The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1909-02-17
VoX PoPULI.
NEW CEMENT SIDEWALKS
GAOIII q De Col On

S1OOEO BE NSIOHED.
Editor Pensacola Journal:
As nothing has been said through
your columns concerning the coloring
or the new concrete sidewalks now in
progress, l shsuld like to ask this
question:
Are these twenty miles of walks to
| be left glaTing white, TO reflect the
suns rays with a binding daze, or
VIII they be stained gray or green, as
IS being done in some of cur South
ern cities?
Take Pensacola with her sand
already as white as the driven snow
surrounded by sparkling waters, pris-
matte in color and add still winter.
II possible, sidewalks glitteTIng in a
Semi-trOpical sun, and we have a land
or translucent light. or rather a sea
OF irfdescent, scintillating light, THAI
no mortal eye can endure and escape
serious injury.
Can you imagine a condition more
painful than to be placed at the bot
tom of such a sea? Yet, it seems
this is coming unless somebody gets
very busy.
This is an important subject. One
that deserves as careful consideration
as Fairgrounds. physical culture. or
even the tuberculosis campaign that
cent. of blindness and eye trouble may
be greatly increased by negIecting
this apparently small matter
The children being nearer the
ground suffer greatly from glare and
reflected heat Not only does it i'm
pair the sight, but the entire nervous
system, as the squirting often brings
on pains in the eye, headache and
nausea.
While teaching in a small city that
boasts her miles of beautiful white
concrete walks, have seen children
/ suffer so intensely from the glare
that it was impossible for them to
look upon their books for some time
Why should progressive Pensacola
permit such conditions2
Why have her people going about
always feeling as if they had been
looking for spots on the sun?
Knoxville, Tenn, saw these results
and began at once to stain her walks
nice gray. Can we not do like
wise? Cre0sOte, or some other black
put on, as the walks are being finished
and while yet damp, will have the de-
sired effect and the cost is small.
Even at a great expense, the cost is
small compared with the amount of
injury.
In securing plan for City Beau
tiful' a color scheme should play an
important part, and these beautiful
gray walks would be the best possible
beginning.
The Key TO any color scheme is the
enVirOnment-clima color of soil,
amount of foliage, etc. For instance:
/ In the cold North people have a right
and should paint their houses red as
red is the hottest color, but in the
warm South avoid red as you would
poison, even for school houses. and
use gray, green and blue, as they are
| cool cOlors. If the soil is white, tone
down with dark. And when in doubt
always use gray as a safeguard. What
a haven of rest a Southern city, even
/ hotter than pleasant Pensacola, could
/ be made by the judicious blending of
grays and greens with the white soil
/ II the city officials and board OF
health have not considered this mat
/ ter | am sure they will. Otherwise,
, let US get the Civic League to ask the
mayor to follow the example OF the
| Wizard OF OF and pass an edict COM
| polling his subjects under penalty of
death. to hereafter wear green goggles
and thus transform his city of white
into a beautiful emerald city"
SUSIE MARBLE.