New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-12-14
THE MYSTERY OF SIGNS.

We were remarking the other day upon the
strange case OF a great Democrat who never
blushed over the Mexican War. the Ostend
Manifesto. slavery, fiat money, or anything of
that sort. but was plunged into unutterahle
shame by the prospect OF this country's at
last cutting the Panama Canal. His experience
seemed unique. and probably was, as a mani
festation of abnormal humiliation. But we
are afraid we shall have to record q pretty
close parallel to it in the case of this great
city of New-York. and especially of this Bor-
ough Of Manhattan For here we have the ex-
traordinary spectacle OF the second city in the
world, city that is able to build great bridges
and tunnels and subways and docks, that cen
build schools AMI colleges and hospital and
asylums, that lay out extensive systems
or streets and avenues and parks, that pro-
vide itself with one of the finest water systems
In the world; and yet that, with all these mighty
achievements, cannot provide itself with a sat
isfactory system Of signboards to mark its
streets. Here too, is the spectacle of an ad-
minstraton able TO reform demorallzed police
force. TO give the city clean streets, to reduce
the death rate TO the lowest figure on record
and TO commend itself generally AS the best
the city has ever had; and yet that stands
batiied and helpless before the problem of street
signs
that something has, in the course OF nearly two
years Of effort been done toward solving the
problem. But what has been done makes what
has been left undone and what has been i'll done
seem all the more inexplicable and inexcusable
Some Of our streets have been equipped with
signs that seem TO leave nothing to be desired.
so closely do they answer to the essential re-
quirements Of perfect service. But if some
streets could thus be equipped, why could not
all be? The excellence Of the achievement on
those streets should surely have served the
double purpose of indicating the need Of the
other streets and Of pointing out the way in
which it was to be met There can be no ex-
cuse for turning the city into Chinese puzzle
with such variety of signs. 1t may not be
true that, as a waggish friend declares there
has been a great increase in gambling-men
going about the city laying wagers as to- the
kind Of signs they will find on various street
corners. 1t is certainly true that the hotch-
potch variety OF signs is irritating, confusing
and initiating materially against the usefulness
Of the system Nothing is more obvious than
that the signs should be uniform in design and
in place, so that people will know instinctivey
where to look for them and what they will look
like when seen. But the signs which Mr.. Can
tor has put up are not uniform. Some are
square, some are three-cornered; some have
large lettering, some have small; some are
placed high, some low; some are on electric
light posts, some gas lamps right alongside
electric lights; some are lighted by reflection
from big light above, some by transmission of
light from within the lantern; some are narrow
strips letting nearly all the light from the lamp
illumine the street, some are solid panels en-
tirely inclosing the lamp and making it useless
for general illumination; some are on the near
corners of crossings, some on the far corners;
some are legible by day and not by night, some
are legible by night and not by day; some are
always legible some are never legible.
It is all very depIorabe and very mysterious.
We do not know that there is in existence
more striking example OF executive inefficiency.
Here is need Of one of the most elementary OBJ
jects OF general public service, and of one OF
the simplest things imaginable. Yet, after years
of demand for it. the government of this great
rich, cultivated, enterprising city is unable to
supply it! 1t is about as though engineer
after constructing locomotive should confess
himself unable to put lamp in its headlight
or a pull rope on its bell. We havo heard it
complained in Mr.. Cantor's behalf that not
enough money-only S40000-was appropriated
for the purpose To that there are at least
three answers. One IS that If we are rightly
informed, not even all that sum has been used
Another is that what has been used has not
been well used; that it is appalling TO consider
what greater diversity Of signs we might have
had had the appropriation been larger. 1t is even
imaginable that with sufficient funds Mr.. Can
tor would have given every street corner in the
city its own peculiar sign, unlike every other
one. The third is that If the appropriation was
really not large enough 1t is blisteTing shame
that it not made larger. The city can
spend million dollars more in purely deco
rative work on public buildings and yet bag
giles over few thousands for a work Of urgent
necessity and Of universal need.
In the name of common sense, let us have
uniform and efficient system of street signs, and
let Us have ii right away, and make end Of
this worse than puerile shilly shallying.