Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-01-06
THE FUTURES IDEAL CITY.
\ Realm of Delight. Unlike the Cou-
munity OF Today

From he Loadon Tines.
AT Toynhee Hall a lecture was delivered
by Mr. Frederic Harrison on the subject OF
Ideal London"
MIR. Harrison said that he had been asked
to give lecture on Ideal London" Nv
Ideal London" he meant London as il
might be, as ii should be- and as Il shall
be The tue ideal was no Idle dream. b,lt
the Justification Of study and the motive of
All useful endeaVor. London was his birth
place, ana for nearly sixty years had be4n
Ms nome. For two generations he had
watched its growth and rebuilding. ana as
member Of the county council DE-. had .x
peTlence of the practical difficulties OF MAX
ing improvements. In suggesting The ideal
London he should try To keep within IN.
bounds Of practical statesmanship. ilut no
was not DouEu by limits OF time or Inv a.
eNlgenci-s OF existing prejudices and irgis-
latloh An ideal London should contain all
mat pertained TO pure and perfect citizen.
ship Now modern civilization had failed
TO carry on some OF the best elements al
city life as known to the ancient and M
olaeval worlds. London did not iDsf,ir. in
Englishmen the feelings which Athens
Rome, Florence and Venice excited in their
cltlzens. 1t was now valued as a market
an exchange, an office, OF a playground
though that had not always been the case
But a city that covered 10 square miles
OF buildings was not city. but a wilder
ness of houses, and city life was impossi-
bic for popula ton Of 100000 or 5.vlpup0
People must be within walking distance of
the country, or the town became a prison
and not a city Therefore ideal London
would not exceed 2,00000D of Inhabitants
and it would be better with only 1,ppo po0-
and il would be but a third OF its present
size. He was no lover Of the tenement or
nat system. but ii was absolutely ncces-
SaIy II great city Were not 10 grow to
man cob IL. t.aaf1-
had no ideal tenements and few satisfac-
tory ones. but when spacious, airy, clean
and lofty blocks. provided with common
libraries baths play rooms and sick rooms,
We're available, the economy Of such wise
cooperation would leave room for boGls-
wards, parks, gardens and Fairgrounds He
repudiated the idea that London would 90
on increasing at its present rate. for he
was sure thai the causes which had led to
that increase ware only temporary. In ideal
London the Thames would run as clear as
at Henley, ana again IL would be the great
highway Of traffic. The bridges would be
doubled in number, and the dishguring rail
way bridges would have TO be suitably
treated. Steam engines would probably be
prohibited within the city, and the air
would cease TO be polluted by the poison
Gus fumes Of millions Of chimneys
1t was really strange how long We had
allowed pI vVentable nuisances TO choke us.
A pure and unlimited water supply would
be carried through great aqueducts as in
rome, lirm lncAnauS tlbie lakes ana r..s-r-
Volrs. This would have been done long ago
for London but for commercial self inter
est, political intrigue and admins trative
jealousy. Water. no more than fresh air,
would be bUrght from money-making spec
ulatOrs. 1t NGs prime necessity OF life,
and as such ii was the duty of the state TO
supply it. pure and I'm abundance. Science
and organization would annually save
many thousands Of lives now sacrificed by
preve BILE diseases. Already the death
rate of London has been reduced by one
half in the pr asent century, and there was
no reason why 1t should not be reduced
very much further. With regard To thu
question Of burial grounds, he believed that
London would return TO the ancient and
honored practice Of cremation. This pTac-
tice would obviate the danger Of infection
to the living and thu difficulty Of visiting
cemeteries, which could only be reached 10y
a long and fatiguing journey. II was 100
much forgotten that cremation was only
the scientific process of preparing the re-
mains of the dead for disposal