The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-01-07
WANTS PUBLIC ARENAS
General Sickles Suggests Erect
ing Them In Our Big Cities.
STRUCTURES TO BE PERMANENT.

He Thinks Crowds at Public Events
Could Thus BE Better AccommO-
dated-By Copying a European
Idea, He Declares, Public Spirited
Citizens Could Do Much Good.
The great game just played between
the West Point cadets and the middi.'s
ut the Annapolis Naval academy meant
more than good football to Major Gen.
eral Daniel E. Sickles, says the PHI
adelphia Press. 1t meant more than
an exciting two hours or even a spec
eacle unique in American sporting an
nails. 1t meant to him a text of what
this country still has to learn from
Europe, of what a great municipality
like Philadelphia could do, Of what
Americas rich men might do-and
don't.
General Slckles believes that in all
great cities there should be permanent.
comfortable, slightly structures, capable
Of seating from 10000 to 10000 peo-
pie, where such contests as the army
navy game might be held. He thinks
it would pay a first class municipality
to build such arenas. He is sure that
millionaires could memorabilia their
James in no way SO surely as by erect
ing such buildings.
NWhen 1t comes to crowds" said the
general as he sat in his room at the
Walton. in Philadelphia, the other
night, America a beat the world in
size, variety and good hun1or, but new
err in their accommodation. That there
are not more fearful accidents than
there are is due partly to the plain
horse sense Of the average citizen Of
this great nation and q little to the
dispensation of Providence. Perhaps
this is why a city like Philadelphia
does not seem to think it worth while
to learn a few things from the old
world.
"Take yesterdays game NOV. BOT,
for example. Roughly speaking, there
were $4,000 people there. That's just
about the number that used to attend
the Olympic games of Greece twenty
centuries ago. Yet in those days the
mass of spectators was comfortably
cared for and the great men present
seated Is befitted their rank. Nova
days we walk through the mud, sit
huddled together on decidedly uncom-
Portable stands, and our notabilities
are crowded into unsightly pens.
'This may sound like harsh criti-
cism of the management of the game,
but it is not meant to be-. The crowd
was admirably handled considering the
facilities. 1t was made as comfortable
as possible in view of the fact that no
football field in the land allows Of any
thing really like comfort. l would com
pliment those in charge, and then l
would emphatically urge u rich men
to look across to Europe and help to
change things.
cover there the city or district or
whatever else it may be sees to a build
ing. All the great a~mphitheaters are
not ancient. All of them are not in
large cities even. Little Nunes has a
magnificent arena, safe, commodious
and slightly. Either they or else the
authorities accept it as a proper part
of their duties to provide for the safety
and comfort of the great gatherings Of
citizens.
IAN American city-Philadelphia, for
example-would inevitably find it to
pay. No city could have better adver-
Using. 1t would bring thousands here
to spend thousands of dollars. 1t would
mean such a chance to take first place
among American cities and in n very
important direction as Philadelphia
should be glad to seize.
"And what better monument could
a rich man erect to perpetuate his
name? 1t would put his dollars to far
better use than is customary, and he
would realize it, too. if he would take
his Y off the ticker tape long enough
to think about it. The Duke de Mont
pensier spent So. 1000 at Seville in
such a work. Don Fernando did as
much for little Cintra in Portugal.
gratefully remembered as long as
Spain and Portugal have enough citi-
zens to get up a crowd.
"We're not up to date in all this
here in America. It's only a question
of traffic or speed or dollars and cents.
If Philadelphia would set the example,
three things would follow-the city
would make money, other cities would
follow suit, and a noble game like yes
terday's would become a matter of
safety and comfort as well as Of ex-
element and enthusiasm"
Thieves Steal County Penthouse.
Some one has stolen the Kern county
pesthouse, says a dispatch from Bak-
ersfield, Cal, to the San Francisco
Chronicle. This information has been
given the authorities, and they are at
a loss to understand what direction
the thief or thieves have taken or what