The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-04-26

completeness, neglect and wasted OPP
portunities with haphazard, incongru-
! GUS, accidental and crowded locations
of streets, buildings, ETC., are leading
characteristics OF ugly towns and
cities.
Order and restraint. which, after
thoughtful study. secure suitable set
/ tings for important buildings or pos
sible future needs and engagements,
i will prevent the waste OF buildings on
,ly to tear down, or the conglomerate
accretions Of additions and re
/ plats," which produce the very an
archy of chaos that freqnetly e3asper-
ates the pedestrian.
A notable example Of this going
wrong Is in our own capital city,
! Washington. Major Pierre Charles
l. Erfant, talented engineer, who had
broad visions of the republics future,
having thoroughly studied the locality,
designed the city upon a unique,
| logical, adequate and comprehensive
plan, suitable for the nations master
piece 1t was full Of beautiful posi-
| bilities, adapted to the natural topo-
graphy of the site, and capable OF In
definite extension. This venerable
/ plan, On single sheet Of paper,
i revered in some measure like the con-
, stitution and preserved among the
most precious archives of the United
| States, was approved by Washington,
! Jefferson and Madison, and time has
did plan was soon forgotten or ignor-
/ ed. The inordinate greed of one man.
Daniel Carroll, diverted forever one
phase of the original scheme, and
! many other perversions and obtru-
sions, wrought great mischief. However,
men at last started its reformation.
Alexander Shepard, chairman of the
1 first board of public works, Senator
Macmillan of Michigan, Charles H..
i Moore, The American Institute of
Architects, and later. the park COM
ham and G. F. McKim, Landscape
1 Architect Frederick Law Olmstead,
i Jr., and the noted sculptor, Augustus
Saint Gaudens, have done great work
that now insures the making of Wash
ington into the most beautiful city in
the world.
This wrong-going tendency has been
manifested the world over, but sooner
or later there has been turning
Of the tide; an awakening of civic
sense here and there, born in the mind
and heart of one or more who, looking
Il beyond the sordid, had visions OF
higher things, refining influences AND
the ultimate good. This results in
taking steps toward Identification
Fortunately, the initiative of a very
!, little enthusiasm, patience, practical
work and well directed use of small
sum of money will convert apparently
hopeless neglect and rawness into
: beauty. 1t may simply need sugges
: ton to show the lack, to bring &C
r knowledgement of carelessness anG
, wasted opportunity. But it requires {
: thoughtful, alert mind to discover ths
7 real Ills and diagnose the conditions
+ coupled with a persistent enthusiasm
in applying the remedy. Planting {
. little green sward, few flowers
] shrubs, vines or trees effectively
/ suppressing unnecessary or screenin,
/ fixed ugliness and keeping things nea
: and tidy will work transformation il
V any crude, discouraging locality.
a Paris, Berlin, London, Boston, Wash
' ington, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia
) Cleveland, Chicago, st. Louis, SAL
2 Francisco and Manila are among tn,
! many that have or will expend enorm
/ GUS sums of money in making up TO
I the short-sighted policies of the past
O 1t is a significant fact that this way'
g Of civic reform is likewise stirring il
n scores Of smaller American cities
d employ experts to plan and direc
/. comprehensive betterments Fortunat
r indeed is the community that heed
8 the promptings to do things properl
!. before time and money have bee
d spent and wasted in wrong ways. T
r vidualism and selfishness OF men, o
" corporations as units, must WITHDRAW
II into the background and yield to tn
- interests OF the whole community, a
e duty Of good citizenship. This ur
Is DERIVING quality Is manifested whe
It a city setting out on municipal In
r. provements, shows thet no man is a
n liberty to block public bettermen
IS schemes by gratifying his own selfis
" desires. He Is made to realize, by tn
e law OF condemnation proceedings,
In no other way, that he Is simply
a. part of civilized society; to understan
is that where metropolitan Improvement
q are In hand, he forms but one sma,
ID component part of the community a
N whole; that civilized society is
a. thing far greater than himself. Thi
n first lesson in good citizenship need
il, to be taught in every community eve
- though It appears to infringe on prof.
~.