Frostburg mining journal., 1909-03-06
UNIFORMITY IN TOWNS
More System Needed In Arrang-
ina Streets and Buildings.
VALUE OF THE GROUP PLAN.
Civic Center From Which Radiate
Business and Transportation-From
1t Town Can Grow Along System
attic and Economical Lines.


attic and Economical Lines
T,,.o ti11fo, d,1,ors # Is estimated
Ill, ,,,,.. t., e,.i,,,. ,,,, o,,.1 ,,,oI.i,c,
o''l oui ~ 'i''' II an '',9
hsllerS cannot J''I 1t, ''I'l' uE'',I'.H' II
rcceil! compete" I''IS H'' an '"'
rlcd out.
Americans nave 1t 'ecilIS' S""u'HI!
""heu up 10 lHe I''i '''"t 'H'H H',
'lle rlcleSt 'll,i I''"l'''S' anu WIS '"'''
out towns ana cI'l'S Oh e"I'h' E' q
bouy IS beginning 10 ""II! ""ou' IT,
from the sewing cIt'l'S ana |"'luic
CLUBS OF 'he small towns 10 'he plS
business men OF 'lle great cI'l'S' IN-
erythlhg IS alI wrong 1t "pPe"lS' Oul
architecture IS Il hol'eIcSS POI! E'ol Vi
nan dlSeSied l"r'lsh st! IeS' Oui
streets are el'lier 100 "lue OF 700 llar-
ro" ana "rr"iEc" III '''e ''"S' i'i'oii-
NeillehI way we nave 10" ltM p"lN'
ana lhuch' much 100 many ieIcpno"e
poieS' our Eulol'e"" NISl'ol' "le
Laughing at US ana we uIS'oN 'ili'S
our own Slioi 'c"I'llliSH ny .oA'l'''' 1oo.i
with the beauties OF lhe "Iuef "ollu'
are hanging our he'ldS III SIafhe' JIM
gIlhS the money III our p"ckelS ana
begging lor Solllcpody 10 'clI US
please, II anything can De zone.
All this seems hl%hIY pleasing 10
that small section OF the American
public that has taken time to learn
what good architecture IS ana mas
seen the NhampS EIHSee ana tle Ave
nue. de Iopera, IN larlS, ana mas
poured over plans or lnuhlclpal art
commissions.
Americans are an artistic people,
they say, but they have been too busy
making money to find it out. Now
that they have grown so prosperous
that they have time to think they see
what lot OF foolish mistakes the!
have made In their hurry. The buSl-
ness man has been so busy getting
time saving systems into his counting
room and factory that he mas over
looked the advantages of having lit
tie more system in the arrangement OF
streets from his factory to- the railroad
on the one hand and to his market and
his home on the other. His town, like
Topsy, has Just groWcd, but 1t has
''growed" 50 fast that it has punched
here and Overrun there till there was
literally no head or tail to 1t.
AS for beauty, he never thought
much about that except as related to
his parlor or his church, Somehow
beauty and business didn't seem to
have much to do with each other, not
as much even as religion and business.
What had good looks to do with the
rear end Of commission houses and
sidings and box cars? These things
were for use, not for decoration. lie
had no sympathy with this Getty beau
tiful" nonsense which to him meant
pink ribbons on the lampposts and
water color drawings, all nicely
framed. on the coal yard fences.
But after awhile the business man
discovered that neatly packed and ar
tistically labeled goods sold better
than the other kind, and he found
profit In increased llthographer's bills.
Art, then, did have a commercial value
In business
Then the city against his will. tore
down a row Of shantics opposite the
factory and widcncd the narrow street
where his teams had sometimes been
blocked for hours. His taxes were 80