Morning journal and courier., 1883-06-16
COMMUNICATIONS.


 COMMUNICATIONS.
 How to settle the State House Question. To the Editor of the JOURNAL COURIER First-Let the Historical society buy a
 building lot and pay Tor it with their own
 money.
 Second-Let the Historical society erect such building as they need, and pay for it | with their own money.
 Third-Let the Historical society move out of the Old State House into their own build | ing, and pay the expense or removal with ! their own money. JOHN P. PHILLIPS. 1 Plea for the Preservation of ths Old State House-East Rock Park the Place for the Proposed Monument. To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER desire to say few words to the public of the Soldiers monument and the old State House.
 There are two important reasons why the old State House should be preserved, re-
 paired, beautifed. adorned-but not de- stroyed One is, that it is the only historl- cal memorial we have of the period when New Haven was an independent colony. For | though it's erection dates from a much later l time, yet the making of New Haven the | semi capital of the State and the erection of this State House were recognition of its previous dignity as the capital of an inde-
 pendent colony and it's co-equal position with | Hartford the semi capital of the State. Although at a later day the public conven- l fence for a long time pointed to single cap
 ital, and that at Hartford, yet we all remem-
 Der how deeply we all felt the change almost
 as personal wrong. So strong was this | feeling that our Common Council voted gift to the State of million of dollars if ! New Haven be retained as the capital. It 1 was decided otherwise, and this grand histor- | ical relic of our dignity as Q colonial and State capital was left untenanted. But it's
 associations remain. It reminds us of the | fruitful years that since Eaton and Daven- 1 port have made New Haven what it is. It's 1 halls are filled with the voices and the mem 1 ories that have made up the legislative histo- l ry of our grand old commonwealth. Let us l the children, SRcredly preserve this precious memorial of the fathers as our most cher 1 ished possession, and perish the thought of l it's destruction.
 1 But it need not be useless or vacant. It 1 has been proposed to make of it public Ii. 1 brary. It is noble thought; and the build 1 ing is particularly adapted to such @ pur- pose with slight alterations. When in Bos- 1 ton some time since made careful exami- | nation of the Boston public library building, I and that structure, the pride of Boston, does 1 not compare with our State House either in l stateliness of appearance or convenience of 1 use for this purpose. The disuse of this
 building for State House has provided us l with as noble building for public library 1 as exists in any city of our Union, and with l out one cent of expense except the small 1 cost of repairs It is such a building as
 could not be erected to day for less than one hundred thousand dollars. And this great
 sum would have to be provided by the tax payers or by the generosity of private don 1 ors who are anxiously looking for puElic | library but after spending all their money l for it would have only 8 building and not 8 1 library the shell and not the substance. l No! Let us spend our money on books and not on bricks and mortar And let us re- l member that the State Capitol at Hartford l cost more than two million, over twice the l original estimate
 l It is objected that the public library should I be on Chapel street No. Property in that quarter Is too expensive for building Of | such a size as the future growth of our city ] will make necessary. With our city spread l ing miles away in every direction and ln- l creasing to twice or thrice it's present size, ! this building will be in exactly the right
 
 1 pie room for alcoves for two hundred thou | sand volumes for delightful rooms for read | CTS and for all the multifarious purposes of great library. But to meet the objection of gentlemen who occupy offices or stores on 1 Chapel street it would be easy to maintain a l small branch library and reading room simi- I lar to that of the Young Mems Institute, l where books could be called for, newspapers | and periodicals provided, and to have 1t con- | nected by telephone with the great library, so that anything desired might be obtained | in few moments. But the main library ! should be on the Green, away from the dust, | the noise, the crowd of Chapel street, and | where it's lofty portals might tempt inward | our young men and young women into the 1 quiet stiffness of 8 temple of the worlds i best thought and literature
 I Let us honor our soldiers dead and living. | But let us not destroy this precious historl- 1 cal monument or quench the rising hope and l promise of 8 great library which shall make l the future of this ancient building as hon l cred as it's past. The idea that we must l tear down the State House to erect in it's l place Soldiers monument reminds me of | Cha.Ies Lambs amusing description of the 1 invention of Roast Pig by the Chinese It so 1 happened, he says, that house burned l down in whose cellar was 8 pig which was l thus duly roasted So the Chinaman ever l after. with his initiative faculty, has thought l that whenever he wanted roast pig he must
 
 house over it's head to have it properly done Now this would be just what we should be doing in pulling down our State House to 1 make room for the proposed monument. | We have all out doors to put 1t in. Why put it exactly there and extinguish monument l to our fathers by putting up monument to our soldiers? :?
 1 No. If the monument be placed upon the upper Green it should be placed at the cor ner of Chapel and College streets, opposite l the New Haven House. It should be at the l corner of two important streets. l have seen all the large cities of Europe and their l most imposing monuments, and have found them nearly all placed on such 8 site as this 1 would be and at the intersection of 1mpor- tant avenues rather than at the middle of one side of a square. I am satisfied that the consensus of European artistic opinion would give the monument this sort or site In l any city if placed in it's central square. l But why place this monument on the l Green? We have for it the noblest site in
 the United States. It has been suggested that it be placed on Indian Head or East Rock. and this is it's proper place, and site | such as no other city in our Union can boast. This beautiful mountain was the first object 1 which our forefathers saw as they came over the sea and up the Sound to their future
 home at Quinnipiack It was the last thing in New Haven which our soldiers saw as they | sailed away to the war. It was the first ob-
  home all battle stained, weary and worn, to the city of their home again. Let us rear on this grand temple of nature memorial to their virtues and their valor for the ages of posterity. They suffered for us. They
 pledged for us their lives, their fortunes and
 their sacred honor. For us they went forth into the carnage of battle. For us they en-
 dured to the end. And, living or dead, they | have come home. Let us honor them. Let their memorial be worthy of their patriotism | and their sacrifices, and let this grand noun tain, which God and nature have raised, be the glorious pedestal of the monument we
 would rear.
 While abroad it was my privilege to behold
 site and a monument like this, more im-
 pressive and beautiful than any other on any
 shore of any sea in the world. Our voyage l was from smyrna to Athens, and as we ap-
 proached the southeastern point of Attica
 there rose before us at great distance Cape
 Sunium, lifting itself hundreds of feet above
 the waves and crowned with the beautiful
 white marble temple of Minerva, the holy
 shrine of Athenian patriotism and valor. Its
 columns still stand, as they have stood for
 thousands of years, on that lofty coast, visi-
 ble for many miles at sea, like serried ranks