The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1913-05-10
BARRETT urges
CITY BEAUTIFUL

UIII DLHUluUL
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE.
well as the rich shall be considered in
public welfare.
Washington as a world capital must
first be an ideal national capital. II 1t
does not qualify under the latter head,
1t will not qualify under the former.
Every effort. therefore, should be made
by the national and local government,
by the Washington Board Of Trade and
Chamber of Commerce. by the Washing
ton newspapers, and by the Washington
people to consider and attract the CO.
operation and special interest of the
whole country in making Washington a
national city-a city that belongs to Cali
fornia and Florida, to Texas and Maine.
as much as to Virginia and Maryland.
while the wealthy of the land should
be welcomed to make homes here, moth.
ing could be more unfortunate than that
Washington should become a snobbish
society center and develop a patronizing
air toward the rest Of the country or to-
ward the host Of visitors constantly
coming within its gates. The creation Of
so-called sets within arbitrary lines Of
wealth and official position by would-be
social leaders In contravention to the
great democratic spirit Of our land can
not fail to react unfavorably upon the
people at large and upon their chosen
representatives In Congress.
Washington. as an ideal capital, must
welcome. not patronize or ostracize. the
men and families of limited means but
sterling qualities The Senators and Con-
gressmen OF small means who come here
from distant cities, towns, or States.
should be made as welcome their rich
colleagues, as the retired banker. Jaw
yer, or mining man. and even as the
rich widow with herself or daughters
to marry.
Natural Growth of City.
washington is an ever-continuing and
growing international exhibition of the
United States, whose gates are never
closed and which celebrates every day
and every hour forever the birth and de-
velopment of a mighty nation. More
money, in the future, will be expended
every year upon Washington's admins
tration, its upkeep, its Identification, Its
buildings, its many permanent and IN
exhibits than upon any special
gigantic individual exposition like those
held at Chicago or st. Louis and
to be held in San Francisco. We should
what responsibility this en-
tails upon Washington, TO the nation and
to the world. and, in turn, what it means
for the good of the nation and of the
world.
Pennsylvania Avenue. viewed from the
standpoint of appropriate beauty and dig
nifty for world capital. is a travesty on
good taste. Even though it cuts the
American and Washingtonian to the quick
TO admit it, il cannot be denied that
Pennsylvania Avenue is the least beau
tiful Of all the great worlds famous
avenues of national capitals. 1t has hard
ly a single element of beauty in the reach
from the Treasury to the Capitol, ex-
cept these buildings themselves and pos
sbly the Municipal Building. Both of
these noble structures. at the two ends
Of the Avenue, are dwarfed by the mix
ture of high and irregular buildings on
either side Of Pennsylvania Avenue.
IF you doubt my word, go at any time
to the corner of the Treasury at Fiji
teenth Street and look toward the Cap
itol or at the Peace Monument reverse
your view. II you have the slightest
sense of artistic harmony in architecture
and of proportion of details. you will
say that | have described the situation
in too moderate terms T''o oiSS n"v %
ania Avenue reminds one OF the
lbs and downs of a weather bureau
chart: the varieties OF architecture are
as numerous as those OF a mushroom
city. The most prominent
feature OF this sky line. which strikes
he eve with the force or one OF walter |
JohnsNn's cut-the-plate balls. are the |
'r,enitentiary" tower and front OF the
nS' H. IL fan
IN the Raleigh Hotel, At the Eastern |
nd of the Avenue sits the Capitol, by |
tself, one OF the nobIest structures of |
he world-"squat like a toad''-as
Dante. in his Inferno" describes the
levil in hell,
Great Convention Hall Needed.
Washington, to be a world city. must
ave a great convention hall suited for
and national conventions OF
he highest dignity and Importance.
through this agency and the hospitality
nd confraternity which / have already
mentioned, it will become, more than
ny other capital in the world. the seat
international conventions and gather
ngs. For all the world is only too
cady 10 come to this new land and
tudy its problems and institutions, il
Washington possesses the facilities for
Intending such hospitality.
Congress and the people of WASH :,
lgton should work together to de-
elop, without delay, it's park and s
oulevard systems to the fullest ex-
mt of their possibilities. There
Mould be a complete connected boule-
ard and park system reaching en-
rely around the National Capital.
he Potomac River is today literally
asted, except in the short reach from
lie Speedway to the railroad bridge.
he islands opposite Georgetown and
le banks on both sides, in Virginia, as
ell as in the District. should be park
and provided with attractive road
avs and connected with necessary
.idges. The Park Commission should
ave permanent power authorized by
ongress to condemn property
the newer and growing
section of Washington to
divide small parks or plazas like those
the heart of the city. One of the
ost unfortunate features of the pres
t residential development Of the Dis
let is the absence Of such pIazas or Z
uares beyond the central limits Of 4
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