The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-01-18
General Interest ln "A City Beoutifuln GrouinR

over should vote as to whether or not tt would establish and naiutnin one ssSsss S ss spr i S SadssSs draSs ciusssis voted this faf N to S' wSesssr siss or not they should adopt the provis- Ions of this act. The act itself. on account of its nature. attracted vide and provoked free discussion. After this full discussion the vote was taken in twenty-three cities and twenty-two cities agreed to accept the law. In one olty only did the act fail of ae- ceptanoe. and In that it's defeat was by only a few votes and was not through . lack of sympathy. but ew. Ing to the financial condition of the city. Of the voters who passed Sudg- ment on this system in Massachusetts. t2s.00o voted in favor of adopting the measure providing playgrounds, ana but aS,000 against 1t.
 ''rhe success of the playground sys- tenn In Boston and the indorsement given to the plan in twenty-two out of twentysthEoo cities in Massachusetts shows the great strength of the idea Is most in use and should Do . cons elusive argument tn determining the attitude of our representatives here on the question of giving to washr ington \ like system, The responsi. hilty for the health and education of the children ot Washington rests on Congress. The playground system has been shown to be an essential part of the education and care of the chil- dren. and to properly discharge that responsibility we must provide for the children public plAyGrounds."
 
 General interest in tho Idea of "a City Beautiful" for MontEomery Is growing, Letters from other peipts are being received making inquiry con- cernlng the plans embraced in the No Name Clubs memorial to the City Federation. but inasmueh as these plans, or suggestions. have not yet been offered formally to the Federa- ton, they cannot besprinted until later,
 Monsieur Genet, who wrote SC de- llEhtfally for a former article upon this subject, was asked for something further upon the specific topic of Land seape Architsctare and kindly gave tho following:
 'Lapdseape architecture reprAsents a good bit of human culture. of tho state ana degree of peoples civilization, The results obtained from its practical Application reiieet the true state of culture taste and refinement of de- slgner as well as exeeutor
 ''whsrever the art of lRndscaping has not attained a, leading position among the plastic arts ot q country. as it has not so far in America. there must bs something radically wrong In its prop. CT uhderstapdlng and true appreeia- ton. Still. when we consider the fact that landscape architecture in Europe did not rise to the exalted position 1t oeeupiaa until the mlddlo of the eigh- teenth century, and then, only by re- placing tho stiffness of the French geo. metric style at that time in vogue, hR an approach to the higher art of land seape painting. Into which the building architect cannot follow except he be a born artist Aimsalf--we must not be surprised that tn our own country, with its less directed, frequently en- tlrely misguided inc arts. Iandseaplag has not attained that position of prom hence to which it Ia entitled among a people of culture and refinement.
 Landscape architecture In America ts stun in its infancy for want of a true appreciation of its merits and A cor rect deanltion of its limits, for want of a proper understanding of what the real art in lanaseapiRg constitutes. where lt begins and whore 1t ends,
 "unfoFtunately, for want of eduea- tian. 'Vaney gardening."ea an example frequently clashes tn the minds of the majority of our people, with the true art .Of landscaplng, though the former can hardly he termed an art at all. nn matter how much Knowledge and eXpo. rlenee there may he required In tho raising of foreign plants for ornament and utllity, \Se~ealled fancy gardeners as rule. are anything but artthtH thougA their business plays an import, ant but sueservieat role m tho true Art ef landscape architecture,
 Under the latter, wo must once for all understand tho ahc plastic art A member ot 'leS neauN Arts, which concerns itself with tho laying out of ornamental Eafdena after tho laws af the beautiful which keeps and nFes serves them, emhblliAhsA tandseapsA cities. and even heauttnes the resting places esthe dead hy charming, pIeaas ins aud elevetina sarmenL
 "FredUently our building architects look upon lahdseaplhg aA 0f secondary eahsideretien therefore, we must not complain when both arts suffer at tho same time, Ny thus Aiighting q pro- asssien of equal if superior, import