The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1909-01-01

demands out OF all reason"
Boston. with its winding streets
which follow the cowpaths Of the old
colonial days. is not such poorly de-
yised city for commercial purposes,
and the very vagaries Of the high
ways add to the charm and beauty OF
the municipality, according 10 the
judgment of modern Germans who are
studying the problem of civic deyel.
opment Such was the gist Of the ad.
dress by Arthur A. Shurtleff, advisor
TO the metropolitan Improvements com
mission. at "A recent meeting Of the
Massachusetts real estate exchange.
The exchange entertained as guests
Benjamin ~ Johnson, chairman Of the
metropolitan improvements commits.
sion; Sylvester Baxter, secretary OF
that commission. The first speaker Of
the evening, Robert S. PeObody, presi'
dent of the Boston society Of archi.
teCts, in speaking Of "The Better De
velopment Of Boston and It's Neigh.
borhOod," confined himself to few
fundamental principles that underlie
the plan of a city.
The first qualification OF a city, he
said, is convenience and Boston lacks
that necessity. He suggested a circuit
railroad for freight to relieve conges'
tion. Such a ring railroad was pro.
posed in the '7Os, but the time had
probably gone by for such an enter
prise, he continued. Referring to the
merger, he said that it was commen.
dable when a man offered to build
four-track road, much Of 1t to be Oper
ated by electricity, and the man who
does so much to encourage trade be-
tween the great northwest and New
England should be praised and sup
ported.
Mr.. Peabody showed how the funda-
mental needs OF city plan were the
radials from the center and the con.
urban and other centers. Paris has
excellent concentric roads on the sites
of the old Notifications but lacks in
radials; Boston has excellent radials
on the lines of the old country roads
but very poor concentric roads. The
electric railways prefer to build a ra.
dial line as the population vibrates TO
and from the city. They argue that
suburbs have little intercourse with
each other. but perhaps this is because
ii is at present difficult.
In Boston a woman may eat better
for less money than in any other big
city in the country, and she doesn't
have to go to a foreign restaurant to
do it. While the same woman may
sustain life decently in New York or
Chicago, if she doesn't require contin.
ued variety, Boston gives more than
that. 1t is a mistaken idea to assume
that Boston breakfasts, lunches and
dimes on the bean. There are several
dozen interesting places in the busi-
ness district especially intended to at
tract a woman, and she may have a
wide choice, although the dishes each
day are not numerous.
1t is easy to find these places. Hung
out over the sidewalk is "ye olden
sign with the coat of arms. and they
all have them, blazed on either side
in gliding and fresh paint. If the de-
vice is absent, quaint lettering, with
long curly T's and VS. are sure to sug.
gest the steaming teapot, soprano buzz
and the halfhour rest.
All the trappings Of tearoomdom are
found there Managers believe-in
fact, they have proved-that daintiness
and attractive service count for more
than half with their feminine ellen.
tele.
with a man ii is different" said one
of them, but we have found that wo-
men care less for what they are eat.
ing than for the way in which it is
set before them"
In one of the tea rooms the color
scheme is blue. Everything even down
to the emblem on the menu card is car
ried out i'm that hue The Mattresses
are garbed in it, and to preserve the
Puritan tradition wear freshly starched
kerchiefs around their necks, crossing
at the throat touch of Japanese
which is m-Japanese in that 1t is car
ried out In white linen. is the wide
bow-like head dress. Another of these
cafes is done in green's, with the color
scheme carried out rs completely. In
one, and in only one, is music. Rag
time is not allowed In its place are
substituted old English melodies and
the strains of light opera.
With the coming of the tea room, an
old custom has revived. Long since
with the disappearance of back yards
and grass plots. the appearance of
family hotels and apartment houses
has the fashion of won't you run over
for a cup of tea" faded away. Matinee
parties. formal lunches, anything and
everything has been substituted for
he old style condolences, gossip. IL you
q hA NAn Ia