Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-03-02

city should represent the highest aspira-
lions as to dignity and beauty that the
people can form for that which is to be
the center and focus of their national life
Model to Other Cities.
You would like it to be an educa ton
to the people. You would like it to be a
model to other Cities model which the
capitals of the states may all initiate.
These states have already initiated, in
the building of their state capitols. the
Capitol at Washington. They perhaps
may carry that imitation almost too far.
but at any rate 1t is q tribute. At any
rate, what YOU want is to have a city
which every one who comes from Maine
or Texas Or Florida or Arkansas can see
here as being something finer and more
bea utiful than he had ever dreamed of
before something which makes him
proud to be an American, something which
makes him wish to diffuse the same ideas
of beauty through his own state as he
sees put in visible form here.
LET me add that there is one thing
that it seems to me you really ought to
have. You ought to have the great Amer
lean University in Washington. / am
very far from suggesting that 1t should
be national university in the sense that
it should be managed by the nation
through Congress or necessarily endowed
by Congress. But the National Capital
ought to have great university. 1T need
not be q university which would compete
with such universities as Columbia, for in
stance, or the University of Chicago
Both of those universities are located in
great cities, and here you have no great
industrial establishments calling for a
faculty of engineering here. as those uni
versties must have, placed as they are.
in great commercial centers. You would
want a university dedicated to two kinds
Of study. TO the artistic side of science
and to the human studies. You want a
university where you will have professors
Of the highest competence in the physical
sciences, the mathematical Sciences i'll the
branches of natural history etc, things
which can be pursued without any imme-
date necessity of coming in contact with
practical life. You ought to have a fine
school of law, fine school of political
science, fine school of economics and a
school of history. You have already in
your government departments an unusual
ly large number of eminent, Industrious
and illustrious scientific men, who are one
Of the glories of Washington, but you
want also to have an equal number Of
men diligent in the pursuit of those
studies, such as history. economies. phil
lology and law. which are the balance of
scientific studies, and ] cannot hope but
that through the liberality of benefactors
with perhaps the national government to
help, 1t will be found possible before very
long to carry out the great idea which the
first President expressed. when ne con-
tended that a university should be eStab-
lished in this city, which was the darling
of his old age.
Method in Beautifcation
Now" continued Ambassador Bryce,
may / venture to make a few sugges-
tons as to some Of the things that need
to be done with the view of Identification
of Washington and the turning of its OPP
portunities to the best account?
''The most obvious thing, of course. is
to say that there ought to be symmetry
and harmony in buildings. and that is To
say that the public buildings to be erected
should not be planted haphaZard, as =.
child places his building blocks. You
want each building to be placed with
some reference to the others, SO that
they will form. if possible. = group. and
all go to make up a fine general effect.
In the same way, when laying out
the streets. YOU want to- consider the
lines on which the streets may best be
planned so as to give the best scenic eff
feet, and SO az TO open to the best vistas.
You want to make some streets unusually
wide. like 18th street, and you want to
turn them in such a way that they shall
give the best northern and eastern lights
and also little landscape at the end.
Nothing is more charming than to see
"A little piece of green landscape at the
eud of street
Il would be very far from suggesting
that YOU should try 10 attain uniformity
in your buildings, because uniformity
is something almost grotesque in the
manner in which buildings are placed here
in Westinghouse ma gnificent building by
the side Of little house. aud buildings