Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-19
ON MUNICIPAL ART.
lecture Delivered by MI. John Quincy
Adams.

A lecture on municipal art was given last
evening in Hubbard Memorial Hall before
the National Society of Fine Arts by Mr..
John Quincy Adams Of Evanston, III.
Showing by concrete example the stability
Of impressions obtained through the senses
and emphasizing strongly their influence
upon life he told Of what Is being done by
various cities to better their conditions and
indicated in what particulars there is still
much need for reform. After dwelling
briefly upon the relation of art to national
development and ethical culture he proved
by practical illustrations that it is not
only important but essentially worth while
that objective beauty means high ideals
and high ideals. in turn. good living. The
old world, he said, is rich in beautiful monu-
ments built by man, but our new world Is
most splendidly endowed with natural
beauty. Urging the preservation Of these
gifts Of nature, Mr. Adams showed pic
lures Of the various ways foreign cities
have beautified their river banks and con-
trasted these with views Of "our own hid
eous and wasted shores"
What a single interested and determined
person can do was instanced by the little
town of Red Wing, Mimi, which has be-
come, through the efforts of one man. an
example and inspiration for an entire state,
If not indeed for the whole country. Chi
mentioned on account Of having procured
plans for future development, and the fac,
that it pays to be in the vanguard of such
movements was patiently shown.
IF city wants to become widely known
and favorably discussed Mr. Adams said,
1.-The best way is to undertake large NUM-
cipal improvements.
In regard to public monuments the lee
turer suggested change of plan. Depre-
eating the portrait statue, which had COM
paratively little art value and significance.
he urged that our memorials be more given
to the embodiment of ideals and to the up
lifting of the people.
Certain statues. in New York, are so
placed that If one should wish to pause
and examine them it would be at the risk
of ones life and rarely indeed has the APP
propriateness of the setting been taken into
consideration" the speaker said. ITO put
he insisted, land though military heroes
are well enough in their place theirs IL
after all only one branch of the service.
The life of the workingman, Mr.. Adams
declared, should also be commemorated as
Meuner, the great Belgian sculptor, has
done, and the deeds rather than the appear
anCe of heroic or notable persons be set
forth Not merely "art for arts sake" as
is SO often the cry, but art for the sake of
man.
The work Of the municipal art commits
sion of New York was also described, mas
much as it is probably the most effective
of any In America. Problems which have
come before it of late, such as the placing
of monuments, design of buildings, style of
horse troughs and other more or less mo-
mentous matters, were told Of; and in con-
clusion a vigorous plea was made for the
establishment of similar national commits
sion. which should have jurisdiction over,
not Washington alone, but the whole land,
preventing the perpetuation of art plumbers
and setting an example Of high standards
in official art.