Los Angeles herald., 1907-11-24
1T MAY BE

y n
inform themselves regarding the
a progress of the spirit of civic pride
in American municipalities, and par
ticularly the growth of popular senti-
ment in favor of the Identification of
cities, cannot fail to be impressed by
the increasing tendency of urban dwell
ers to work in harmony toward the one
common end-the development of the
artistic possibilities in their respective
places of abode. Just as the star of
empire is supposed to move westward,
so the spirit which results in the ulti-
mate creation of the city beautiful
moves toward the setting sun, though
in more rapid strides
Travellers disagree as to which city
most artistically adorned. Paris, Ber-
lin and st. Petersburg vie with one
another in the esteem of connoisseurs.
Some there are who credit our own
American metropolis with having dis
tanced these splendid European capi-
tals-but such as these doubtless are
Influenced in arriving at a conclusion
by spirit of patriotic prejudice.
New York, Philadelphia, Boston and
Baltimore, among the cities of the
eastern and middle states, doubtless
are the four most conspicuous exam
pies of art in the remodeling of such
sections of a city as lend themselves
most easily to the work of the munich
pal architect. Twelve or fifteen years
ago Cleveland boasted of its fascin-
ating Euclid avenue, and Detroit of it's
broad and handsomely adorned Wood
ward avenue. Now these thorough
fares are but the main entrances to
many hundreds of acres covered with
the most beautiful homes abutting on
the most perfectly appointed avenues
one, would wish to see. Six or eight
years ago Kansas City pointed to it's
own Troost avenue as an evidence of
the artistic temperament of it's inhabi-
tants. Now Troost avenue is becom-
ing to Kansas City what Euclid and
Woodward avenues are to the cities
farther east. Denver, st. Louis, Gin
cinnati Louisville-in each of these
cities the inhabitants of the better
residential sections are striving, with
the cooperation of the municipal
authorities, to make their particular
locations even better than the best of a
few years past.
Coming to the Pacific coast San
Francisco-the new San Francisco-is
being built along artistic lines that viii
make it one of the most beautiful of
American cities, so far as it's topog-
raphy and resources will permit.
There is in Los Angeles a contingent
which is wont to refer to this city as
1.-The Paris of America" While Los
Angeles may deserve that sobriquet In
time, it will be just as well if our citi-
zens halt now and candidly recognize
the fact that the expenditure of vast
fortune, through a long period, will be
necessary before we may justly lay
claim to any such title. While Los
Angeles is fitted by nature-and we
believe this is it's ultimate destiny-to
be made by the hand Of man, encour-
aged by the gracious elements, as
beautiful a city as the face of earth
may show, if not the most beautiful,
it is not yet to be classed, mainly on
account of it's youth and rapid growth,
several other American cities, including
some of those we have mentioned.
Travellers who are familiar with the
four quarters of the globe unite in
affirming that Los Angeles lends itself
willingly as a subject for the most
elaborate scheme of ornamentation.
Charles Mulford Robinson of Roches-
ter, N. Y, which, by the way, Is one
of the most beautiful cities of it's size
in America, declares that Los Angeles
may become in fact the one great
American rival of the famed capital of
the French. To transform it will
require money, time and hearty co-op-
GRAFTON on the part of the unselfish
public-spirted, far-sighted inhabitants.
The only danger to the future will be
unnecessary delay in adopting a scheme
1t will not be essential-perhaps 1t will
be unwise, in view of the large amounts
of money that must be expended for
purposes of utility-to begin the work
of Identification this year; nor yet
next year, possibly; but this fact need
not interfere with discussion Of the
plan soon to be submitted with an eye
to beginning the labor of transforma-
tion when the people will that it shall
be begun.
And during all the study and plan
ming and possible modification of the
original scheme let us not forget that
the longer we postpone taking the first
step the more difficult and costly shall
we find it to make Los Angeles what
some of us now so complacently esteem
it to be-the Paris of America.