The Saint Paul globe., 1905-04-10
AMERICAN CITIES
ANNOY FRENCHMAN
Tells St. Paul to Pull Down Old
Capitol and Improve
River Front

"Let me talk about your American
cities as Partisan sees them I have
been seeing SO many of them and have
been forming so many what you call i'm
pressions' that 1 am fairly over bubbling
with the subject exclaimed Albert Sa-
ladina of Paris. France, who was guest
yesterday at the Ryan
What I'll say will not all be eompIi-
mentary to your American cities though
he forewarned. What / win say will
probably be little prejudiced because my
words VIII be those of Frenchman who
Is very lonely for his Paris from which
he has been separated for months. These
months 1 have been visiting your big
cities and some OF your natural beauty
spots. The beauty spots are exquisite
The cities are-well-they are big. lively,
busy cities. Paris is the most handsome
CITY In the whole world as TO architectural
beauty in buildings and landscape 1t
was not so originally. 1t is so dfnerent
from all your cities-from your st: Paul
''St. Paul is a very good bright city. but
IT Is not a handsome city. 1t is free
lively, bustling, you call 1t. / like St
Paul. / have been in il before. But 1t
is all business. All your American cities
are all business. They do not have time
for beauty they say. In Paris We have
time for both business and beauty. We
have great stores and We have beautiful
bouleVardS.
City Might BE Beautiful
"St. Paul might be very beautiful if St
Paul would only pattern after the beauti-
fui instead of after st. Paul. Take your
Iiver-the grand broad Mississippi 1
is even like - it. but go and look
at your Mississippi from the bridges
that cross over it. 1t is not beautiful to
look at. 1t is truly what you call ma
jestic. but 1t lacks so much. The shores
are all filed with sooty little buildings
carrying great smokestacks. The shores
in boulevards. Such a chance 10 be beauti-
ful and you will not see il.
Even your bridges that cross your river
are ugly, inartistic. They could much
better be beautiful and inviting places
where people might visit them to look at
the beauties of the river. Your river IS
a great opportunity that you worse than
neglect-you crush down with groteSque
creations that an architect would blush
to acknowledge ownership of.
In France or Germany or Italy the
cltlzens In city always make beautiful
first the river bank and then the rest of
the city. The river is the great natural
beauty spot of any city and yet here in
ST. Paul you seem to try to beautffy ev-
erything else first. Ah. it is a shamei
Wants Old Capitol Pulled Down
Il understand that you have here a
very beautiful capitol, yes? 1 have not
sibly Will tomorrow. L am glad you have
the capitol. The capitol 1 viewed on my
last visit TO st. Paul was truly ludicrouS
you call 1T Does it stand yet? l am very
sorry. I trust you do not any more cali
1t the capitol. Yes? All. too bad. too
very badi 1t should not be so for they
tell me the new building is fine, grand
one OF the most handsome in the states.
1t is too bad
But, anyway, we have some very good
schools here" suggested the reporter.
Schools? All, yes, there you Amer
leans may talk well for you have such
fine schools responded Mons. Saladina.
Your American livliness has outstripped
France in the race for free education. We
cannot talk much OF our education just
now. Everything is all torn up. upside
down as it were. We are having so much
trouble now. But 1t will all come out
good in the end 1t is political. the edu-
cationaI fight over there now. You know.
But soon. feel, the Catholic schools shall
be restored the same as they always were
and we will settle back again"
France Pulls for Russia
The topic of educa ton was evidently
not of the best interest to Mons Saladina
and he quickly changed the subject, and
began to speak of the Russo japanese
war
Everybody over here is so hoping that
The japanese will Win" he said. ''It is
quite so different from the feeling in
Is saying that they do hope the Russians
will beat You know the French sym
pathieS and the French money is with
Russia. Russia owes France millions of
dollars You know" ..-
Mons. Saladina leaves st. Paul this even
ing for the east and sails soon from New
York for Paris. His stop here was made
where he went to look after business in
tereSts.