The Washington herald., 1909-07-18
BrF. w. FITzPATRIcK.


OF our American cities is the conflict be
tween the two elements-that seeking fo
the citys real welfare. and that seekinl
only the immediate profit of the individ
usl, even TO the ultimate detriment Of tn,
city, most strenuous, and. alas, with the
advantages largely IN favor Il the evi
element. Even our public works a few
years ago were IN the hands Of the van
dals. so 10 speak, and our public build
lngs were placed who're they were the
most benefit to those individuals. and
designed seemingly in contraventiOn OF
the very first principles Of art. But that
has been changed, thank Heaveni
BY Trojan efforts. few Of US so-caTed
cranks secured recognition Of the powers
that be and made our arguments violent
enough and were so well assisted by the
newspapers of Washington. that the au-
thorities, from President down. gave ear
and took Our public works out of their
accustomed slough Of despOnd" The
more recent public buildings are artistic
gems. beautiful and fitting. and are being
grouped in conformity TO a well-devised
general plan and scheme Of Improvement
that FITS into and worthily continues the
noble ideas Of our first President and his
tar-seeing engineer. TEnfant.
An art commission OF the most promi-
nent artists in the country has been called
upon for advice in this grouping and set
ting Of public buildings. and there will
be no retrosression as far as government
work is 10 make the city the model one
started. and will continue improving and
the aim Of every one connected with that
work is 20 make the city the model one
Of the world, beautiful, as this great ma
tons Capital should be.
Trojan efforts have been made 10 get
individuals into that spirit. too. but so
far to little avail Il is lamentable. but
true, that our people are shoddyi An
overwhelming preponderance Of our pri-
Vate buildings are not only inartistic ana
ugly. hut so shabbily built as 10 invite
the same fate that befeH Baltimore and
san Francisco, and il is a wonder that
we have not already achieved il The
width Of our streets and a particularly
9ple hre department have so far pre-
served us. but fuel is being added FOR
possible combustion at such a rate thar
il Is only question Of time when neither
OF those advantages can save US from our
own folly.
Fire Traps the Rule.
We nave virtually a city of fire traps.
and t-e trouble is largely that our peo-
pie know no better in the first place. and
In The second place. the governing powers
ere too afraid Of offending ahe great ones
who profit by shoddy construction IN en-
act suiiciently stringent regulations 10
prohibit such himsy building
Our laws are Insufficient, and % Der
.ent OF our building is done at the very
.F
Is. Just as shabbly as the most 'qiberaI.'
Interpretation Oft those too lax ree-,,Is-
uoEs viii permit Apartment houses are /
Yerlta6l tre traps; skinned in constrlc- |
non 20 the utmost possible limit. and thar 4
tney stand up at all, let alone affordin.,
any protection in case Of fire. is indee1 4
surprising We have seen cases where /
parts OF them have collapsed while rbs /
buildings were being erected.
The miles Of houses that are going I'm /
ali about the city and pointed 10 as an \
lhulca ton or our progress are no better
and often are not as well built Every /
thing about them that can be of wood Is
made so. Match boxes, tinder boxes of tba
worst kind. and ugly is not the word for
lhem- Absolutely not the faintest indica-
ton Of individualism, but just rows unon
rows Of hideously similar nightmares
Evidently. so many yards os plans de-
signed at the best by a carpenter. and
more likely by a butcher
Demand Is a Surprise.
The appalling thing about # ls +b.+
there is so great a demand for these
ready-made, cheap houses-cheap in every
sense Of the term. They are painted at
tractively. and there is always beauti-
ful mantel in the best room and soD,o
white thing in the bathroom. and these
constitute the bait that catch the unso-
phisticated- Our people, largely a sal
aTleo class. have heard a good deal abou+
extras and such tribulatlOns OF buiId
ing homes for themselves. and Therefore
the reaGy-made affair that is compIeted
ready for inspection, and has q dxad
price beforehand. Is an alluripg nronosi-
ton 70 the average government clerk
Then, too, the terms are made easy. OF
course, ne is not particularly interested
In beautifying the city. and has become ]
so accustomed TO these hideous rows
that ne IS quite content to live in them
ana 70 buy one OF the houses at so much
cash and so much per month
Only after he has signed up does he he Z
gin 10 realize that there are troubles
there' too The furnace is too small TO I
heat the house properly The saving IN
construction has been carried 10 sucb a
point that even the building paper under
me siulngs has been so economical as
20 save perhaps 90 cents on the cost Of
The house, but that economy mean. ex-
IRA tons Of coal and the greatest dIscom-
Fort 10 him in the winter. The lumber
vas green, the floor shrinl,s and saps
he doors hang out Of kilter. and life
\ me ready-made house becomes a good
ieal Of a burden, and the deterioration in
hat house is so rapid that he finds II 6
necessary 10 sell while there still re- 6
mains anything Of it. and 10 some one :.
Who is as green as he was at first. For Il !
unately for him, the value OF the lot 4
las increased. otherwise his Investment q
would have been disastrous one. q
Good Houses for the Rich. g
a few artistic and well-constructed
ouses are being put up for the wealthy. h
ut even in some Of the prettiest OF these +
retentious homes the archstests have Il
liled miserably. as far as the construc- {.
on IS concerned There are lamentably la
wv Of these houses IN the District that W
re nreproof, and some Of the most hand c.
ome OF the late ones are veritabIe q
-hitec se2ulchers in that, externally. b,
u marble and stone and iron. they an OF
Ear to be made TO withstand anything "
hile as matter Of fact the interior and al
ructural parts are all. or TO a large ex- OF
mt. OF wood. and himsy al that. and al
len the decorations are also Of the most us
nammable material. well vanished and
ieo 10 make wainscOting, paneling and OF
iling most thoroughly burnable. E;
II may be some years before we can get III
e authorities tc legislate against ugli- We
sss and the rows OF ready-made. two du
flour "cOntraptions" called houses win CO
} with Us Tor yet many q day. but our vi