Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-01-20
How Stands United States of America !?
Cleans of Observation By Visitor Here

United States has no use for the word
imagination.
! So long as the tremendous demand
OF the United States absorbs almost
everything that can be made (copy or
otherWiseD then | read their answer
Why trouble about imagination
The prevailing American formula
everywhere is. supply the article
and let tomorrow provide for itself.
The position deCries an obsCured bat
tie. as between getting ahead anyhow,
or getting ahead. and subordinating
mentality into hereditary stereO-
typed condition.
Architecture and the Sky Seraper
But what of architecture, the build
ings. hotels, department stores, shops,
etc? Most thinking people will agree
that the character and quality of
mems minds are portrayed in their
work There are. no doubt, great
minds engaged in the sphere OF archi-
lecture in such a great country as
America. where there exists what
every architect looks for, but when
an architect is reduced to a kind Of
slavedom. regardless of his ability, his
art. or heroic intentions. etc, etc, and
only buildings that will pay dividends,
although devoid Of art and character,
are asked for. the soulless sky-scraper
is the sequal. Standardization which
is everywhere in full evidence in
America is rampant in the sky
scraner, the prospective property
builder simply states number OF
stories he. desires. and up goes the
'scraper!" They are all practically
alike-this also applies to the division
CT the floors. These sky-scrapers in
a sense proclaim the stereotyped
spirit of the country, but they prob
ably carry out their dividend earning
mission satisfactorily. That consid-
Grafton to the American is OF first i'm
portance.
Hotels and Restaurants
The hotels are but separate
edition of the sky-scrapers. Every.
thing IN and about them bespeaks the
word standardization" The food,
however IA la carte), in many is all
that could be desired. The restaurant
decorations. even in some of the new
est of them. form spectacles of dis
may. Anyone who has visited our
Carlton" London, can picture it's ap-
pearance by changing its ivory white
and gold. Adams decoration. into
chocolate brown and placing over
head extremely heavy copper-colored
electrolierS, which to add to the
tragedy are only family lighted dur
ing dinner / remarked one evening
to my dining friend Here is a thor.
oughly efficient recipe to dispel all
our youth, and beauty, from our res
taurants in London, so that with war
economy the order. of the day, We
might paint all our restaurants inside
chocolate brown" After slight
pause my friend remarked. Not only
youth and beauty dine" Being a
Scotsman, 1t took me a little time to
see his joke
The Department Stores
The department stores are in full
evidence throughout America and they
enter into the family life largely, al
though the American department
stores follow the cue Of the Bon
closely as their less expensive or less
artistic class of merchandise will per-
init. 1t Is safe to say that the first
department store in America, built
some 80 years ago, was preceded so
years by Compton House. Liverpool,
a department store built by Miss
Jefferys. The department store in
America taking it's best points offers
attractive merchandise and service,
but there is nothing novel or wonder
full in its environment, stress, competi-
ton. and circumstances are stereo-
typing. and calling a halt on its early
prosperous career.
Wild Protection and insanity
The contents of the department
stores form ample opportunity for
judging the relative merits of Ameri-
cans industrial output The stores
stock everything that will sell, gen.
eral productions for the millions are
usually sold at low prices, but not
lower than their quality represents.
For the higher grades exorbitantly
high prices are charged, prices that
are purposely marked up against buy
ers to the level of imported, duty-paid,
possible by Americas
plOhipiIOIy pEOtSGtIOu, WHICH
II removed would leave the major
portion Of American industry hopeless
~ bankrupt, on this wild protection
fin reality an economic war against
the whole manufacturing world alone
endures the whole fabric of United
States industry.
IL Great Britain has remained mildly
insane in her free-trade policy, con-
dition only admissible If the entire
manufacturing world stood free,
America tops the list in reckless pro-
tective insanity, she pampers her cap
italfsts, stuffs their banking accounts,
pads her industrial artisans with
tariff. in plain words announcing to
all the world, that without this pad
ding her artisans competitive ability !
is such that they could not survive in
the stress of personal effort. Amer
ica's millions of people are perched |
on topping pedestal of deathly in
security, they blindly await the day OF |
reckoning.
Shops Without Majestic Appearance
think will confine my OBJ |
SerVationS to the iewelry and silver