Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-11-09
RESTRICTING ADVERTISING.
Defacing Landscape With Billboaros
Becoming Less Obnoxious.

Translated from La Revue Suisse
Advertising has never attained the de-
velopment that one sees today in the United
States. With the progress OF electricity,
aerial announcements pretty name for a
very villainous thing-have become plague
in our large cities, where. in the evening.
dominating the hotels and places most fire.
quented, they form glazing proof of the
neglect and the mercantile tendencies OF
our municipalities. In London these ex-
travagances are forbidden, and business Is
none the worse. But I will not dwell upon
this point, with which I entertained you
last year.
1t is more interesting to occupy ones self
with the efforts made to restrict the science
of advertising within the limits OF good
taste. Audit is a pleasure to record it
these efforts manifest themselves at the
present hour in all directions with an en-
ergy of which the public in general has no
doubt and which is revelation to stran-
gers, convinced that in America advertising
knows no bounds. In reality. state OF
war has existed for long time between
the advertisers represented by the very
powerful Billposters Association and So
ciety, defended by the legislatures of various
states, by some municipalities and, above
ALL, by certain private institutions when
work without noise, but without rest, each
in a different sphere of action. to impede
the march of the enemy. The Municipal Art
League of Chicago, the American Park and
Outdoor Art Association of Pennsylvania,
the American Scenic and Historic Preserva-
ton Society of New York and the Archi-
tectural League of America, whose MEM
bers are widely distributed, 1t appears, over
a great extent of territory, rival one an
other in zeal and alertness. And it is prin-
cipally this latter quality which is neces-
sary to be prepared against, an evil Whlch
assumes the most unexpected forms.
1t is necessary to have Travelled the United
States in every sense to realize the invasion
of the advertisement under the most eX-
aSperating forms wherever the gaze or the
traveller is able to turn. But already one
recognizes a progress due to the perse-
verance of the societies above mentioned.
The redoubtable Billposters Association
has at last abandoned the odous project or
painting advertisements on natural objects,
such as rocks, grottoes and the giant trees
of California. That is an important point
gained. However, the advertisers have no
hesitation in utilizing these same objects IN
fastening placards upon them.
In regard to the trees which, along the
main thoroughfareS, have become so many
supports for advertisements, the states CT
Massachusetts and New Hampshire have
recently taken severe measures Elsewhere,
Pennsylvania and Boston have attacked,
the former advertisements on public mon
uments, the latter the display of glarlng
posters in the neghborhood of parks and
public gardens. And Chicago. Buffalo and
Rochester have limited the dimensions of
placards.
nevertheless, CneFe yet remains MUCH "
do above all along the railroads, because
the advertisers find ready accomplices in
the bordering farmers, always ready to sell
a space in their fields or even their build
ings entire. So great is the shamelessness
of this class of advertisements that on GER
tain lines, If you attempt to view the coun-
try from the car window, you Immediately
give it up, shocked to see unrolled before
your eyes On interminable succession OF
billboards celebrating the virtues of soap
a la mode and of barns motleyed with the
most glazing colors.'' The complaints of
arti-roster leagues, have recently succeed
ed in inducing certain railroads to plant
hedges and trees along their roads to dis
courage the too enterprising bilposters.
1t is hoped in another direction to check
the complaisance of farmers toward this
sort of vandalism by making them under
stand through the medium of the press or
their conventions, that these advertise
ments, displayed on their premises, are, in
effect an indication of poverty-to employ
the forcibe expression of M. c. Robinson,
in the Atlantic Monthly-in other terms, the
indication of pecuniary condition not very
f1ourishing. That is a skillful policy, and
will succeed, perhaps, in depriving the Bill
posters Association of it's most dangerous
auxliaries.
For the moment the evil is yet serious
chiefly in the west, where certain munich
palities themselves have recourse to the
process of advertising around the stations
to attract the attention of travellers to the
wonderful advantages of the locality from
ali points of view-and allure the capitalist
to search for investment.