The daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1904-1905, 1904-02-10
MR.. KELSEY
INTERVIEWED
MISS WHITE OF THE PAL1A
dunn TALKS WITH HIM
AT THE WESTCOTT.
TELLS RICHMOND
PEOPLE
How to Organize Their Civic I'm
provement League.

The lecture on "The City Pos
sible." by Mr. Albert Kelsey, of
Philadelphia, delivered under the au-
spices of several of the city's clubs,
including the Commercial club, at
South Eighth Street Friends church,
last evening, was largely attended,
the auditorium being entirely fillec
bv representative citizens and those
interested in this phase Of municipal
life. Mr.. Kelsey was introduced by
Mr.. S. S. Stattan, Jr., president OF
the Commercial club, In Il cleverly
worded speech, stating among other
things that Mr.. Kelsey he'd been ap-
pointed by the Louisiana Purchase
exposition to have charge of the mu-
nicipal Improvement section at the
worlds fair, a fact which had also
been announced in the press of the
city @75
Mr. Kelsey proved himself a lee
turer Of the easy, conversational type,
and, at once. concentrated the in
terest of his audience. Mr.. Kelsey's
long connection with movements for
civic adornment and general better
ment. both aesthetically and profes-
sionally, as in the latter ca
pacity he is engaged on public works
in a number of cities, the physical
development of cities having been
made the object Of his special study
and attention, was in a position to
briefly refer to this phase of life in
many European countries and cities,
and his frequent trips and sojourns
abroad-he being sent on a mission to
Europe last summer by the exposi-
tion officials enabled him to pune
tuate his lecture with many stereopti-
con views of various public works of
this nature in different quarters of
the globe
Mr.. Kelsey, in a preamble of a gen
eral character. spoke of the absurdity
and genuine lack Of utility as well as
resultant lack Of aesthetic effect in
what IS known as the "gridiron" sys-
TEN Of planning town. the system
adopted in the laying out Of Rich
mond and most other American
cities, contrasting it with the plotting
of diagonal avenues, and the "ring"
or concentric plan. of which the ia
nous Ring -strasse'' and "Gurtle-
strasse' of Vienna are the most dis
tinctive examples.
Mr. Kelsey also spoke of the value
Of the aesthetic treatment of river
fronts, which are 50 much abused in
this country: of the decorative eff
fects produced by the introduction Of
sculpture in the general scheme of
drivewavs and boulevards, giving pic
lures of many of the best examples
in foreign countries; and, in short.
covered all Of the recently accepted
ground of municipal establishment
and the theories covering municipal
art in the large
He also spoke briefly Of the local
possibilities as they presented them
selves to him upen necessarily cur
sorry inspection due to his brief stay
In Richmond, but. in an interview
with a representative Of the Palla-
dunn. he expressed himself more in
detail
Organize your civic league for a
broad and definite purpose" said
Mr.. Kelsey "While you will natural
~ wish to organize departments each
for a worthy purpose such as one for
Fairgrounds, another for the distri-
button of seed, another for public
baths and another for municipal art,
etc, etc; have one main purpose en-
bracinq them all, namely. the prepara-
tion of a comprehensive plan for the
development. extension and embell-
ishment Of Richmond.
Let your civic league declare 70,
a permanent non-partisan and self
perpetuating improvement board. anf