The morning journal-courier., 1908-02-05
AN IMPROVED NEW HAVEN.


 means Of making the city of New h' ven a more beautiful city is aniouiio ed. The whole series, which has con fined itself to this subject dealihs with every phase of it, has been liii- pressive and convincing in the eN treme. The lecturers have been men of eminence in their profession, ana have been able to arouse an interest in the city beautiful movement wiiieh could not have been aroused III any | other way It is all we'll enough 'o talk and to agitate for the improve ment and identification of a clty' anu one has to admire the enthusiasm or those who advocate it, but after all IL is the power of expert builders to show 3 community how it can improve and beautify itself that makes the movement substantial and hopeful.
 The people of New Haven owe deep sense of gratitude to Colonel Trowbridge, to the officials of the Art School. to the lecturers and to MT. Seymour, who together have made the winters instruction possible. From now on it ought to be increasingly easy for the city government to shape | its conduct aIong lines of organized and approved construction The desire | to make our American cities more restful and pleasing to live in is wide spread and grows out of a blossom- ing and blooming love of the beauti- full, on the one hand, and realization of the folly of ignoring the sources of incentive which are supplied by nu- nicipal environment of an attractive character. on the other hand Men and women have reached stage in their development where they no long CT feel satisfied with existing Archi- tectursl monotony is as distasteful as architectural debauchery. They hate a mcasly one-story building on a main thoroughfare, and their earlier admir- ation for the genius of the man who could plan and erect a building reaching into tho sky has turned very properly to an increasing contempt for the product They have become educated ir the natural beauty and moral uplift of complete park equipment, Recent comments on the present appearance of the Old Green may be quoted as significant illustra- tion of this growing interest in and demand for more perfected city They are not so sure, perhaps, what they want as they are sure ,hat they want something better and more sat isfying than they have got If they must live in a congested city they propose to have it as pleasing to tho eye and senses as it can be made. While tho more pretentlous i'm provements are under consideration by experts, it is possible for the city government to begin at once to Ia, plans to cooperate. The sidewalks O the city are in a wretched condition and illustrate only the indifference O the government to carefully consid cred plan of laying them. An adequat, scheme of sidewalk building was un der warm discussion some twent wears ago and it was thought then tha the echoes of that agitation would g
 resounding down the ages. For tn
 past dozen years or more not th
 slightest thought apparently has bee given the subject, until now the side walks of the city everywhere are
 disgrace to a civilized commln.ty There has not even been 9 seriou
 plan adopted for the impro, ement 0 the street pavements. Interest in th
 sale ot material has overshadowcd th
 [ ost practical view of stree, need,
 and this too at a time when the Stat
 has hecn lppropria,ing millions fo
 the improvement of its trunk road,
 New Haven has never seen nt to reg
 ulate the erection of buildings eithe
 as to height or character It lies who'
 iy within the power and right of tn
 city to protect itself against the idle
 synerasies of cratic citizens The cit
 of Paris Is the most beautiful city i
 the world simply because 1t has com
 pelled the builders to respect the rs :. the dividend it's foresight pays annua
 l. is not to be computed m dolal
 and cents. New Haven may not under
 take to rival the French capital, but
 can. now that it is beginning to stud
 it's appearance, exercise the necessa,
 care to at least make it worthy of i
 fame as one of the great education y cities of the world
 Ii is source of pride that New H; M ven has adopted the mood 1t is now II as to more attractive and perfecte d city. Ii should be encouraged hearth not discouraged. Its purpose is neith, o to squander the money of the taxpa-
 CTS or to give free rein to dreams. l is now expended in 2 careless and fl
 full manner in rational and well-col
 spirit of the past utilized to some z
 feet in order that New Haven mf