midnight
That marvelous earth-force which the Indians called `` the dance of the spirits , '' and civilized man designated `` the aurora borealis , '' is now used to illuminate this great metropolis , with a clear , soft , white light , like that of the full moon , but many times brighter . And the force is so cunningly conserved that it is returned to the earth , without any loss of magnetic power to the planet . Man has simply made a temporary loan from nature for which he pays no interest . Night and day are all one , for the magnetic light increases automatically as the day-light wanes ; and the business parts of the city swarm as much at midnight as at high noon . In the old times , I am told , part of the streets was reserved for foot-paths for men and women , while the middle was given up to horses and wheeled vehicles ; and one could not pass from side to side without danger of being trampled to death by the horses . But as the city grew it was found that the pavements would not hold the mighty , surging multitudes ; they were crowded into the streets , and many accidents occurred . The authorities were at length compelled to exclude all horses from the streets , in the business parts of the city , and raise the central parts to a level with the sidewalks , and give them up to the exclusive use of the pedestrians , erecting stone pillars here and there to divide the multitude moving in one direction from those flowing in another .