The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-04-08
FOR CIVIC BETTER NJ ENT
Bishop LawIer, at City Club Meeting,
Advocates a System of Civic I'M
provement Which Will Protect
the State Capitol and the
New Cathedral from
the Encroachment
of Trade.

At an enthusiastic meeting of citi-
zens on Monday evening in the City
Hall for the purpose of arousing pub
lie sentiment in favor of definite city
plan, Bishop Lawler was the principal
speaker. His address was as follows:
The city beautiful has been the
ideal of communities down through
the ages. The Towering of great
cities into beauty is an indication of
their advanced stage of learning and
art and culture. Of them it may be
truly said: "By their improvements
and especially by their public buildings
you shall know them"
1t pays to beautify a city. Money
spent on civic improvements is a good
investment not only from educational
and aesthetic view points, but also in a
financial way. Civic improvement has
been worth millions to many a city
of the old world; and it will always
help to increase the wealth of every
city by attracting visitors to it and
by securing for it desirable residents
Few cities are so favored with rare
beauty of site as our own. Nature
has provided for us surroundings ex-
| tceptionally attractive and it remains
for us to add to these natural features
the embellishments of art
The time has certainly come for a
plan that will direct our growth and
development along approved lines and
according to principles in city build
ing which will make our city a more
pleasant place in which to live, and
which will produce the most desirable
results for civic progress.
The time has come for the grander
air. Will we be able to rise to this
ideal? My answer is that it is all
important to begin to take steps in the
right direction. Whether or not we
shall reach the goal of civic improve
ment in this decade of years or in the
next-certain it is that if we begin to
cultivate pride in our city-if we pro-
mote its growth according to approved
methods; if we educate our people, to
preserve the natural advantages which
we possess and to protect the artistic
and beautiful things which we now
have-we shall steadily advance to-
ward our ideal year by year.
The beauty of a city belongs to all
it's people. I realize that St. Paul can
never hope to wear a crown of archi-
tectural gems unless its people desire
them and demand them; but I have
confidence enough in it's people to be-
lieve that they will rise to their op-
portunities and will make the demand
am in favor of system by which
it is intended to restrict by ordinance,
if possible, or at least by popular de-
mand certain industries and certain
lines of trade to localities which by
common consent, by the topography
of the city and by existing conditions
are obviously designed for them We
must have factories and wholesale
houses and industrial centers, but we
do not wish to have them placed in
our front yards. We need them; and
we are proud of them; but let them
be confined to districts which are
naturally intended for them.
If by some strange contingency the
Capitol and the New Cathedral were
erected in the vicinity of the Union
Depot or in the center of the jobbing
} district we would not be SO unreason-
able as to ask protection for them. In
that case the business and manufac-
! turing interests would be justified in
protesting against such an artistic and
religious invasion of their territory.
/ hu he mo mr. inn oil
on which the Capitol and the Cathe-
dral are built should be their natural
J protection. And it should be suff-
: cient.
: I certainly advocate no radical plan
when / claim that the first step to be
: taken toward the ideal of civic inn
provement is the preservation and the
protection of the beautiful things
which have already been planned and
built. We must first learn to appre-
ciate what we have Do you realize
what we have? There are few cities
in this broad land that can boast of
an avenue as fine as Summit Avenue
from Sixth Street to the River; or of
State House as magnificent as our
Capitol; or of Cathedral as grand as
our New Cathedral
1t would be inconsistent and unrea-
sonable to expect our taxpayers to
consent to any scheme of civic inn
! provement which does not incltlde
Summit Avenue; the New Cathedral; !;
, and the Capitol, and which does not
? protect their appearance ap.
proaches and their surroundings-from
!, the encroachments of industries of any
! kind which can mar their attractive
! ness or impair the view of their beauty
: and proportions.
Continued on page 4.)