The Washington herald., 1907-01-10
LIKES SKYSCRAPERS
Senator Lodge Defends Tall
Buildings of America.
EXPRESS NATIONS GROWTH
speech Made at Banquet in Honor of
Sir Aston Webb by American In
New willard includes Prominent
Men i'm the List OF Guests.

Men i'm the List of Guests.
American architecture represents the
American people. their hopes. their aspi-
| ratiOns. The New York skyscTaper at
! first thought may seem abnormal and
| dreadful. but We have come to see that It
is there because il is necessary 10 our
conditions II IS an American thought;
an expression OF ourselves Of our growth.
anc 1 believe that New York. which is
growing which is now IN an unfinished
state, Will grow some time into something
beautiful, majestic-because it expresses
the spirit Of our people and our times
This was the keynote to the speech Of
Senator Henry Cabot Lodge last night al
the annual banquet Of the American In
stitute of Architects, held at the New
Willard. and celebrating the aftieth ami
versary Of the foundation Of the insti-
tute- II was banquet at which many
| distinguished guests were present and
many prominent speakers announced, and
before it was over Speaker Cannon
dropped in, and shortly after him secre-
! tary Taft. Secretary Root was one Of the
speakers of the evening. and others were
F. HOphnson Smith, owen Wister, Sir
Aston Webb, and George r. Post.
In Honor of Sir Aston Webb.
The banquet-haH of the willard was
beautifully decorated and in honor Of Sir
Aston Webb, B. A, representing the
Royal Institute Of British Architects, TO
whom Tuesday night the American Insu-
tute had presented its gold medal Of
honor, the English and American flags
were eutwined above the seat Of the chair
man
The banquet was a stag affair. but al its
conclusion the women were brought in
two or three hundred Of them-and seated
IN an imprcmptu gallery whence they
listened 20 the speeches.
The first toast was drunk TO the Presi-
dent, the second TO King Edward Of Eng
/ land. Both were drunk standing. and
when the chairman said. Gentlemen. /
give you the President and the King,
there was a loud cheer.
The women came in then, and Secretary
Root rose 10 greet them. lie smiled. and
said 1t is given 10 me-this great honor
OF proposing a health 20 the ladies' %
whereupon all the guests stood up. lie
waved them 90 their seats again saying
NO premature elevation. please" He
entered a smiling protest that they should
have been excluded so long, but remarked
! that he hoped they would stay 10 the end.
although their architect husbands seemed
SO much inclined to ''the early perpendicu-
lar"
lodge PrefaceS His speech
Senator Henry Cabot Lodge prefaced
his excellent speech by saying that his
topic. Architecture and the National
Life. was a difficult one, and that he
had not come prepared. He could not
speak Of architecture from a professional
standpoint but as a student Of history
To himself. as "a student Of history. archi-
| lecture had been an immense help and
Influence. he quoted Ruskin. who. in
writing about ST. Marks. said. Every
nation writes its history in three books:
its book Of its arts. its book Of its words
and its book Of its deeds"
OF them all the book OF arts was the
most potent and among the arts archi-
lecture was the most lasting. As Il
stands it embodies the souls of its people.
| II architecture does not represent the
aims. the hopes. the aspirations. the
ideals Of its people and its time. it IS
/ failure He quoted as an illustration a
Norman cathedral. which he said. when no
saw its noble facade. had seemed 10
speak 20 him the very spirit Of that
Norman people who came out OF their
land and Uverruu Europe. spreading their
influence far and wide. It seems TO speak
10 him of a fighting race-that old ca
/ thedral built on the long ago
1t Is that which We must have in
America" he said. .if we are 10 have a
Fgreat architecture Ii is well to borrow
rs we have borrowed, from the lessons
OF the past; from the glories Of Greece
and the grandeur that was Rome but
American architecture, If it is to have
value and permanence and be true to
ourselves, must represent US.
New Country. but Not People.
we are a new country. but not new
people. and it is right that from the older
civilization from which we came that we
should borrow what was best and has
been our problem To apply the old forms
in consOnance with our new aims and
our new desires" He spoke Of the Did
colonial forms. Of architecture. so sim
pie, So ornate. and vet 50 useful The
forms for which we should strive now
are forms conformablc to our new and
strenuous civilization, not bound by the
forms which represented an age Of other
faiths and other forces. OF this sort he
thought the nations Capitol was fine
example The Brooklyn bridge. too. he
thought, was typically American in its
strength, its beauty and ifs usefulness.
For New York, the city of commerce.
which. il it is 20 grow, was bound
10 grow upward. the skyscraper. h.
thought, was fitting and would grow into
beauty. But" said he "in this our
beautiful city which should be an exam
pie TO all American citizens, I think that
the poor attempts at skyscrapers are
blunders. and I hope some day to see a
law enacted which, in this city. the seat
Of our government. shall regulate the
height to which buildings may go" He
thanked God for the men who had laid
out Washington. and had left for Con-
gress and the people of this country a
definite plan along the lines of which
Washington. the city Of all the people.
might grow. a plan which provided for a
wide park from the Capitol right through
the main avenue.
Congress Eager to Help.
He said that Congress was eager TO do
all that it could to further the work OF
the architects; to provide for a building
that We could look at in pride and not in
sorrow. and he Hoped that the public
buildings which would be scattered all
over the nation would in their beauty ex-
press the aims and the aspirations Of the
people of the United States.
r Hopkinson Smith. who followed
Senator Lodge. made a long and very
eloquent speech. He disagreed at the
outset with Senator Lodge in the matter