Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-15

of awakening the people or washington
to this opportunity and OF converting
street after street into such oeautl1u i
gardens of Towering shrubs as the Worio
has never seen? Put this cost on the DEBIT
side of the ledger and then enter on the
other the money spent In Washington by
spring plgrfmages which will be made
to see the sight.
Compliments Chamber Of Commerce.
81 understand that it was largely owing
to the part that the Chamber OF Com
merce took through its committee on the
future development Of Washington that
such good work was done concerning the
Lincoln memorial. l understand that
the committee will continue the work to
carry out the Mcmillan plans for the
park system. l want to say that now Is
the psychological moment to make every
front yard in the city of Washington
beautiful. so that when one leaves the
government parks and comes back to the
city. he will look down the vistas OF
streets and avenues and will still seem
to be in a great park.
1.-The government is doing it's share
toward this end. In what other city In
A man in Washington earning $1,000 a
year gets such streets and trees and
parkings as he could not get in Chicago
If he purchased land for $500 front
gress for a larger park system be more
effective if We did more with the miles
of individual parkings 1t has ALREADY
given us?
Il have mentioned flower pilgrimages
Other cities know what they are and how
profitable they can be. In the cherry
blossom season in the capital Of Japan
all government business stops ana nun
dreds of thousands of visitors crowd the
cherry tree planted avenues and river
banks, spending their money as lavishly
as Americans do on the Fourth OF July.
Attracts Thousands Of Visitors.
There is a modest country place near
Charleston called Magnolia SO beautiful
that every year thousands Of visitors go
out of their way coming north from the
winter resorts to stop over a day In
Charleston for the purpose Of seeing a
show of Towering shrubs which is no
more beautiful than what we could have
here in Washington if We choose. For
while each owner controls only a few
feet Of parking. his lawn joins his neigh
boris. and together they make miles Of
possible planting. which. is properly done.
would be more wonderful than even the
gorgeous cherry tree avenue of Japan.
When / talk with such successful
pioneers as Mr.. Bryan Lathrop of Chi
cago. at the head of the great park sys-
famous, and Mr.. Owen Adds, the first
man to build a skyscraper in Chicago,
and hear them say what, from their ex-
perience, could be done in three years
with modest expenditure, feel. gentle
men, that the people Of this city are over
looking an opportunity which would be
one of the best investments which the
city could possibly make.
IT had the pleasure last summer OF a
visit with Mr.. Huntington. one Of the
great builders Of Los Angeles, and We fol-
lowed the streets back and forth over
the city, looking at hundreds Of men and
women watering their lawns. In fact,
lawn sprinkling seemed to be the chief
occupation of the householders 1t would
have been a revelation to you to have
heard his views on the value Of beauty.
city beauty. He is a pioneer in the field
of plants and he seemed quite as much
interested in the possibilities OF a won
derful new shrub from the orient, which
adorned his lawn and which he Is propa-
eating as fast as possible to give away
to his friends for their lawns. as he did
miles of street car lines in the city and
surroundings which he had helped to
build and that Los Angeles had grown
from 1900 in 1884 to 100000 in 1910.
Park in Center Of Block.
in Chicago at building cheap apartment
houses Is one ocSuPyine lilo "hoIo O'oSh
with a park in the center. The garden in
this park is carefully tended. the children
do not modest it, no apartments are ever
unrented and the whole plan is immensely
profitable.
Gentlemen, / think my friend Adds
knows what he is fixing about when he
says that the two things which pay best
are paint and plants, and when every
day I pass houses for rent, apartment
houses half Allied and unattractive lunch
| ing places, think Of 1t and feel grateful
that the Chamber OF Commerce has given
me an opportunity, as the president of
the peoples gardens, to point out the way
| by which these people who do not know
| how can be helped to make their proper
| ties more attractive and at the same time
| make their city more beautiful.
What draws visitors to Washington?
IL have gone over the advertisement
| cards Of this Chamber OF Commerce.