St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-11-30
A PUBLIC AUDITORIUM.

Every days thought and discussion
make it clearer that, if st. Paul is to
hold her own among the cities of the
first class, she must have an auditoriu m
capable of holding at least 10000 people.
She needs this if she would maintain
what prominence she already has as a
convention town. She needs it, also, for
her local public gatherings, her mass
meetings, and her festivals. We shall
never be equal to the best in any of these
directions until this want is supplied.
Such building may costany sum we
please. 1t may be made Of wood for
twenty-five or thirty thousand, of brick
for three times that figure, or of stone
at cost limited only by the taste or
ability of its owner. A wooden struct-
ure would of necessity be temporary,
and after it had endured for season or
two it might have to be demolished and
another erected in its place. One of
brick or of stone might. last forever. I'M
less changing fashions or the city's
growth should unfit it for the purposes
for which it was designed No matter
what its material or pattern, an audi
forum can not be built without large
outlay of money.
Where is this to come from? Shall
the city bond itself for its construction?
Perhaps so. This is a public object.
for the expense of which it would be
legitimate to tax every citizen. Shall a
popularSubscriptio be started and con-
tributions solicited from the rich and
the poor? This is feasible plan. Large
sums have been raised in st. Paul in
the past by passing the hat, and still
larger sums may be raised again. Self
interest will elicit support from every
quarter, because there is no difference
OF opinion at all that the project is a
wise one and worthy of achievement.
There is still another method open
which has much to commend it. In
ancient q reece. when the state went to
battle, its rich citizens equipped tri-
re me apiece at their own cost. This
was a voluntary service, but it was ex-
pected of those who had the means, and
no other provision for ships Of war was
needed. In the East today. without
state assistance or calling on the poor,
institutions of learning are founded and
maintained through the generous con-
tributiOns of wealthy men and women.
Stately buildings costing hundreds of
thousands Of dollars adorn the grounds
Of Yale and Harvard colleges. They
bear their donors names, and genera
tons yet unborn with grateful hearts
will sing the praises of those who pro-
vided for their construction. In almost
every New England village stands a
we'll supplied public library, the EVIL
dence of some ones munificence; and
factory girls and workingmen speak
kindly of their benefactor as they read
the books he has secured for them.
There must be more than fifty men in
st. Paul who are each worth over
million dollars. Some of these large
fortunes have been accumulated else
where, but many are due almost entirely
to this city's development and progress.
They have helped in this development,
and it, in turn, has enriched them to
this degree. Some of these millionaires
have already made large votive offer
lngs to local enterprises; others have
yet to show their affection and gratitude
to this fair municipality which has
done so much for them. Here is an OPP
portunity. AS the rich Athenian
equipped trireme for his city in its
hour of need; as the wealthy alumnus
endowS dOrmitory or professorship at
New Haven or Cambridge. so let some
one of our milionaires at this time build
public auditorium for st. Paul. 1t,
too, will immortaliZe his name. and men
will ever sing his praises.