The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1912-04-08
BEAUTY IN CAPITAL.
No More Bad Art to Be Allowed
in Washington City.
MALL IS CENTER or SCHEME.
Spring Has Come to the Potomac, and
Birds, Trees and Flower Beds Are
eeautifyin9 tho Parks
and Streets.
BY GEORGE CLINTON.

1uelOu worthy CaplCal are DelnR push.
ed vigorously. When the Lincoln me-
mortal dispute is ended other matters
less controversial in nature will be
taken up and decision made 1t is not
yet definitely decided just what form
the memorial to Abraham Lincoln will
ton of some lasting stone memorial
near the Potomac river virtually at
the head Of what is called The Mall.
This Mall, by the way, is beau
tiful place. Eventually It will extend
from point on the river opposite
Georgetown straight through to the
capitol. 1t has wide extent today,
unbroken except by the Washington
monument, some government buildings
and by great trees. Before long, it Is
/ the firm belief of men charged with
the identifying of the city, that all the
business buildings on the south side Of
Pennsylvania avenue will be removed
and that there will be one great gov
eminent park extending from the ave-
nue. to the river and from the capitol
to the Lincoln memorial +.
This is spring in Washington. It was
late spring, but it came finally, and
with 1t on it's march up the Potomac
stantly took up temporary, and in some
cases, permanent, residence In Rock
Creek park This beautiful park will
enter into the scheme Of the compre-
! hensive identifying scheme OF the city.
Eventually there will be broad park
belt, virtually surrounding the capitol
Of the nation. When it is understood
that in the city itself there are score
or more OF small parks, and that every
avenue and nearly every street has it's
double line of shade trees, some ade-
Quate idea can be obtained of the
eventual beauty Of this Potomac city.
No More Monstrosity Monuments.
Every effort will be made to prevent
the erection in Washington Of any
more "monstrosity monuments" Some
OF the public memorials erected here
in honor of men dead and gone are
an honor neither to the sculptors, to
the people, nor to the men whose deeds
they are supposed to commemorate.
Almost anything in the old days in the.
way Of monument used to pass the
censofs Of art. Today it Is virtually
impossible to get anything by the crit
| les except that which Is eminently
| worthy, for the board Of approval" Is
composed of men who know excellence
when they meet It,
the "art'' of Statuary Hall in the cap
itol. It is probable that all the mar
BILE and bronze memorials there are
there to stay, for it would be regard
ed perhaps as an insult to the legis-
lators of tho states which voted these
memorials to suggest that they be
taken out and replaced by others. :
Someone has said that it Is for
tunate thing that the statues of the
great men which have been presented
to the government by tho different
states are enclosed within four walls
where people are not to be shocked
by daily sight of them. Visitors to
the capitol, however, see these things
and go away with a bad impression.
Members of congress pass them daily,
and by this time are used to them.
Henry Cabot Lodges Bon Mot.
Henry Cabot Lodge, In speech in
the senate had something to say not
only about the lack of merit in the
statues as works of art, but as to the
choice made by the different states
of men whom they thought worthy of
memorial In the capitol. Some of the
statues are those Of mon of whom nine
tenths Of Americans have never heard.
Touching the matter of the poor
representative choice made by some
Of the states, Mr.. Lodge. in speaking
Of the great John G. Calhoun. whose
statue Is now In Memorial Hall, said
that Calhoun would stand there "el-
bowed by the temporarily notorious
and the 1llustrious obsolete" This
phrasing is. considered one Of the finest
congressional expressions of years.
It certainly sums up the Statuary Hall
situation. ~.
Nature will beautify Washington in
few days. No statuary is needed here
to make the city beautiful in late March
and all Of April, May and June. The
trees on the avenues largely are low-
or bearing. It may be said that all
trees blossom, but those in the main
In Washington are of kind which
bear blossoms of size and fragrance.
These are tulip trees, l1ndens, magno-
las, horse-chestnuts, Japanese cher
ries, and other trees worthy of any
place in any cline. ,a.-z Isl.
The small parks from now on will
be flower beds with a constant success
sion of changes Of coverlids. The
crocuses come, then the hyacinths,
then the tulips, and then the flowers
of midsummer in constant change and
always in profusion.
The most elevated station in life
affords no exemption from those agi.
tations and disquietudes which can
only be laid to rest upon the bosom
OF frlend-Hall
Happiness Is not what we are to
look for. Our place is to be true to
the best we know, to seek that. and
do that, realizing virtue as It's own re-
Ward.-Froude.