The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-03-31
CITY ART DOCTORS DIFFER.
CALVIN TOMRINs ron ADEQUATE
DEVELOPMENT Plan.


The Municipal Art Society held It's annual
dinner last night in the house Of the National
Arts Club, West Thirty-fourth street. The
speakers were Comptroller Circuit and the
presidents Of the Art Commission, the
Improvement Commission, the Fine Arts
Federation and the Art Society The last
named Calvin Tomkins, was the toast
master. lie said that the city needed an
! adequate development plan and that ono
Of the most important things TO he included
was rapid transit systems. The future OF
Long Island, The Bronx and New Jersey
would depend on their success in com
peting for the outflow Of Manhattan
As for the establishment Of the city
from an artistic point Of view, no adver-
Using should he permitted on city property,
and advertising on private property should
be limited 30 as to make II as inonensiVe
az possible.
We must try TO wipe out It's Objectionable
features, Mr.. Tomkins said. The most
practical way is 20 bring about competition
in artistic lines The theatre posters are
better than the food posters
COMPTROLLER Grout said he saw that
financial disquisition was expected from
him, disagreeable though it might be TO
have a shock at dessert.
Il don't always agree with the Municipal
Art Society" he said. but welcome sug-
gestions. II the society had not taken up
the question Of advertising in the subway
perhaps nothing would have been accom-
plished Something will be accomplished
think. even in the opera boure suit which
Ward & Cow have brought against August
Belmont ct al. In the end, think, nothing
but the sale of newspapers will be permitted
in the subway stations. / think II Will
be shown that railroad franchises do not
involve merchandising Of any kind, and
that holds true OF the subway It will hold
true Of the advertising in the elevated
stations and cars and in the surface cars.
Mr. Grout did not seem to think much
OF adequate development plane.
Nobody knew what this city was to be-
he said. Nobody but the Astors knew
that il was TO grow toward the north.
Laughter Every boy has at some time
hands and feet which look as II they be-
longed 10 some one else. The process OF
attending 70 city's wants must he done
gradually. II can't be forced. ! would
Ike TO see many Of your society's plans
carried out. but where's the money!
The Comptroller explained New Norks
financial limitations and declared that,
which were most important to the city, it
should spend all the money II can for rapid
transit. That was an Improvement Tor
which il had not TO pay interest and which
would develop the city so that the city
capital, It's borrowing capacity, could be
increas ID greatly. Other Improvements
would follow.
President Tomkins read a letter from
the Mayor (he said George ". Mcclellan,
but it was from the Mayor, all right re-
GREETING that he could not be at the dinner.
Il Deneye, wrote the mayor, 'Lhat the
great mistake Of the past in the develop
ment of our city has been lack OF lar
sightedness in undertaking public i'm
provements for the moment rather than
Tor the ultimate future. While, OF course,
we Of to-day cannot bind our SUCCESSORS,
any symmetrical plan for the development
OF the city which may he adopted now Wall
at least serve as guide Tor those who
come after us.
Commission. said that New Gorkers did not
take the city seriously enough.
I'VE haven't enough city pride. We
don't appreciate what we have got. In
Tacoma, SPOKANE or even HoPoken you
will find more people talking about their
city greatness than you will in New York.
And New York is The place. II il a city
worth living in and worth working for
Francis Key Pen dleton. president Of
the Improvement Commission, said that
would be devoted entirely 20 commerce
and manufacture and Brooklyn, The Bronx
and Jersey would be used for residence
purposes. The East River would be 70 the
city what the Seine is 20 Paris. He aid that
the city should 20 in for excessive con-
demnation, 50 a = TO get for itself the benefit
Of its own improvements rather than
have them fell to adjoining owners This,
he said. had been done with pecuniary
success in Belgium and England
Frederic Crownnshield. president OF
the Fine Arts Federation, congratulated
the city on doing away with the advertising
on the library fence and hoped that the
signs would be ousted from the subway.
ITO me, he said. this question Of signs
is one OF the most important Of the day.
| don't see how any plan for the beautfca-
ton OF the city can amount to anything
solong a. hideous advertising signs are on
every side. had hoped that the reli gious
men would take up the fight against them.
] don't know what our friend Anthony
Comstock Is about. He descends on Us
poor artists when we don't deserve IL. vet
the signs have seen about the CITY are more
immoral than anything ! ever saw in a
studio.
1T surprises me to hear fnanciers talk
about Venioe and Florence. They were
commercial cities, but they did not divorce
commerce from art. Picture doge talk
ing the way Comptroller Grout has been
talking I'm sorry he has gone because
/ wanted him 20 hear this. The doges
wanted the most beautiful city in the world
and they did not delay because Of trans
portation facilities. II We increase our
property az Mr.. Grout pictures IL, we shall
buck up against New Haven and we shall
get uglier as we 60 on,
As we crawl up the city the horrors
increase. What il the new public lihraryl
A boys model in the bottom Of n toacun.
The library itself IL fine. but the surround
ngs are bad. Columbus Circle win not be
what the artists want il TO he. You must
take surroundings into consideration.
Mr. Crowninshield protested because.
he said there Is not a museum Of modern
art in New York.
Every other important city has one.
The city has done nothing for us
News Of piays and piayer,