The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-11-18

parks In the solution of all these ques-
tions he expressed the hope that the club
would aid the administration, as the city
is too big for one man to manage. His
words on the park question seemed TO meet
with approval.
MARRING A CITY.
Mr.. Alfred F. Potts, in considering THE
Marring of a Model City" made number
of bright, pointed and witty remarks.
touching on the few unsightly features of
municipal life in Indianapolis Continuing.
hessaid:
"A city is the physical expression of the
life and thought of its people. If it is
marred the marring is the work of human
hands. God never puts blot upon his land
| scape. 1t is only when men settle
and build and destroy that the marring
processes begin. Even then nature, in our
genial cline, with gentle persistence, keeps
up her work and the green grass or vine
creeps over the barren plains or the tree
| struggles for a place to screen from view
the unsightly work of our hands. In
| its physical aspects a model city is one
which preserves as much as possible of ma
ture In its midst. The State
VIII! expend three quarters of a
| million dollars in the erection of
our soldiers monument-the most inspiring
monument of modern times, but who will
! say that it would not be marred by the re-
moVal OF the little carpets of green at its
base. A city is least marred which
makes the most of natures kindly aid.
Nothing is so cheap as grass, and flowers,
and trees Many sections of the city are
married for the need only of these things
Which grow and cost us nothing.
Asphalt and cement are good in their place,
but God grant that they may never cover
the entire surface of the earth-even under
the Barrett law.
Among the sights which mar the beauty
of our city are the banks of the streams
which flow through it. = When the
system of parks along the streams is fin
ished this one great marring feature Will De
removed. Why do we always build
licrhf frnV1 hViH
thrown across the river on the march OF
troops. Is our city an encampment only!
Let US have some stone bridges with their
beautiful arches and everlasting roadWays.
The tenement house with its broken
windows, and sodess yard, and tin-can dec
Grafton mars some sections OF our city.
OF the streets there is little to COM
plain except where the Street-car company
reserves a strip unpaved in which to dig it's
grave. The grass is growing over 1t and we
should keep it green. Most OF all, in
the marring of a city, should be named it's
railroad crossings, but this subject receives
consideration from another. Many
useless, unsightly cross alleys still exist
which should be abandoned to the adjacent
owners to become parts of the lawns. They
arc little more now than deposit places for
rubbish and short cuts for escaping thieves
THE architect is the most responsible
man among us. He should refuse to carry
out monstrOus design of his client. We
have acres of dwelling houses which should
never have been worked out except in
pasteboard or gingerbread. = In one
USlSHDOTnOOu SplF0 rises WHlcu SeGlIlS W
have no connection with the church and
suggests nothing so much as huge tack
point upward to puncture q passing bal
loon. The Board of Works should
approve no plat of new addition which
does not provide for the buildings being
kept back from the street Qn
speaking Of Woodruff Place. 1t is not to THIS
fountain, but another that our honored
guest, Admiral Brown, goes each morning
to feel the dash of the spray in his face
and to sweep the sea with his glasses in
| ,,.dG< 4
Every city is marred with the Monday
display of washing in the side yard. Like
| the liquor traffic, it is not practicable to
prohibit it. but why should we not regulate
it as we do the saloon by requiring a screen
Of at least a sheet so that the family I'M
derwear would not f1utter in the breeze be-
tween us as we bow to the fair lady on the
porch or at the window.
THE cities of our country are marred by
the splitting habit in a way, which can only
be realized when one hears of such pla-
card as this in station in Hungary:
| Travellers in Hungary will be shocked to
| learn that the Hungarians are filthy in
| their tobacco habit as the Americans We
cannot have model city without reforms
which go beyond the physical conditions of
| street paving and lighting. What are we to
front us every week? = If it is art, it
deserves to be classed with the literature
which some one has said is in its autumn
days; all the leaves are falling-even the fig
leaf.
Speaking on broader lines let us be sure
that our city is not marred anywhere by
narrow, selfish spirit of criticism.
Are we sure that we rejoice in the prosper
ity of another as though it were our own?
A city is like river. 1t can never rise
above its source. If it is great its greatness
springs from the largeness and breadth of
its people, from the unseltfsh and public
spirit of its men, from a recognition and re-
ioicing in the great truth that the incoming
Tide that sWellS beneath your keel and
speeds you to your port Will lift some
stranded boat out yonder off the reef, and
bring it in beside you with it's rival cargo"
DANGEROUS CROSSINGS.
"As to the Railroad Crossings was John
H. Holidays topic. Said Mr.. Holiday in
part:
LAS the end Of the century draws near it
is now possible for an observer to trace
with more or less defniteness the shifting
course Of its currents and counter currents;
to note it's advances and retrogresSions; to
compare it's moving forces and repulsiOns,
and from study of these to select its chief
characteristics. First among these is the
principle of aggregation, or organization,
which is dominating all conditions of life.
This brings together vast masses of popu-
lation. 1t unites the atoms OF intelligence,
wealth and effort into combinations that
take up such gigantic operations as the
world never before dreamed of and carry
them to successful conclusion.
LAS we try to peer into the dim future
lying beyond the rim of this nineteenth
century we cannot doubt that this far
reaching and all-pervading principle of or
ganizatiOn is to continue TO act in the age
to come with accelerating force Its pres
ent demonstration is the precursor of an
age of cities. The time is coming when all
civilized mankind will live in cities An
irresistible pressure is bearing them on. I'm
mutable destiny drives and there is no es-
cape. Why should there be? Those cities
will be very unlike what we call cities now.
The idea of Cowper that God made the
country and man made the town will be
consigned to contempt because 1T will be
so untrue. The cities will be the reservoirs
of order, of peace, of contentment, of re-
Warded industry, of sympathy, of abundant
life and happiness, and all mankind will
flock to them The cities will comprehend
civilization. The very word is derived from
civiS, citizen, and it means the making
Of citizens. 1t grows from the idea that
people dwelling together are influenced by
each other for good. Their manners are
refined, their customs are improved. At
triton smoothS their asperities, makes
full. They become law-abiding, are ruled by
intelligence instead of passion. In short.
they grow into righteousness. To civilize
is to make one civil or make one citizen
81 am a firm believer in the progress of
the race to a civilization vastly superior to
believe that it is to come through the in
crease Of cities. Why, what are we taught
to look forward to eternal state of
Massachusetts, city. Heaven itself is de-
picted in the Apocalypse as a glorious city,
magnificent beyond conception. 1t has riv-
cities of the future have groves and
streams, woodlands and green meadows.
They will not be made up of brick and
mortar, iron and wood alone. but will COW
err and contain vast spaces uniting the
present town and country and giving to all
gether in common interest and benefit. 1t
is in the city that man will reach his acme