London, noted an approving dispatch in the Philadelphia Inquirer, is remarkable for the "cleanliness of the streets, sidewalks and parks." Yet, remonstrated the Inquirer's fact-primed correspondent, "the City of London performs less cleaning service per square mile and per citizen than does Philadelphia, which goes to show that all the street-cleaning service in the world is not of much help if the people continue to mess up the streets."
If these home truths from abroad did not surprise Philadelphians, it was because the story carried the byline: "Richardson Dilworth, Mayor of Philadelphia." On a month's vacation in Europe that ended last...