Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-05-09
BEAUTIFYING THE
STATION GROUNDS
Rock Island viii Establish Parks
at Its Numerous DepOts,
FLOWERS, GRASS, TREES
Aud Shrubbery WIN be Cultivated TO
Please the'Eye OF the waiting Pas
senger and General Public.

Happily the railway managers Of the
present day are not converts TO Rus
kln's idea Of the little Importance Of
the onamentation OF the railway sta
ton. Were his theories in practical
operation In modern methods Of rail.
reading the station. which Is now made
so alluring TO the eye Of the traveller.
would present anything but an inviting
appearance.
In his Seven Lamps Of Architec-
ture, written over half a century ago,
Ruskin touches very frankly on the
"eyil tendencies" OF decorating railway
stations. While he doubtless had an
eye for the beautiful in things avhItec-
tural, there could bee no mistake in say
ing that he dld not believe In extend
ing It TO so commonplace structure as a
railway station He says:
Another of the strange and evil ten
denotes of the present day Is 10 the
decoration Of the railroad station. Now,
IL there be any place nm the world In
which people are deprived OF that por-
ton OF temper and discretion which are
necessary to the contemplation Of
beauty, ii is there II is the very tenn.
pie OF discomfort and the only charity
the builder can extend us is 90 show
us. plainly as may be, how soonest To-
ESCAPE A. The whole system of rail-
road travelling Is addressed TO people
who, being In "a hurry are therefore, for
the time being miserable.
No one would travel 30 that manner
VINO could help Il. who had time To- go
leisurely over hills ana between hedges,
instead OF through tunnels and between
banks, az least those who would have
no sense OF beauty so acute that We
need to consult It az stations. The
railroad in an Of It's relations is a mat
ter of earnest business. TO be got
through as soon as possible. Ii trans
mutes man from a traveller TO a living
parcel For the time he has parted with
the n0bler characteristics Of his hui
mainly for the sake II "a planetary
power OF l0comoti0n. DO not ask him
TO admire anything. You might as well
ask the wind Garry him safely. dis
miss him soon he viii thank you FOR
nothing else.
It Is a pleasure 10 note that Ruskln
does not crlucise the ornsmentatlon Of
station grounds. but doubtless such
methods in railway matters fifty years
ago was as modern for that age as his
objection TO station ornamentation Is
antlquated for the present day
There is no race Of people who de-
mand and enjoy greater rapidity In
travelling than Americans. and none
whose requirements are so nearly COM
piled with as that afforded by railroads.
yet they have hardly become imbutd
with the desire TO assume the role OF
a "living parcel for a planetary
power Of locomoion' or surrender their
characteristics OF humanity 90 simply
a business proposition, so much so as
10 lind themselves 10 the growing Of
forts Of railways 20 beautify their sta
tons and surroundings TO please their
patrons
The beautfying Of station grounds
has become a special feature OF many
railways and probably one OF the most
extensive preparations IN this dlrec-
ton is that recently outlined by the
management Of the Rock Island Every
station on its line Is % be bsautned
by one or more skillfully designed
parks ornamented with fountains
where water service Is available The
care OF the station grounds viii be 10
charge OF the station employees and
maintained at the expense Of the COM
pany. Flowers. foliage plants. and
ghrubbery viii be set out IN artistic
shape. and such other Improvements
made as local conditions suggest Many
OF the stations are already supplied
with parks. which can be improved and
made attractive with a small outlay
OF labor and expenses. while az other
stations new grounds win be laid out
and beautIfed.