Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1902-05-25
STATUE OR PLAY GROUND
WHICH?
lCommunlcated.l

the memorial committee, anu Onc VI
the principal advocates of the play
ground" as suitable memorial
to the late President Mckinley,
that just as soon as the swamp which |
1t is proposed to purchase has been
filed in and otherwise prepared. a
baseball field will at once be marked
off to be devoted to that Interesting
game.
II is assumed, therefore, that the
committee has decided that baseball
is to be a permanent feature of play"
to be allowed within the memorial
grounds, and It may not be out of
place to remind the committee now
that there are others" and II the
memory of Mckinley is to be kept
permanently before the people of Ho-
nolulu, through the medium of sports,
then football, polo, the race course and
Shutzenfest will each, in due time,
claim, and must be accorded, equal
privileges with baseball.
II sports are regarded as the thing
to inspire our thoughts with the noble
life of Mckinley, then we must have
all sorts of games to suit the varied
tastes of the public, and, whether we
would or not, the unavoidable Access
sories OF betting, drinking and profan.
ity will follow as surely as day fol.
lows night.
Now, with such an aggregation in
fun blast, just imagine. II you can, Mr..
Editor, anything the eye may see, the
ear hear, or the heart of man con.
ceive that will impress the visitor with
the faintest recollection that such
man as Mckinley ever lived.
Will the howls and cat.calls of deri.
sion from the 'bleachers" at the UNI.
pires decision against the favorite bat.
ter, bring to mind any utterance from
the lips of Mckinley? viii the dis.
torted face and "chawed" ear of a
football hero suggest any recollection
Games are all right in their place,
But would any contributor to this Nc.
kinley memorial fund think for a mo.
ment Of dedicating a sporting ground
as a monument to his own beloved
dead?
Would We convert the rotunda of
Grants splendid tomb upon the banks
OF the Hudson into a dance hall?
Then, again, we talk much of max.
ing Honolulu attractive as resort for
tourists. Which will best accomplish
that end-the barren sporting grounds
located In an inaccessible suburb, or
the bronze or mable monument erect.
ed where all may behold It?
Which will give to the people whom
we hope to attract the better and more
lasting impression of Honolulu?
II the committee has in sight SUI.
hcient fund to contract and pay for a
ten-acre swamp and improve Il and
provide for the necessary expense of
maintaining great field for sports,
then there Is ample to erect, instead,
such work of art to the memory OF
Mckinley as will not only impress I'D.
on the beholder the nobleness of his
life and character, but will be, to the
city Of Honolulu "a thing of beauty
and Joy forever"
While there is no disposition to
question the sincere motives of the
committee, there are those who begin
to wonder why the play ground plan
OF memorial has been so persistently
kept to the front and the statue propo.
sition seemingly dropped entirely out
OF sight. We are all charitable enough
to believe that 1t is simply because
the committee, as a whole, has allow.
ed two or three active members to do
their thinking for them and that the
absurdity Of this whole play ground
scheme has never yet presented itself
to their minds.
On behalf Of those who believe q
grave mistake is about to be made, |
want to move: That before the com.
mittee commits itself by making con.
tracts for any form of memorial, their
constituents snail have the right TO be
heard upon the subject, and to this
end-that the committee invite the
submission Of designs for a memorial
statue to the late President Mckinley,
not to exceed. when erected, the cost
OF the proposed playground; that said
designs be placed on exhibition and
thereafter an expression of the con.
tributors and the public be taken az to
their preference.
Do hear second to the motion?
/ 4 au ~ Na,nH.n..kon