davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1908-03-06
NO Option.

Barber pausing In the mutllation)-
VIII you have close shave, sir? Vic
tim with gasp)-If get out Of this
chair alive, shall certainly consider
1t very close shave.
The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1908-03-06

Enfered as second-class matsa ! MY
20. 1905. at the postoffice al Astoria. Ore.
Eon, under the act Of Congress OF March 3,
1879
The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1908-03-06
EDITORIAL SALAD

The night riders Of Kentucky have
put the nightmare on the shelf as a
weak invention.
The Democratic party hears little
now of the crime Of '73, but there is
little prospect that it will ever escape
from the Bryan scoop of 'o6.
If Kentucky had never been cursed
with Goebelism it would have escaped
10 years of bad government for which
the cure is now slow and difficult.
A fleet Of modern battleships at an
chor off shore must be great spec
tacle to a people unaccustomed to
anything more majestic than Peru
Wan bark
Marseilles is shipping beans to Bos-
ton in British ships, which suggests
that Faneuil Hall should speak and
let the world know what is going
wrong.
1t would be an easy matter for the
Missouri mule to reach Paris over
land by way of Siberia. But the au-
tomobile is doing pretty we'll for a
modern introduction.
Ten years in prison will do for Gen.
Stoessel Remembering the kind Of
army he commanded, the Russians
ought to be lenient-about one part |
justice and two parts mercy. J
The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1908-03-06

The supreme excellence is simplicity
-Longfe& ~.
Evening star., 1908-01-14

of the most beautiful that gardening men
could desire. and would be ravishing if
tastefully and simply laid out in the
natural style. The lamentable effect of
clipping the trees is well shown in the
plate; it is very evident that the poor
trees do not like it. 1t would be difficult
to find more striking example of labor
worse than thrown away than that be-
slowed on clipping trees In many French
gardens. Not only are the trees robbed
of all individual beauty or character, but
many noble places are spoiled by their
presence. Frequently the trees become
hideous from disease, consequent upon
mutilation: what they are in perfection
may be seen by the accompanying model
tree inquired by a professor in one of
the best French books on arboriculture.
Nantes.
The Jardin des Plantes at Nantes is
quite a change from what we are ac-
customed to see in French towns. and
is we'll worthy of a visit of imitation.
1t is a beautiful garden in the highest
sense, while it is instructive at the same
time. and quite credit to the town for
the way in which it is kept. 1t Is dis
trnguished from the old style of French
public gardens by the almost total alb
sence of stright lines. being varied in
all its parts and we'll and tastefully plant
ed on that style for which the best name
is the natural 1t is embellished by one
of the finest groves of standard magnolias
(grandiflora) in Europe, if not the finest
and their noble flowers perfume the whole
Evening star., 1908-01-14
DOWNING.
Extract From P. "A. Chadbourne OF
Bowdoin College.


There is a growing taste among our
people, it is said indeed, that its growth
is SO slow, which proves that honest toll
does not destroy nor dwarf the capacity
of enjoying the beautiful 1t cannot,
however. be fostered by galleries of art,
for they are rare among US. 1t is upon
nature we must depend, and landscape
gardening by the genius of Downing. Is
gathering scenes of tasteful beauty around
many a humble home. His works were
to America what the Georgice were for
ancient Italy. The vine and the apple,
the bower and the hedge, the velvet lawn
and the stately tree. all that beauties the
landscape. were objects of his care.
Through his influence many places are
pleasant to the eye and refining to the
taste which but for him would have
| remained rugged and neglected.
The homes In cold, rugged New Eng
land. in the sunny south and on the
western prairies will have more beauty
and the children reared there will be
men and women of more refinement be-
cause Downing was lover of nature.
1t is meet that his monument should
stand upon our national grounds at
Washington not only because they were
beautified by his hand, and because his
influence was national. but that every
American might read the words he penned
whil' living, now engraven on the stone:
THE state of an individual as well as
nation will be In direct proportion to the
profound sensibility with which he per-
ceives the beautiful in natural scenery"
Thus has natural history ever been the
field where the objects of taste have been
gathered in the greatest abundance. and
1t must ever be the great source of the
pure and beautiful images which the
progress of the fine arts demands. The
cultivation OF taste is sneered at by
those who talk wisely of utility, but its
value cannot be overestimated. and it's
progress must move on necessarily with
that more accurate study which we de-
nominate Natural History.
The accurate study of this science stores
the mind with images of things formed
by God himself: they are. then, so far
as art is concerned 1.-The true and the
beautiful This Is accomplished by edu-
Evening star., 1908-01-14
TREES IN TUBS.

The plan of the so-called Park Commis-
sion everywhere bears the Mckim stamp
in tie stroke of tub5ed trees. When the
architects declared that IL the present
trees were rooted out from the Mall they
could be replaced in quadruDle numbers,
the public coud not quite understand how
the majestic trees of half a century'S s
growth could be replaced in twenty min
utes. But the mystery was explained when
the remarkable report of the so-called
Park Commission appeared, showing in its
illustrations thousands upon thousands of
tubbed trees, standing in stiff rows every
where. Happy thought this tubbed tree
propositions! great national arboretum
or nursery for the propagation and clip
ping of tubbed trees could be established
with a product equal to the most ex-
traordinary demands Of the so-called COM
mission, either for the city parks and
parkings or beyond the city limits in Rock
Creek Park or the Soldiers Home, now
shockingly disfgured by trees of natural
growth. Franklin Square, now numbered
with ordinary shade trees and misem-
ployed as a mere playground for school
children would be just the place for the
| arboretum, and the Mckim commercial
architects, tree butchers and nature
| butchers would shout in chorus: Down
with the trees. Out with the children. Up
with the tubbed tree arboretum!'
| And it would be so handy to cart around
tubbed trees wherever they were wanted.
| Architect McKim has shown how trees of
| this sort can be utilized by the magnifi-
cent display he has made OF these noble
monarchs of the tub on the roofs of his
stately shed approaches to the White
\
Evening star., 1908-01-14

length, bordered by gardens ending In
slope from the houses on each side
At the point Of intersection of two lines.
one drawn through the center of the Cap
itol the other drawn through the center
of the White House. LEnfant fixed the
site of an equestrian statue of Gen. Wash
ington, one of the numerous statues voted
by the Continental Congress, but never
erected.
But when the Washington Monument
was built it was placed far away from
the site selected by LEnfant. The So
called Park Commission then were obliged
to violate all 1.-The cardinal features of
L'Enfant's plan" and create a new compo-
stion, "a symmetrical polygonal. or kite
shaped, figure regarding the Monument
as the center, the Capitol as the base, and
the White House as the extremity of one
arm of a Latin cross.
Having abandoned all "the cardinal fea-
lures of the L'Enfant plan." the so-called
commission propose on their polygonal
kite-shaped plan to secure for the Mall a
uniform width of sixteen hundred feet
throughout its entire length. But they
find on measurement that the sixteen
hundred feet-wide polygonal kite-shaped
plan, making the Monument as its center,
Is so askew of the L'Enfant plan that 1t
would wipe out the Smithsonian building
and the Agricultural Department building
entirely. But the so-called commission
disposed of this difficulty quite easily by
decreeing the removal OF the Smithsonian
building and the Agricultural building
And they have actually succeeded, without
any authority from Congress, but in ac-
tual defiance of that body, in compelling
the removal of the old Agricultural build
ing and the forcing back behind the Mall
lines of the new building after consider
able work had been done on the structure
at a cost to the government of over $4,000
They complain that the location OF the
Library OF Congress is mutilation OF
L'Enfant's plan and of their Grand Vista
plan, as Is the extension of the Treasury
and the construction of the State, War
and Navy building; but as they can hardly
compel the removal of these costly struc-
lures they are obliged to content them
selves with entering protest.
Evening star., 1908-01-14
THE SHAM GRAND VISTA.

The so-called Park Commission harp a
good deal upon the Grand Vista through
the Mall, from the Capitol to the river, to
be obtained by their plan. Well, this view
can be seen only from the Capitol on
the east and from Arlington, across the
river, on the west. Thus only a small
number of people could see 1t from the
Capitol, and still less from Arlington
where the people are mostly dead. And
should the patriot dead resting there be
able to look out upon the scene, their
feeling would be one of stern indignation,
rather than OF pleasure. Gen. Sheridan
and the other officers who served under
Gen. Grant would be likely to view with
a holy wrath the dishonor given to their
great leader by placing his monument in
a swamp on the lowest ground in the
city. Thus, while the Grand Vista would
open out to a few people, the so-called
Park Commission propose to further mutt
late the L'Enfant plan by utterly destroying
all the vista openings from the north
| completely cutting off from the city all
view of the Mall and Of the Smithsonian
building. the most picturesque structure
in Washington. How completely has this
view been obscured already is shown by
a glance down 10th street, where the
great square barn. the new museum build
ing, not only blocks of all prospect south.
but by its huge dimensions dwarfs every
other structure In the city west of the
Capitol.
| When the stretch of similar buildings
proposed by the so-called Park Commits
sion lines the Mall, it will be seen how
thoroughly any view south will be COM
pletely shut out from the city side.
| Again, the so-called Park Commission
propose to muti.ate the LEnfant Grand
Vista plan by placing great square barn
| flee building, thereby utterly destroying
the 10th street vista from the White
House to the heights at the city boundary.
This structure will not only hide the
| fine view on 18th street, but will require
the destruction of the noble old trees in
Lafayette Square, and the removal of
the Jackson statue to some more obscure
position: probably to the swamp in the
Botanic Garden. to keep company with
Gen. Grant in the de graded position as.
signed to him by the so-called Park Com
mission.
But what will President Roosevelt have
to say to the proposition to send the
statue of his prototype, Andrew jackson.
in dishonor to the swamp?
And what will the stalwart Jacksonian
Democracy have to say about the project
to degrade their idol? Their remarks will
probably be something volcanic-sulphuric
-Rooseveltian.
1t is probable that the McKim CONNER
cial architects will have to wait a long
time before they will realize any commits
sions from the erection Of an executive of.
flee building upon Lafayette Square.
Similar bad luck befel the aforesaid
Iarchitects, in regard to the plan Of the
Evening star., 1908-01-14
THE LE NOTRE WORKS AS
DESCRIBED BY AN AUTHORITY
HIS SYSTEM OF FORMAL GAR
DENING, AS DISPLAYED AT
VERSAILLES, FoNTAINE-
BLEAU AND ST. CLOUD.
He Shows How Much "the Genius
of a lie Notre" May Do to
Spoil Place Naturally
Beautiful.

The following quotations from a work
on "The Parks, Promenades and Gardens
of Paris" written by w. Robinson, F. L.
S., an eminent English authority, afford
interesting reading just now. when the
question of the adoption of the formal LIE
Notre plan of gardening. proposed by the
so-called Park Commission" is under
discussion:
Versailles.
This being one of the most celebrated
gardens in the world, it behooves us to
examine it somewhat in detail-were we,
however, to treat of 1t in proportion to
its real merit as a garden. very small
amount Of space would suffice. Let US
pass through the vast stone courtyard
and take up our position near the garden
front of the palace. Standing near the
walls, looking over the gardens and fol-
lowing the vista Of the canal into the
low country beyond. the eye first rests
on the vast spread Of gravel, some marble
margins Of breakwater basins, sundry
protuberances from the level of the water
and away in the distance an e1ect like
that afforded by suburban canal In 9
highly practical and unlovely country.
Versailles is held up by the French anG
others as queen OF geometrical gar
dens. and however this position may be
dissented from 1t cannot be denied tina,
it is a vast illustration OF the formal
school of garden
There are in books many dissertations
on the several styles of laying out gar
dens. indeed some of them have taken u.
to China and Japan and others going into
Mexico for illustrations: but when all Is
read and examined what is the result to
anybody who looks from words to things:
That there are really two styles; one
strait-laced. mechanical, fond of walls OF
bricks or it may be gravel: fond also Of
such geometry as the designer of wal
poorer and less graceful kind than that
fond. too, of squirting water In an i'm
moderate degree, with trees In tubs as
an accompaniment. and perhaps grif1ns
and endless plaster OF stoneWork. The
other with true humility and right desire
though often awkwardly and blund ringly
accepting nature as guide and en-
dcavoring to multiply. SO far as conven-
ience with poor man-poWer will permit
her most charming features.
Mr. Ruskin tells us that I'VE are forced
for the sake of accommodating our power
and knowledge to live in cities: but such
advantage as we have in association
with each other is in great part counter
balanced by our loss of fellowship with
nature. We cannot all have our gardens
now. nor our pleasant fields to mediate
in at eventide. Then the function of oul
architecture is, as far as we may be able
to replace these: to tell us about nature
to possess us with memories of her quiet
ness; to be solemn and full of tender
ness, like her, and rich In portraitures
of her; full of delicate imagery Of the
flowers we can no more gather and Of the
Evening star., 1908-01-14
FALSE PRETENSES.

Mr.. Charles Moore, secretary or the So
called Park Commission. in denial of the
allegation that it will cost 5000. 100000 to
carry out the Park Commission plans" has
the assurance to say that, ION the contra
ry, it will not cost anything whatever to
carry out those plans. New buildings and
the improvement of the parks will cost
whatever Congress chooses to appro-
pirate"
1t cost the government, through the un-
authorized action of the so-called Park
Commission. some $40 600 to set back the
new Agricultural building outside of the
800 feet limit when the construction was
scarcely commenced. Will it cost nothing
to move the great Smithsonian building
beyond those limits, as required by the
plan of the so-called Park Commission?
Will it cost nothing to construct the vast
series of fountains proposed by the plan,
and which are to surpass in size and dow
of water all the combined fountains of
Paris. Fontainebleau and Rome? The pres
ent water supply of Washington Is mad
equate for the public needs. and there is
already a demand for another conduit. To
furnish the amount of water required for
the Grand Fountains proposed by the So
called commission would call for an in
crease of the conduit system to more than
ten times that in present use. Will the
construction of these water works. in ad-
dition to the outlay for building the foun-
tains, cost nothing? In a few years, when
Washington has doubled its population,
the entire water in the Potomac will be
inadequate to supply the city. 1t will
then be a question whether the fountains
or the people of Washington shall go dry.
Congress is unlikely to take any chances
in the matter. So the Grand Fountain
project may be considered as dead as all
the other snowy sham features of the
sham so-called Art Commission.
Again We have the irrepressible Moore
bouncing in with a repetition of the wholly
! refuted claim that mo valuable trees will
be sacrificed by the sham commission
plan.
Hear him:
Mr.. Olmsted, when he improved the
Capitol grounds. moved more than 100
trees. many of them larger than those in
the Botanic Garden. Ten years later only
two trees were not thriving. and the two
that were lost were not healthy at the be-
ginning"
Mr.. Moore knew perfectly well when he
made this misleading assertion that the
time specified when the one hundred trees
transplanted were reported as in a thriv-
ing condition was many years ago, and
that at the present day, as stated by Supt
Smith, who knows the history of every
tree in Washington, all of the hundred
trees are dead, with the exception of two
or three that were young and of small
size when transplanted.
Evening star., 1908-01-14

of the vegetation on the garden front
Of the palace. 1t is that type of garden
which has not curious corner in it nor
a ray of novelty. consequently to describe
it in detail would be to waste space.
st. Cloud.
st. Cloud. popular as it is, is perhaps
one of the most uninteresting gardens
known. 1t is, however. worth seeing
If only to get an idea of how much 1.-The
genius of a LIE Notre'' may do to spoil a
place naturally beautiful. The canals
the lines of ugly cut trees and every
base feature of geometrical gardening are
there, but nothing worth remembering
as an example. The situation is one
Evening star., 1908-01-14
SOMETHING ABOUT
A. J. DOWNING
WHO LAID OUT THE SMITHSo-
MAN GROUNDS UPON GRACE
Full, UNDULATING NAT
URAL LINES.
And Whose Attractive Work the
McKim Tree-Butchers and Ma
ture-Butchers Propose to
Utterly Destroy.

Now that the McKm tree-buthers ana
the beautiful work of A. j. Downing on
the Mall, it is well to say something about
the man.
A monument to his memory has been
planted in the Smithsonian Grounds. and
on the occasion of its dedication Prof. P.
A. Chadbourne of Bowdoin College spoke
as follows:
Evening star., 1908-01-14

accordingly" with the square lines pre-
vailing all through the Mall plan Be
yond a long series of stiff rectangular
steps leads up to the Monument, con-
forming to the rigid lines OF that
structure.
What a result from so much study
and consideration. Surely nothing
quite equal to 1t has been heard of
since the mountain in labor brought
forth mouse,
Evening star., 1908-01-14

dous structure is supplied by Il lot of
square trees. in square>tubs: square
fountain basin with some curious
square objects floating in it. that might
be square shadows only they are too
solid and fall in different directions.
They may be water fowl with square
clipped plumage; or they may be water
plants with square-clipped leaves. Any
how, there they are in a "concatenation
Evening star., 1908-01-14

vising an appropriate setting for the
Monument; and the treatment here pro-
posed Is the one which seems best
adapted to enhance the value of the
Monument itself. Taken by itself the
Washington Monument stands not only
one of the most stupendous works
of man, but also as one of the most
beautiful of human creations
This is exceedingly fine language.
but when we come to look at the plan
Evening star., 1908-01-14
THE SETTING FOR THE WASH.
INGToN MONUMENT.

The so-called Park Commission in
presenting their plan for the proper
treatment of the surroundings of the
Washington Monument say:
No portion of the task set before
the commission has required more
study and extended consideration than
has the solution of the problem of de-
Evening star., 1908-01-14

that has required so much study and
consideration what do we find? 1t is
presented in plate No Al of the report,
and is described as showing the pro-
posed treatment of approaches and ter
races forming a setting for the Wash
ington Monument The picture is re-
produced on this page of The Star.
We see that the McKim conception of
an adequate setting for this stupen-
Evening star., 1908-01-14
L,ENFANT'S PLAN.

The White House and the Capitol were
the cardinal features of L'Enfant's plan,
and, as the commissioners recite. he con-
nected these edifices by grand avenue
400 feet In breadth and about mile in
Evening star., 1908-01-14

place The planting is very tastefully
done on the grouping system. while along
some of the walks alternate beds of
camellias and aZaleas are placed, each oed
being edged with hepaticas.
Evening star., 1908-01-14
WHAT ARCHITECT GREEN SAYS

Architect Bernard S. Green wants a
clean sweep of the trees on the Mall for
a grand vista. with the Mall grounds
as fiat as a pancake he says, "a vista
becomes a necessity" Mr.. Green is gen.
tleman of great professional skill as an
architect and engineer, as was shown es-
pecially in the latter profession by his ad-
mirable work in the difficult job OF
strengthening the foundations of the
Washington Monument. How is it that
he failed to notice while on that work
that the Mall is full of graceful undula-
tions and that the Monument itself Is on
something of hill? But perhaps he had
In mind the idea that the so-called Park
Commission propose to pare the Mall
grounds down to dead level to conform
to the scheme of straight lines every
where. Mr.. Green treats the tree ques-
ton with the usual fiippancy of the archi'
tectural mind, and says more trees will be
planted than will be removed, and they
will be planted in an orderly manner, with
some idea to being part of the big
scheme instead of growing helter-skeiter
as they do now Mr.. Green seems to be
ignorant of the fact that the Smithsonian
grounds were laid out by A. j. Downing
(tne greatest landscape architect the coun-
try has yet produced) on the natural
plan," as contrasted with the forma,, ar
fetal style of lie Notre. The trees, the
drives and the walks were placed with re-
gard to the principle that the curve is the
line Of beauty. Had Mr.. Green chanced to
look down from the top of the Monument
he would have seen the wonderful beauty
of the Downing scheme in its graceful
diversities of outline, and its delightful
arrangement of trees affordng grateful
shade to the visitor. But Mr.. Green. with
| the architects esteem for the straight line
would probably have seen no beauty in
| these curves, and would have regarded
any arrangement of trees as '.helter-skel-
| ter If they were not planted on straight
! lines, lin an orderly manner" with shoe
| peg regularity.
Evening star., 1908-01-14
Useless Attempt Now Being Made to CAL
vanize the Project Into the Sernblance Of
Life-A Tasteless, Decadent, Enormously
Expensive, Utterly Impracticable Scheme,
That, Senator Hale Says, "Fell Abso-
lutely Dead the Moment Senator's and
Representatives Began to Examine IT,

verting it into covered sewer. All who
recall the disagreeable experiences had
with this old canal nuisance will protest
against the NbcKim plan to reopen the
canal in the vicinity of the site it formerly
held.
REOPENING LAKE BABCoCK.
Similarly. those who remember that
Lake Babcock, in the same neighborhood.
was filled up because its presence endan-
gered the foundations of the Washington
Monument nearby will wonder that the
so-called Park Commission propose to re-
open that lake as a feature of their plan
for Monument Garden!