The Portland daily press., 1900-08-14
Would Serve Portland
AS a Model.
4 Detroit Mans Remarks on
POrtland's Park System.



The Germans are fine people; steady,
enterrrising, self reliant. No wonder
that you behold everywhere, in the hotel
Office, the bank and the shop, the por-
traits of that remarkable trIumvirate,
the old Emperor, Bismark ana Won
Moltke. Do they no. type those very
qualities admired above all things by
the German psople?
Most certainly they do, and one can
not long mingIs with Germans without
becoming convinced that the qualities
which these men displayed are and long
will be, an inspiration TO their country
men.
There can be no doubt that Germany is
pushing ahead rapidly and that she is to
exert hereafter most important inau-
ence IN the world. Even France is forced
to admit this. A short time ago lola,
during his enforced residence IN England,
wrote an article upon the waste of
the English people. In his usual pic
turesque way ne claimed to have exam
ined the dirt of the Paris streets and COM
pared It with the dirt of the streets OF
Lon ion, and to have found IN the latter
a great many more hairpins than in
the former. This fact ne OF course takes
for text OF British extravaganza. Lord
Rosehery adopts ZoIa's views, and, in
a most interesting article in the Times,
contrasts English methods " ith German,
greatly to the disadvantage of the former.
Especially does ne dwell upon the lack
of method and useless waste IN men and
material in the South African war, and
concludes that If England Is to maintain
her position, she must take lessons from
the Germans III method But if England
Is wasteful what is to be said of the
United States9 Our resources have been
so abundant on every hand. that we
have rushed ahead bllndly and won sue
cess without thus far being obliged to
study method, and practice those econo-
mics so necessary IN older countries, Lut
in this we must change, and the sooner
the better. Technical education VIII do
much towards the establishment OF the
reign OF method, but not everything.
There is an underlying moral question
reaching into the future which must be
kept in view.
was invited by a friend living in
Hamburg to visit the harbor and view
Hamburg on its co mmeTcial side, so we
took small steamer and went round
among the shipping, docks and ware
houses of this chief commercial city of
Germany. It was view I was very
glad to get, only when thought of Port
lands magnificent harbor I couI1 not
help feeling regret that il could not have
share IN some of the commerce which
I saw there represented, though this,
I know, to be vain, for the present at
least. visited the City hall, one of the
finest buildings in Europe. It was be-
gun twenty years ago, and it's decorations
viii not be wholly completed for several
years to come. With a wise policy, a
complete plan was adopted with the in
tention of doing portion of the work
each year.
This plan has been faithfully carried
out and the building has been made to
represent the best craftsmanship and art
of Germany. Fine frescoes and scuIp-
lures adorn the splendid rooms, repre-
senting the notable citizens of the pa st
and historic scenes in the past life of the
city. Should Portland ever have new
City building, it would be well for it's
architect to study the Rathaus of Ham
burg for inspiration.
met a man from Detroit and we fe II
to talking about Hamburg's fine park
system. "By the way" he said, ''I un-
derstand that you are from Portland,
Maine" Eyes, 1 replied. "Wen," he
remarked, II was in Portland some years
ago and rode around your two prome-
nades, as 1 think you call then, and do
you know what struck me most forcibly
1t was the neglect of your people of
what Nature has done for them. They
have not apparently awakened to the
fact that in a money point of view IL in
no other, the best Investment that city
can make is in park improvement. In
fact, L remember Portland as a neglected
spot" 1 could not tell him that the city
did not even own the land bordering the
road around the Eastern Promenade, and
so held my peace.
The roads leading through the suburbs
of Hamburg are surfaced in the middle
either with stone, nacadam or asphalt for
carriages Along both sides are spaces six
or eight feet wide kept soft for eques-
trians, and between those spaces and the
sidewalks are paths of asphalt three or
four feet in width, followed towards the
middle, for cyolers. BY this method
danger of collision is avoided.
B.
GRAB GAME BEGTNSA