New-York tribune., 1911-10-01

CIVIC ART. STUDIES IN TOWN PLAN
MING, PARKS, BOUI.EVARDS AND
OPEN SPACES. BY Thomas II, Nav
SON Illustrated. 4to. PIP. $40. Charles
Scribner's Sons.
Mr.. Mawson is nothing If not prac-
tical man. but that does not keep him
from approaching a practical subject
from a very lofty point of view. There
is a place for the ideal in civic art, he
maintains. and. reminding us that TO the
Greeks the highest unit was the city
state" he adds this passage: Among
the ancients a civic pride and civic ideal
existed beyond anything which we find
In the modern town. This is evident by
the fact that the civic crown, though
formed only Of oak leaves, was consid-
cred more honorable than any other.
Pliny. speaking of the honor and priv
fcges of those who had merited It, says:
They who have once obtained II might
wear il always When they appeared
at the public festivals the Senate and
people rose 10 do them honor, and they
took their seats on these occasions
among the Senator's" How is 1t with
erously do honor to those who. have
merited the civic crown? Speaking with
reference TO the aspect Of the subject
treated in Mr.. Mawson's book we are
glad to be able TO say that If America
has not revived the Greek ideal she is
at all events thinking of It, and that in
an age Of materialism. is much. In
Washington, in San Francisco, in chi
cago, In Cleveland, in Denver, and else
where in this country. men are taking
an interest in civic art such as they
never took before. For them and for
thousands of other readers who are only
waiting to be inspired Mr. Mswson has
written a veritably inspiring book.
He alludes at the outset to the pro-
digious complexity of the field he has
attempted to traverse, but the truth Is
that while II embraces quantities OF
rninutise requiring exhaustive study the
broad elements Of civic art are not diff
cult either 10 state or to comprehend.
This author makes them very clear. and
he does so by a very happy process. gen
eralizing, Of course. and affirming many
an abstract idea. but always illustrat-
ing his argument with concrete exam
pies. Thus we pause in one Of his earlier
chapters upon discussion Of the focal
point" the space, say. at the end OF
vista or the centre Of great square
which the designer may make a Joy for
ever or a perpetual reproach. Mr.. Nav
son has much good counsel to give on
the solution Of this familiar problem
and he drives his point home with case
like this:
A new bridge, for example, costing over
a million pounds sterling, which Is 10 De
magnificent structure, Is TO cross the
Thames TO give a much needed connection
between the city and the south side OF the
river. New thoroughfares of noble proper
tons are TO give connection on the surrey
side with existing main arteries, and on
the city side with st. Pauls Churchyard.
There is no difficulty as to gradients or
presumably, as 10 the acquisition OF prop
erty for this Improvement The new road
on the City side OF the river is TO be eighty
feet in width. and ST Pauls crowns the
top Of the rise. presenting unique oppor-
tunity 10 secure an inCOmparably fine new
street centTing on 10 the dome or the ca
thedral That, however, Is not the way OF
the city. where men are Immediately
caught i'm the maelstrom Of high finance,
and find no time for a thought Of Psthet-
iCe. and therefore, TO save a few seconds,
the road is 20 be DETECTED 10 one side of
the St Paurs ChurChyard and Wrens noble
dome ignored The value of ever so noble
focal point would somehow seem to
make no appeal 10 the City Fathers.
There. in a nutshell, is the secret of
civic art. In exposing the flaw in an
otherwise splendid scheme Mr.. Mawson
fastens attention upon the significance
of an ideal That DETECTION of the road
in London enforces a crucial lesson. All
the practicality in the world may be, in
q sense, thrown away if we forget
beauty. And how absurd II is Of the
Londoners thus to spoil this important
Improvement merely ito save few Sec
onds," On the other hand Mr. Mawson
Is not by any means, a theorist who
would ride roughshod over existing con-
ditions. and we note with special ap-
probation his warning against that par
ticular form of pedantry which moves
the civic artist to make his work more
or less a duplication Of that which has
been done elsewhere" II does not fol-
low that because a given idea as regards