The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-12-08

ueltSdtes from the states appointed ny
the governors. and delegates from III.
fliated societies.
one OF the matters on the program
for prolonged discussion is that OF
state parks. While the national gov
eminent for years has been segregat'
| ing its beauty spots and transforming
! them into perpetual pleasure grounds.
the states have done little in this di-
rectlon. The American Civic associ-
! alton has for one OF its tenets the doe
! trino that the whole country shall be
| led to Join in movement for parks
| wherever there are people who need
! them Some Of the states already
| have realized the importance of rcdi-
! eating large tracts of land to the pub
| lie veal where recreation may be al
| forded from the grinding cares that
| infest the day and where human life.
| bird life animal life and forest life.
all may be conserved
| Another matter that will call forth
many valuable papers. will be the sub
| iect OF city-planning. The best ideas
! of the cities of the world Will be
| brought TO Washington and placed at
| the disposal OF the association. There
| will Ge an address on the \ Il G of city
| planning by one OF the greatest att
thorities Of the world Another adj
dress will tell the people just how 10
plan a city. Then another expert. with
| a years experience in the held, VIII
| tell how 10 get ont the vote after the
| plans have been made. Some cities
have come To the point where their
people are willing that the plans
should be made. but once they are
made the voters will not carry them
out This happened in Reading
| PENNSYLVANIA. not long ago. The mu-
nicipal engineers. laid out new Read
ing that would have been delight
to the eve. comfort TO the body. and
a ioy 10 the soul. But the progressive
ReadIngites did not know how 10 turn
10 the tide OF public sentiment in favor
OF the necessary bond issue and the
cause was lost.
The compilation of the data gathered
in the recent federal census has taught
some remarkable lessons. One OF these
lessons is that. almost without excep-
ton. the cities that have shown the
greatest spirit OF civic Improvement
have been the cities that have had the
greatest growth in population in The
|
cities-Los Angeles. Birmingham, Sc
attic Atlanta. cities all through the
north. the south. the east and the west,
and civic progress has been requiteu
With city growth, and this, In turn
has produced wealth and added pros
perity.
The American Civic association
was organized in St. Louis in the DAYS
OF the Louisiana Purchase Exposition
IL was created by merging TWO organ
izations. the American Park and Out
door Art association. and the Amer
,can lie. gie for civil, Improvement N
10 ole. Ii included In iTs objects ire
purposes for which both OF these or
CARNATIONS had been founded. IL was
) not yet out of its swaddling clolaes
when il 'egan its celebrated hSh'
against the commercials III that woult
have turned Niagara into % barren
cliff I'm order TO utilize the powers Oh
it's waters IL was an uphill hght. aho
the assent OF Canada and the United
States was necessary to win II. bO'
the association succeeded In haVihe
niagara preserved until such time rs
treaty negotiations can be settled.
There are a number Of departments
conducted by the association. one Oh
these is the department OF nulsanceS
IL carries forward propaganda loi
the abatement of nuisances oil al
kinds and varieties. The entire III
erature of smoke prevention has been
boiled down and it's essence extracted
and bottled I'm little booklet lssueu
hv the association. This booklet shows
thai smoke Is a nuisance TO the puollc
and a waste TO the factory creating IL.
II gives the experiences of cities aud
factories that have abated the smoke
nuisance. and calls attention to the
fact that throat. lung. and nasal dis
eases were much more prevalent IN
MANY cities in the days of the anthfa'
cite coal strike than they were before.
or have been since.
This department also attacks the
billboard nuisance. quoting count de-
cision from San Jose I'm which 1t was
hold that no one has any more rigbt
IN offend the eye with unsghtly OBJ
iects than he has To offend the nose
with foul smells or the ear win uh-
earthly noises. Il has published a
booklet on the subject In which IL
epitomizes all the literature oil the
world on the subjects OF biliDOaruS'
II shows how the billboard onends
ART mars the landscape. spoils the
effect OF city architecture, Is danger.
Gus 10 property and TO health and
then proposes model ordinances anu
legislative acts to suppress IT.
The association decided sometime
ago 10 test public sentiment with 'el-
erence 20 bllboards. by an experiment
at Niagara Falls. IL distributed 10
visitors TO the Falls, on their return
from Goat Island, double post oards.
one was picture card and me other
q question card. The one could he
mailed to friend and the Gher was
to he filed out and mailed to the as
sociation. The questions were a. 10
whether the visitor noticed the adver-
Using signs on the Canadian side oil
the gorge. whether their effect was
pleasing or dispensing. and whether
! he would be more likely TO buy the
article by having seen the advertise
ment OF the replies 90 per cent had
noticed them, to 81 per cent they were
dspleasing. and 81 per cent replied
they would be more disinclined than
ever TO buy the articles advertised.
one OF the most promising cam.
paigns the association has inaugur-