Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-12-10

Highway commences, to the termination at
Portland, Ore, and in every city of impor-
tance through which the road passes there
should be erected great memorials designed
by the greatest artists and sculptors of the
United States and the Allied countries in
honor of the men who gave, or were willing
to give, all they possessed for the winning of
the war.
In this way we might set up a great and
inspiring record of what we have done and
what was done by those who fought upon
our side. What We should have would, in
deed, be World Highway, since it would
run as central artery of world travel be-
tween the sreat ports. 1t would represent
the most splendid sort of memorial and it
would be a work in which all States and
cities might be proud to have a part. This
Is merely suggestive of what the Romans did
in the great road systems which radated
from Rome.
TIME EVENING PUBLIC LEpGERs suggestion
i for bridge crossing the Schuylkill from
the Parkway represents the most intelligent
conception of war memorial that ] have
yet met with. Such q bridge could be de-
signed in harmony with the other great
bridges elsewhere on, the Lincoln Highway.
And here, as elsewhere, along n road that
ultimately will be nothing less than a con-
Meeting link between Europe and Japan
could be placed. in every community, the
groups and monumental structures designed
and built in memory of our own soldiers and
those of the Allied armies. In this city and
elsewhere the museums and monuments of
the sort suggested by Joseph Il. Wdener
should be placed, so as to beautify and
dignity the approaches to each bridge in the
monumental series. Branches of the Gen.
trail highway ultimately could be built from
Philadelphia or Harrisburg to run to Mobile
and New Orleans, and from New Orleans
road might be laid up to San Diego If we
We're not convinced that we are less able
than the ancient Romans in the arts Of COM
munication.
Similarly. road might come down through
the Canadian Rockies to Portland where II
would meet the central highway in the great
system. There IS nothing absurd in this
general scheme. nothing visionary or imprac-
ticable, nothing that the ancients could not
do. 1t would be only doing what Napoleon
did when he built or remade roads from
Paris to Rome and to Madrid and planned
highways over the Swiss passes and to Ber-
lin and to Belgium. Can we do less in an
age when open roads mean so much more to
civilization?
TIME National Commission of Fine Arts
l. should be empowered at once by the
President to open communication with every
community which, like Philadelphia, is pre-
pairing to plan and finance scheme of war
memorials. Thus the general scheme of
coinmemoration could be nationalzed and
given new dignity, significance and value.
We should, as result. have a general me-
mortal unsurpassed anywhere and one in
which the spirit OF the country, it's sentiment
and It's pride could proudly live.
This Is the general plan which your admir-
able editorial inspired in my mind. l think
the bridge as you have suggested IL would
be far more than logical solution to the
problem of war memorial in PHILADELPHIA,
1t might also well represent the beginning OF
a national movement which would give to
the United States co-ordinated memorial
scheme as noble and as useful as anything
ever known to the world