The Devils Lake world. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1911-1911, 1911-01-13
PRESIDENT M'vEY
DELIVERS ADDRESS
NOTED EDUCATOR GIVES VIEWS
REGARDING uPBu11D1Na OF
A NORTH DAKOTA CITY.
he PRESENTS MANY VIEWS
HEAD OF STATE UNIVERSITY BE-
LE1vEs IN PUBLICITY o FAD
vANTAaEs OF THE TOWN.

Franklin McVey. president Of the
State University Of North Dakota, de-
livered splendid address at the court
house last evening on "The Upbuilding
of a City," His remarks were the re-
suit of many years of study and re-
search along economic lines and the re-
sumo Of his speech published below is
well worth the study of the supporters
of the Commercial Club.
Mr.. McVey said in part:
The slogan of to-day is "now Your
City - This has been borne out in
three notable examples, that of Boston,
Los Angeles and Pittsburg. In 1915
Boston proposes to hold an exposition
that will show just what is necessary
to make Boston the best city in the
world. Los Angeles, with true western
spirit, expects to accomplish this re-
suit while Boston is talking about it.
Pittsburg,under the sting Of the results
of the "Pittsburg Survey" is facing
her difficulties in new spirit.
The modern way of looking at your
city is not from the point Of view Of
its best points, but rather what are
the conditions9 Not how many trains
pass through it in twentyfour hours,
OF how much wheat is shipped, or how
large the bank clearings are, but rather
what good features in the way Of lakes,
arrangement and beauty of streets,
as well as what dark places are to be
found and what causes them. The
problems of locating cities in America
has been determined in very large de-
gree by chance, and under the pressure
of materialism little attention has been
paid to the artistic and worth while.
In America, too, we have developed the
checkerboard system of planning cities.
This has the one advantage Of utiliz.
ing area, but on these broad prairies
of ours that is the last problem that
we have to face. In Washington as
we'll as in Paris, we see the diagonal
system of developing streets, with
large, open spaces at the meeting of the
diagonals A third system is found in
Vienna, which is known as the ring
system Of street arrangement, but the
best system is undoubtedly a combina
ton of the diagonal and the ring.
The attitude which a people take to-
ward the growth of their city is dis
tinctly important. If the whole pur
pose of a community is individuaEstic
and every man is going it by himself
with the intention of making money
out Of his community rather than any
thing else, the development is spasmod
ic and cratic. To insure a prope,
growth there ought to be plan il
which all the elements in the communi
ty arc taken into consideration, sucf
as place for recreation. playground
for the children, beautiful streets an6
open spaces, all of which can be hai
if we plan far enough in the future
When we have really established {
clear conception Of the growth of {
town as community project, we viii
be in position to make progress il
this direction.
Fundamentally, there are a number
of elements which go to make city
TIE first of these is Health, the secont
Schools, the third Amusements, and tn
fourth Morals. Health is put first be
cause it is the thing upon which pro
gress depends, and yet comparativcl!
little attention is given to sewage, O.
good water, and the sanitary condi
tions Of public and private buildings
until they are forced upon us by epi
denies. A city Of the size of Devil
Lake should have developed a metho'
of garbage disposal and sewage dis
posal. In its public schools the venti
lation of the buildings should be tn
first desiderattm, and this shol;d b.
followed as soon as public opinion will
permit it by system Of the medica
inspection Of school children.
Without question the most importan
thing which community does is to ed
ucate it's children, and this means tn
establishment of a school system, Th
Board Of Education ought to consist o
intelligent business men, who are en-
tirely free from prejudice and politica
entanglements They should place up
on the Superintendent of Schools full
responsibility, make him select hi
teachers and hold him responsible TO
the most satisfactory results that ca
be obtained. When it is realized tha
modern life is taking away from tn
children many Of the things that the
used to have under the pioneer schem
Of life and the effect that this absenc
Of important elements in training ha
upon them, the School Board will estat
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