The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1909-05-04
HINTS FOR CITY BEAUTIFUL
STATUES. STATISTICS. MODEL
FORMS FOR ALL no SEE.

Municipal Art Conference Opens In I'D
Regiment Armsry With Much Speech
ifyins-The Trouble With the Town
Is That 1t just Grew q Grew
Mad Anthony Wayne on a plaster horse
| overlooked the speakers who opened
the conference on city planning and
municipal art last night in the Twenty
second Regiment Armory. On the left
they were bounded by Bird 8. Coler and
half an acre Of statistics dealing with the
miserable state Of the streets in Pitts
burg, on the right by molels Of street
lamps and architects drawings Of munich
pal buildings as they ought to be.
Elsewhere in tho big armory were cor
ridors Of sketches and whole streets OF
figures Indicating what New York city
might become II persons In authority
took the trouble to plan artistic improve
ments. Rows Of plaster statues. gentle
men and ladies In loose hanging robes.
furnished suggestions for the decoration
Of boulevards and the public parks.
Mural art was represented by some
sketches from the brush Of Alphonse
Mucha, notably a painting entitled QUO
vadis.' For the rest there were bronze
figures Of crouching jaguars, bias reliefs
Of lions and lionesses and models OF hve
acre farms in The Bronx.
Henry M~orgenthau. who presided at
the opening session. suggested subjects
for improvement plans. The tenement
house laws, said Mr.. Morgenthau, must
be strictly enforced and further improved
| The height OF buildings should be reduced
and rapid transit facilities rapidly multi
piled. Mr.. Morgenthau hoped that the
conference would attract the interest OF
definite good.
President Patrick F. MCGOWAN Of the
Board Of Aldermen said he was heartily
in favor Of the ideas proposed by the con-
ference and that he might be counted
on to do all in his power. The vision Of
a real city beautiful had long been IN hs
mind, said Mr.. MCGOWAN, and he hoped
to see that vision ma~terialized Ia hia
lifetime.
Borough President Coler of Brooklyn
was afraid that the conference wouldn't
get sufficient publicity. II there had been
a prizefght in the armory betveen z
white man and q negro Mr.. Coier, felt
crowded to suffocation and that the
newspapers would have pages about il
the next morning; but he didn't believe
the conference would fare SO well. He
said there had been too much knocking
on the part Of citizens and not enough
effort to better New York. However. the
people we're growing more enlightened
He believed that a republican form Of
government was distinctly superior tc
monarchy and that plenty OF sewers
should be built.
Commissioner Of Public Works Johr
p. Murray OF The Bronx Dragged a httle
about his borough as the most progress
sive section Of the city. The people i!F
fined plan Of improvement. When street,
were laid out. parks provided and sewers
designed the needs OF the whole borough
were considered; not merely a small
section. Mr.. Murray argued n the
people should be permitted to Use th ns
the idea of forcing citizens TO sit or
benches or walk along the hard asphalt
pavements while the grass did nothing
but grow and provide jobs for employees
He thought the people should be allowed
to play on the grass.
n. Taylor Phillips said that New Yorh
city should not be criticised severely or
gineer like Major L'Enfant had laid oul
New York, he said. and the only attempt
at planning Of which there is any recorc
was the much abused Commissioners
plan of 1907. Also, he went on, New Yort
has had no friendly governmental hanc
to build her opera houses, museums and
galleries, and has been forced to rely upor
the public spirit Of her citizens.
Closer coordination Of the various
branches Of the city government was hi
suggestion for future municipal improve
ment.
This afternoon Mrs. william Cumming
Story will preside at the session devoteC
TO The Educational Side Of the City,
Development Tonight John De Wit
will speak on topics having to do viii