.
There are 265 churches in Louisville, representing nearly all denomina tions. The principal denominations are the Baptists, the Methodists, the Presbyterians, the Christians, the Episcopalians, the Catholics and the Lutherans, but there are also Unitarians, Evangelists, Jews, and those who call them selves Non-Sectarians, Scientists, Seventh-Day Adventists, Social Settlements, Spiritualists, Swedenborgians, United Brethren and The osophists. Some of the houses of worship, like the cathedral of the Assumption, the Warren Memorial, the Third Avenue Baptist and the Fourth Street Christian, are fine specimens of ecclesiastical architecture and capable of seat ing large congregations.
There are 14 banks and banking institutions in Louisville with a combined cap ital of about $7,000,000 and a surplus of half as much more. If the trust companies and title companies which necessarily do a good deal of banking business are added to the banks the capital and surplus of all combined will exceed $15,000,000. A farm loan bank was established here in 1916. Bank clearings are about $750,000,000 yearly.
The finances of Louisville will compare favorably with those of any other municipality. According to the last published report of the assessors the assets of the city amounted to $17,442,552 and the liabilities to $8,836,129. If the liabilities therefore are de
ducted from the assets, a balance of $8,616,422 will remain in favor of the city. The city, moreover, besides owning this large amount of property in its own name has an income from taxes sufficient to meet all of its fixed liabili ties and current obligations. The property within the city limits owned by individuals is assessed at over $207,000,000. The charter only allows 95 per cent of this amount to be considered in providing for current expendi tures to be expended by the city during the year. The annual revenue from all sources exceeds $11,250,000. The tax rate averages about $1.79 for all purposes. This amount is distributed through the different departments of the city so as to provide for every liability and at the end of the year balances are gen erally left in different departments which are again distributed.
Largest The largest industries are tobacco, cement, wagons, plows and leather. More leaf-tobacco is handled here than in any part of the world. The quantity of hydraulic cement and plows and wagons and leather made here is also enormous. The Board of Trade gives the following figures for 15 leading articles: Agricultural implements —pounds 40,000,000 Boots and shoes — cases 114,000 Dry goods and notions — cases 678,000 Flour — barrels 710,000 Furniture — pounds 30,000,000 Hardware — cases 985.000 Fine leather — pounds 11,500,000 Saddlery — packages Stoves and stove castings — pounds 29,500,000 Soap — pounds 27,000,000 Manufactured tobacco—pounds 32.000,000 White lead and paints — pounds 17,500,000 Wagons — pounds Whisky — barrels 365,000 Woolen goods — pounds 15,000,000 ====.
The city owns the works which supply the citizens with water. A filter, cost ing $3,000,000, has been added to the plant. The water is sold to the citizens at a price much lower than they could obtain it in any other way.
Light— The citizens have choice of three kinds of light furnished by different companies: these are electricity, artificial and natural gas. Natural gas is also much used for heat on ac count of its cleanliness and convenience.
Street Street railways an which cars run by electricity reach every part of the city and extend into the suburbs and to dis tant neighboring towns. There are over 300 miles in operation.